El Hierro
El Hierro is an island where the stark volcanic landscape, impenetrable cliff-lined shores and location in the middle of the Atlantic make it both literally and figuratively remote. It’s the westernmost island of the Canary Islands, and was considered the end of the world until Christopher Columbus set off to discover America in 1492. It remained the Meridiano Cero (Meridian Zone) until replaced by the Greenwich version in 1884.
El Hierro is an island where the stark volcanic landscape, impenetrable cliff-lined shores and location in the middle of the Atlantic make it both literally and figuratively remote. It’s the westernmost island of the Canary Islands, and was considered the end of the world until Christopher Columbus set off to discover America in 1492. It remained the Meridiano Cero (Meridian Zone) until replaced by the Greenwich version in 1884.
The island has the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation and is home to natural swimming pools and crystal clear waters, ideal for swimming and scuba diving, as well as large areas of protected woodland in the inland area.
Its steep rocky coast is very different from the wide beaches that are dominant on the Canary Islands. However, there is a beach of 14 kilometres length at Golfo. The highest mountain, Malpaso (1.501 m.), at the centre of the island, provides a wonderful viewpoint over volcanic craters and woodlands.
