Just like on Gran Canaria, we came across a number of interesting and atmospheric abandoned places during our stay on La Gomera. We had read about some of them before, so we specifically sought them out, but some others we just stumbled across on hikes.

What we like about exploring places like this is that they usually allow a very different glimpse of a place’s history. In the case of La Gomera, we mainly saw traces of the changing economic focus of the Canary Islands, with the abandoned Fish Factory in Las Caletas and the banana loading station near Vallehermoso.

Here’s everything you need to know about La Gomera’s most interesting ‘Lost Places’.

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Our Favourite Abandoned Places on La Gomera

For this list, we tried to pick places that are as different from each other as possible. Most places require at least a short walk to get to, some (like the old airport and the Fish Factory at La Caleta) even a longer hike.

El Revolcadero Airfield

Let’s start with the most isolated place on this list and maybe the strangest abandoned site on the island. La Gomera’s original airport was built in the 1950s on a coastal plateau in the south of the island and abandoned when the new modern airport opened a little further east in the 1980s.

To us, the most spectacular buildings that are still around are the old tower and a small hangar close to a cliff edge by the sea, but there are also a few administration buildings and what looks like an old stable a little further up the slope.

We also found the remains of the old runway, plus there are great views over the surrounding hills. It’s all very atmospheric. To get there, we had to go on a lengthy hike, but the isolation also meant that once we arrived at the site, our only companions were goats.

To get there, you can park your car off the CV-11 north of the new airport, at approximately these coordinates: N28°02.322 W 17°13.605. From there it’s a hike of about 6km through the pretty Barranco del Tejar and to the old airfield.

Castillo del Mar

Despite the dramatic name, Castillo del Mar isn’t a castle at all, but an old banana loading station clinging to the cliffs just outside Vallehermoso. It was built in the late 19th century, when bananas were La Gomera’s main export and the only way to ship them was straight from the coast.

There are actually a few more remains of old davits for loading crates along La Gomera’s north coast. One is in Agulo and another one in Hermigua (although the latter one was actually never used). Decades after it was abandoned, El Castillo had a small revival as a bar and nightclub, but since then it has again fallen into disuse.

The entrance to the building itself is barred, but we still found it very atmospheric from the outside, especially as the waves crashed around the rock it’s standing on. In front of the building are the ruins of a small bar that can be entered, but there isn’t much to see inside except for a small reception area.

The Castillo is to the north of the Playa de Vallehermoso near the town of the same name. If it’s very windy, it’s probably best not to go too close, as there seems to be the danger of rockfall judging by the numbers of huge boulders lying around.

La Cantera Fish Factory

One of the most striking abandoned places on La Gomera sits right on the pebbly shore of Playa de La Cantera, a small, quiet beach on the south-west coast of the island.

The fish processing plant was built in 1831 on orders of the Italian entrepreneur Francis Grasso, and was used for salting and canning tuna in olive oil, before it was shipped to Tenerife and from there to mainland Spain.

It was closed in the early 1960s, and now the ruins stand photogenically on this abandoned strip of coast, hemmed in by high cliffs. There seems to be a new owner, however, and we saw lots of private property signs around.

At first, we were a bit bummed out that we couldn’t have a look inside, but honestly, the whole compound is so open that we were able to glimpse all the buildings and some old machinery from the outside, even though we couldn’t enter the premises.

In any case, hiking to the beach is worth in itself, as you’re almost guaranteed to have it completely to yourself (we didn’t see a single soul while we were here).

You can park your car outside the hamlet of Quise at these coordinates: N28°02.993 W17°15.463, from where it’s a steep 3km hike through a cool, otherworldly landscape of red earth and weird rock formations and down to the beach.

Old Dam at the Embalse de Agulo

When we visited the Mirador de Abrante (one of the best viewpoints on La Gomera, btw.), we spotted what looked like a disused dam in the Barranco de Lepe below. On the way back, we decided to drive a small detour to check it out.

There isn’t a lot to explore here, except for a stairway leading down to the foot of the dam and a small dark tunnel, but there’s nothing inside except for a lot of mud.

That said, we still found it worth dropping by, just to see the impressive structure up-close and enjoy the eerie atmosphere, as well as the awesome views of El Teide on neighbouring Tenerife.

If you want to check it out, there’s a good parking spot at N28°10.816 W17°12.241, from where it’s a five-minute walk down to the pretty reservoir and the dam itself.

Abandoned Viewpoint Bar

This is another little place that we just stumbled upon. If you walk a little past the famous Chorros de Epina springs, you’ll come across a small, crumbling bar or café, that’s slowly being overtaken by vegetation.

Judging by the looks, I’d say it was most likely built in the 1970s or 80s, but it’s hard to tell. In any case, there are great views down to the coast, some cool graffiti and a few cute details, like a little window in the kitchen that consists of old bottles.

The bar is maybe 50m downhill from Chorros de Epina, along the same trail. You can leave your car by the highway and walk to the spring from there.
 

Honourable Mention: Túnel de El Cedro

This is not really an abandoned structure, but I found it cool anyway, so I decided to give it a special mention. This is an underground water passage that runs for almost 600m between El Cedro and the CV-14 Highway.

You can use it as a short-cut on a longer hike, or just check out part of it (I walked to the midway point from El Cedro while Stefanie waited for me). If you want to do explore it, I recommend bringing some flip-flops, as the ground can be quite slippery.

Also, I can tell you that the water is frigging freezing, and it took a few minutes until my feet stopped stinging. Still, I thought it was a fun little adventure. The entrance from the El Cedro side is near the little picnic place at the southern end of the village.

Map of La Gomera’s Abandoned Sites

All the places described above can be found in this map of La Gomera.

See Also