HOW TO COMBINE THE GR131 AND GR132 TO MAKE A CIRCULAR ISLAND HIKE.
We recently travelled to the delightful island paradise of La Gomera and hiked a combination of the GR131 and GR132 long distance paths. Both paths are excellent and provide a different experience of the island.
If you are keen to combine the two paths to create a circular hike, read on to find out more.
We suggest reading this blog post in conjunction with our GR131 La Gomera detailed guide and our planning guide to walking the GR131 on the Canary Islands.
Where is La Gomera?
La Gomera, a picturesque gem among the Canary Islands, forms part of the autonomous community of Spain set in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwestern coast of Africa. Positioned to the west of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, and southwest of Gran Canaria, La Gomera stands out as the second smallest of the main islands. Celebrated for its striking landscapes, abundant greenery, and distinctive cultural heritage, it captivated us immediately with it’s unique charm.
Why hike in La Gomera?
La Gomera has fast become one of our favorite places to hike, not least because of the incredible footpaths and breathtaking scenery. But also because there are plenty of hikers exploring the island, making the atmosphere in bars at the end of the trails really fun.
Sitting with a beer at the end of the day in a La Gomera mountain village like Chipude is like being in a ski resort enjoying apres ski. But that’s not to say that it feels busy in La Gomera, far from it, we often had trails to ourselves all day!
There are hundreds of different hiking trails in La Gomera, including two long distance hiking paths – the GR131 and GR132. Read on to find out more below.
What are the GR131 and GR132?
There are two long distance hiking trails in La Gomera, they are both GR routes (part of a network of long distance hiking paths in Europe.)
The two long distance hiking trails are the GR131 and GR132 in La Gomera. The GR131 is an inland trail crossing the island, whereas the GR132 runs around the coast line, enabling you to circumnavigate the entire island.
How to combine the GR131/GR132 La Gomera to make a circular hike
We recently walked the GR131 across a number of the Canary Islands, including Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and La Gomera. Almost as soon as we got off the boat in La Gomera, we were keen to explore and see everything that the island had to offer.
However, we were struck that the GR131 in La Gomera is only a 45km trail and this might not quite quench our thirst. Subsequently, we decided to tag on an extra few days to walk part of the GR132 and to make our way a circular one!
Whilst the GR131 goes across the middle of the island, from South to North, the GR132 journeys around the edge of the island. It may look complicated, but it is quite straightforward to combine the two paths to make your own route.
Here are two options to help you combine the GR131 and GR132.
Option One: GR131/GR132 Six Day Hike on La Gomera
Option One is to walk the GR131 from San Sebastian La Gomera to Playa de Vallehermoso and then continue the walk along the North coast from Vallehermoso to San Sebastian La Gomera on the GR132 walking clockwise. The map below shows the GR131 and GR132 routes on the island. The red indicates the GR131 and green the GR132.
The total distance of the GR131 and the North sections of the GR132 from Vallehermoso is around 90km. It may be possible to walk this quickly in four days, but we would recommend at least five and preferably six days as follows:
DAILY STAGES
Here are the suggested daily stages based on best access to amenities and accommodation. Of course, it is possible to walk quicker or slower and alter the daily stages. Day Four for example is a particularly long day.
DAY ONE: San Sebastian La Gomera to Degollada de Peraza (GR131) – 6 miles/ 10km with a 3000ft ascent.
DAY TWO: Degollada de Peraza to Chipude (GR131) – 8 miles/ 13km with a 1,400ft ascent.
DAY THREE: Chipude to Vallehermoso (or Playa de Vallehermoso) (GR131) – 13miles/ 21km, 3,100ft ascent.
You can find our detailed daily stage guides to walking the GR131 here.
DAY FOUR: Vallehermoso (or Playa de Vallehermoso) to Playa de Santa Catalina (Hermigua) (GR132) – 19 miles/ 30km with a 6,600ft ascent.
It is possible to walk from either Playa de Vallehermoso or Vallehermoso on the GR132. The beach route goes along the coast, before cutting inland to Agulo. The inland option is the more popular choice and is a shorter and easier path than the coastal one – which is a little overgrown in parts.
DAY FIVE AND SIX: Playa de Santa Catalina (Hermigua) to San Sebastian La Gomera (GR132) (🏕️see note below on camping/ accommodation) – 17miles, 27km with a 4,500ft ascent.
🏕️If you are camping, then it is possible to find camp spots along the route – do see our guide to camping on the canary islands here. This gives you flexibility to walk from Agulo to San Sebastian La Gomera in two days. However, as there is no accommodation between Playa de Santa Catalina (Hermigua) and San Sebastian, then you would need to walk this as one daily stage if you are not camping. It is possible, but expect a long day of hiking.
🏨See section below on where to find accommodation along the route.
A FOUR DAY HIKE ON LA GOMERA?
If you don’t have time, it is very easy to get a bus from Hermigua to San Sebastian La Gomera (Check bus times here.) Doing this would cut the walk down to four and a half to five days, rather than six full days. And, you would still get to walk on both the GR131 and GR132 on La Gomera.
Option Two: GR131/ GR132 Seven Day Hike on La Gomera
Option Two is to walk the GR131 from San Sebastian La Gomera to Playa de Vallehermoso and then continue the to the West along the GR132, eventually walking along the South Coast from Vallehermoso to San Sebastian La Gomera (anticlockwise.) The map below shows the GR131 and GR132 routes on the island. The red indicates the GR131 and green the GR132.
This is a longer route than option one, and you can also expect it to be a little hotter and drier than taking the path along the North coast to the East side of La Gomera.
DAILY STAGES
Here are the suggested daily stages based on access to amenities and accommodation. Of course, it is possible to walk faster or slower and to adjust the daily stages.
DAY ONE: San Sebastian La Gomera to Degollada de Peraza (GR131) – 6 miles/ 10km with a 3000ft ascent.
DAY TWO: Degollada de Peraza to Chipude (GR131) – 8 miles/ 13km with a 1,400ft ascent.
DAY THREE: Chipude to Vallehermoso (or Playa de Vallehermoso) (GR131) – 13miles/ 21km, 3,100ft ascent.
You can find our detailed daily stage guides to walking the GR131 here.
DAY FOUR: Vallehermoso to Valle Gran Rey (recommended route from Vallehermoso rather than Playa de Vallehermoso as some of the path in this section is eroded.) – 13 miles, 20km, 5,700ft ascent.
DAY FIVE: Valle Gran Rey to La Dama – 11miles, 17km with a 3,500ft ascent.
DAY SIX: La Dama to Playa de Santiago – 14miles, 22km, 4,500ft ascent.
DAY SEVEN Playa de Santiago to San Sebastian La Gomera – 11miles, 17km with 3,500ft ascent.
🏨See below guide on hotels along the GR131 and GR132 routes.
How to get to La Gomera?
There are no international direct flights to La Gomera. However, it is easy to get there via Tenerife.
There are two options to travel to La Gomera. The first is to fly to Tenerife and then take a ferry from Los Cristianos to La Gomera. The boat only takes around 50 minutes, but it can get busy so it’s best to book tickets ahead.
There is an airport in La Gomera serving domestic flights. Therefore, the second option to get to La Gomera is to fly to Tenerife then get a connecting flight to La Gomera.
Where to stay in La Gomera
Many choose to camp on the GR131 and GR132 on La Gomera, but if this isn’t an option for you – here are the best places to stay along the two hiking routes.
San Sebastian – find hotels here.
Chipude – find hotels here.
Vallehermoso – find hotels here.
Agulo – find hotels here.
Hermigua – find hotels here.
Valle Gran Rey – find hotels here.
Playa de Santiago – find hotels here.
Where to next on the GR131?
The GR131 is a long-distance island hopping route. Find all our resource for the GR131 here:
- GR131 Planning – all you need to know to prepare
- GR131 Fuerteventura
- GR131 La Gomera
- GR131 + GR132 – a circular hike in La Gomera
- GR131 Gran Canaria
Written by Emma
Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.
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3 responses to “Combine the GR131 and GR132 La Gomera to make a circular island hike”
[…] Agando, which stands proud. Locals believe that the Roque de Agando is a lucky stone. We hiked the GR131 trail which had excellent views of the Roque, but you can also drive to see it from the Mirador Roque de […]
[…] two long distance hiking trails are the GR131 and GR132 in La Gomera. The GR131 is an inland trail crossing the island, whereas the GR132 runs around the coast line, […]
[…] Each island on the GR131 is completely different and it would be hard to pick just one for us. Our personal favourite island to walk on the GR131 was Gran Canaria, because it offered such variety day to day. But, Fuerteventura was also spectacular when it comes to beaches and scenery. Anyone with less time to walk, may enjoy La Gomera – a shorter trail, which could be combined with the GR133 to create a circular trail. […]