El Hierro — Overview

About El Hierro

El Hierro is the smallest, youngest, and most westerly of the main Canary Islands, covering 268 km² with approximately 11,000 inhabitants. The capital is Valverde. The entire island was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2000, and its marine area was designated a UNESCO Geopark in 2014.

El Hierro has achieved international recognition as a pioneer in renewable energy. Since 2014, the Gorona del Viento hydro-wind power plant has supplied the island with electricity generated from a combination of wind turbines and a pumped hydro storage system, making El Hierro one of the first islands in the world to operate on 100% renewable energy for extended periods.

The island's geography is dramatic, rising steeply from the ocean to its highest point, Pico de Malpaso, at 1,501 metres. The landscape is characterised by rugged volcanic terrain, fertile valleys, juniper forests, and dramatic sea cliffs. The El Golfo valley in the north is a large semicircular depression created by a massive landslide approximately 15,000 years ago.

El Hierro is known for some of the best diving in the Canary Islands, centred around the Mar de las Calmas (Sea of Calm), a protected marine reserve on the southern coast with exceptional water visibility and rich marine biodiversity.

Access is via El Hierro Airport (VDE) or ferry from Tenerife (Los Cristianos). The island has no mass tourism and maintains a strong traditional culture, with distinctive folklore, crafts, and agricultural traditions.