At a glance
Tom de Dorlodot tells us about El Hierro, his favourite Canary Island. He shares his tips and some interesting local contacts with anyone who wants to try paragliding or freediving there.
Tom de Dorlodot, paraglider and adventurer, tells us about El Hierro, his favourite Canary Island. He shares his tips and some interesting local contacts with anyone who wants to try paragliding or freediving there.
Doing outdoor activities in the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands archipelago is an ideal destination offering plenty of outdoor activities. It's a little corner of paradise for diving, trekking, surfing, sailing, or if you simply fancy a destination with guaranteed sunshine to quietly read a book on the beach.
Last year, with our sailboat SEARCH and our production team, we set off to explore the 7 Canary Islands. This time, I'd like to tell you about my favourite, the lesser-known island of El Hierro.
El Hierro: an “eco-friendly” island
Despite being the smallest of the Canary Islands, El Hierro is the first island to generate most of its energy from renewable sources (solar, geothermal and wind power). Its inhabitants take care to preserve and protect its raw, untouched nature. Thanks to its volcanic geography and local weather, vegetation is abundant and lush. Everything grows there, and the small local markets are full of delicious organic fruit and vegetables. The seabed is also teeming with life. At sea, you'll come across dolphins, sea turtles and sometimes even whales!
El Hierro from above...
If El Hierro is my favourite Canary Island, it's not entirely by chance... It's a hotspot for acrobatic paragliding pilots. The island's highest mountain is perfectly aligned with the prevailing winds. Every winter, when conditions are too poor to fly in the Alps or elsewhere in Europe, a large number of pilots meet up there to perfect their technique and log flying hours. There's no such thing as cold there. It's a kind of perpetual spring, and the days are long... In January, with Sofia and our son Jack, we sailed from Tenerife to El Hierro to make the most of these exceptional flying conditions.
Arriving at the small port of La Estaca, we moored the sailboat at the jetty. This marina is well sheltered, so you can leave a boat there safely. Also, thanks to recent renovations, the facilities are modern and clean. We decided to rent a car to go and meet our friends and local pilots at the Sabinosa take-off site. It's one of the best paragliding spots on the island. If you fancy trying paragliding, I'd recommend a tandem flight with our friend Ondrej Prochazka, former World Champion in aerobatics, who settled on the island two years ago: http://www.flyelhierro.com/en/
Tell him you're a friend of mine! He's a great guy and he'll take you on a special flight!
...and freediving
After spending time in the air, I wanted to spend some time at sea.
I'd been dreaming for a while of getting seriously into freediving. It's an activity that carries certain risks. Of course, you should never practise it alone. It's essential to learn the right techniques and all the safety measures before setting off to explore the seabed. I don't like to improvise, so I did some research and remembered a friend telling me there was a great freediving instructor on the island. I contacted him and booked a lesson. Honestly, it was a fantastic experience, and on top of that, Karsten had a real gift for teaching!
The introductory course takes a full day. In the morning, you learn some of the theory and get familiar with the equipment, and in the afternoon you go into the water. We started with a dip in one of the island's natural pools. The most important thing is to relax and control your movements so you use as little oxygen as possible. Staying still (without moving), I managed to hold my breath underwater for up to 3 minutes 20 seconds. Then we put on our wetsuits and headed out to sea. I gradually descended to a depth of 20 metres. It was magical. The feeling of staying underwater for so long is simply incredible. Karsten, my instructor, was a real pro, and I never felt in danger. He adapts to all levels and prefers to give private lessons (which I think is a real plus). He always stays close by, even underwater. If there's ever a problem, he's always ready to react. I strongly recommend contacting him if you want to discover this wonderful activity. You'll find all the information here: http://www.freediving-el-hierro.com/?lang=en
Good tip: Protect your skin without polluting the water
The sunshine there is really strong and can catch you off guard when you come from Belgium, especially in winter... I strongly recommend protecting yourself well from UV rays, especially when you're at sea or on the beach. To avoid polluting the water, choose an effective organic sunscreen that won't leave chemicals in the sea. Regular sunscreens damage coral. I use products from BioSolis and honestly, they're great.
Getting to El Hierro by plane or boat
You can get to El Hierro by plane with the airline Binter, or in 2 hours 30 minutes by ferry from Tenerife with Armas.
Where to stay? An original spot...
After a few weeks on board, we wanted to get off the boat for a bit. We found a fantastic place: the Punta Grande hotel,known as the smallest hotel in the world. It was built on a superb jetty, and at night you can hear the waves crashing against the cliffs. The food is delicious and the staff really friendly. It's well worth spending a night there and enjoying a little cocktail at sunset.
Discover more articles and tips from Thomas de Dorlodot by clicking here.
- Photo credits © IV Movies / Tom de Dorlodot / Sofia Piñeiro*
