Sailing to Valle Gran Rey

Sailing to Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera

After spending some time on the southern coast of La Gomera, we made our way over to Valle Gran Rey.

The sail itself was easy. The anchoring… well. Let’s just say the cliffs there are impressive for more than one reason. They look majestic, and they also have a talent for sending gusts into the bay at the exact moment you’d prefer not to have them.

Still, Valle Gran Rey quickly became one of those places where you settle in anyway. You watch the light change on the rocks, you get used to the rhythm, and you stop expecting the conditions to behave.

A Dockside Concert and La Gomera Music

One evening we wandered down to the dock and stumbled into a small concert. Nothing big, nothing staged — just local music and people hanging out. We ended up loving it. Those typical La Gomera songs have something to them… and at some point I suddenly remembered an artist I used to listen to years ago. Back then, I never really questioned why there was so much whistling in his songs.

Now I get it.

Silbo Gomero: The Whistling Language of La Gomera

Because La Gomera has a whistling language.

With all these steep valleys and deep canyons, people here developed a way to communicate across distance — not just a few signals, but an actual language called Silbo Gomero. Apparently there are even different dialects around the island, and it’s taught in school. Which is pretty cool. Also a little mind-blowing the first time you really think about it.

La Gomera Road Trip: Mountains, Wildflowers, and Viewpoints

We also rented a car in Valle Gran Rey and did a few trips around the island — and that’s when La Gomera really got us. The mountains are dramatic, yes, but what surprised me most were the flowering plains up high. Just driving around and suddenly seeing all that color in the middle of rugged terrain felt almost unreal.

It’s a truly magnificent island — but it’s not the “always summer” version of the Canaries. You have to be prepared for clouds, fog, the occasional rain shower, and cold wind that shows up out of nowhere, especially up in the mountains.

But honestly, that’s part of what makes it feel real.

This episode is a bit of all of that: sailing over, finding our favorite anchorages, getting inland for a proper road trip, and stumbling into the kind of small local moments you wouldn’t plan — but you remember.

Stay curious, stay salty.
– Floh