El Hierro: Cycling at the End of the World

Mountain Biking Collection by Saskimo | Saskia

Tours

14:22 h

138 mi

20,675 ft

El Hierro used to be considered the end of the known world – after that, there was only the ocean. Although the Canary Islands are well-developed for tourism today and especially popular with tourists from the continent in winter, El Hierro is still an insider tip. That's because of the journey: it requires a bit of stamina.

But once you've arrived, the westernmost Canary Island guarantees relaxation and deceleration. There is only one set of traffic lights on the entire island, no tall hotel castles and 99% of the time you won't meet a soul on the trails. It’s completely normal for a driver to stop in the middle of the road for a chat with a friend and no one gets upset about it. In addition, there are great bathing caves along the steep coast and nature that delights with its different climate zones and varied vegetation.

Oh yes, and the mountain biking is also quite good! Although there are no trails designed for biking, most hiking trails can be enjoyed on a bike. So if you love cycling in nature, you're in the right place on El Hierro: flowing trails in the enchanted moss- and lichen-covered forest, as well as in the pine forest that follows. Then it gets steeper and more technical: volcanic rock replaces the soft humus soil and the steep terrain can only be mastered through tight curves.

Once you have mastered this challenge, almost every trail ends directly at the sea or at a café where you can enjoy a Cortado Leche y Leche.

On The Map

Tours & Highlights

El Hierro: To get in the mood
01:21
8.30 mi
6.1 mph
1,825 ft
1,800 ft
Hello El Hierro 👋. To get used to the completely different conditions than in Freiburg, Ralf from MTB Active took us on a short lap in the evening on a moderate trail today 😉. Although moderate here means something different than in the Black Forest.

Instead of driving the well-known home trails at…
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by Saskimo | Saskia
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El Hierro: Shuttle Tour down to Sabinosa
02:00
15.3 mi
7.7 mph
925 ft
4,325 ft
When we got up this morning, we saw clear skies and not a single cloud in the mountains. It looked like the perfect day to take the camera with us on our tour and snap some photos.

In the shuttle to the top, however, it quickly becomes apparent that the weather here on El Hierro is often like that of…
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El Hierro: Trail Tour with a shuttle near Valverde
01:49
22.3 mi
12.2 mph
4,125 ft
4,125 ft
Today we were in a different area of El Hierro. That's the cool thing about riding with Ralf from mtb active: He knows the whole island better than anyone else!

It started at the bus station in Valverde. From there on a partly technically very demanding trail down towards the sea. We had the camera with…
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El Hierro: Downhill to the sea
02:01
13.3 mi
6.6 mph
1,375 ft
5,275 ft
Today's tour was super varied: In the upper part there was the finest fairytale forest with lichens and mosses growing from the trees. This was followed by a sparse pine forest with flowing paths over a thick layer of needles.

Then we climbed a few meters again until we were up again and then we went…
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El Hierro: Did someone say rain?
01:48
9.31 mi
5.2 mph
2,050 ft
2,000 ft
It was supposed to be the heaviest rainfall in ten years on El Hierro today - but it didn't look like it this morning. So we got on our bikes and went on a little tour. Without rain, but at some point in the clouds. Uphill we went comfortably on the street, downhill on partly steep, partly bumpy trails…
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El Hierro: Double shuttle Tour
02:25
33.4 mi
13.8 mph
4,675 ft
8,025 ft
Today we took the shuttle again: First down to Valverde, where Gustavo, Ralf's driver, picked us up and drove us up. Then it went back down to Frontera on the other side ☺️.
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El Hierro: Shuttle Tour to La Restinga and La Frontera
02:58
36.3 mi
12.2 mph
5,725 ft
9,000 ft
Today there was again a double shuttle: first down to La Restinga and then again up and down to La Frontera. A good mix of flowing trails through the magic forest and then technical trails down to the sea. We finished the tour at the Oktoberfest in La Frontera 😂.
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