Gara and Jonay 2.0

Gara and Jonay gave the name to our National Park at La Gomera island (Canary Islands, Spain). This is a youth exchange about environmental essentials, with a deep contact with nature. Trekking, hiking, living in the center of a national park, cooking our own food. This is not holidays.

The evergreen misty forest, with its unique atmosphere fascinates in the heart of La Gomera. The area around the highest mountain, Garajonay (1487m) has been a national park since 1981. Since 1986 it has also been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The unique eco-system of the Laurisilva forest in the protected centre f the island is thought to be the remnant of subtropical woods which covered the Mediterranean area during the Tertiary period. The highest point on La Gomera, the summit of Garajonay, lies in the middle of the 0 square kilometre large area of the national park. On a clear day, the four other Canary Islands can be seen from here: El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Anyone searching for the forest with its lush vegetation will often walk through a thick mist and breathe in the damp, pleasantly cool air. You find yourself in a make-believe world and feel as if civilisation is very far away. This is the land of mischievous gnomes and elves, with a backdrop of gnarled tree roots and branches, which have a mind of their own.

Here and there, rays of light make their way through the canopy of trees and small streams and waterfalls splash by the wayside.
Even though the park goes by the name El Bosque del Cedro in the local dialect, there are no Cedar trees to be found. Instead, the national park has many varieties of Laurels, which can grow to over 15m, as well as a multitude of other, mostly endemic plants. The misty clouds allow for the growth of wonderful moss and lichen, which bear witness to the clarity of the air.

The entire area is very accessible, not only from the highway, which was built years ago. Visitors can gain an insight into the unique natural landscape from the many hiking and rambling paths.