EL HIERRO CANARY ISLANDS Want to be an adventurer? You re welcome to join me on a superb six night photographic tutoring holiday in El Hierro The peaceful Canary Island of El Hierro is the smallest of the seven main Canary Islands with a population of just below 11,000. Although small, El Hierro is packed with compelling photo opportunities. From natural volcanic sculptures, lava fields, to pine with green meadows and fresh forests. There are several natural pools which are a must whilst on the island of El Hierro, one is the Charco Azul (Blue Lagoon). The Charco Azul is a delightful surprise lagoon tucked away at the bottom of a cliff. As the sun shines through the gaps in the rocks reflecting onto the clear blue water it creates a mysterious cave-like pool effect.
Alternatively, located in the capital town Valverde, Charco Manso is one of the most enchanting sites on the island. With spectacular views, this area offers a series of natural volcanic arches which have been formed due to millions of years of erosion. You are able to watch the waves beat against the rocks and take multiple photos from different angles of the arches. There is even a swimming area where you can bathe and relax, with clear calm waters - pure tranquility. El Hierro, despite being the smallest of the main Canary Islands has been declared a World Biosphere Reserve. With a population of around 11, 000 you will not be disappointed with how beautiful this volcanic island is. With winter temperatures at a minimum of 11c to a maximum of 20c, the temperatures are more spring-like in the winter. I recommend you travel light, take something warm to wear, especially for the evening and have a good pair of walking shoes. We will be walking on this trip. Air travel can be incredibly cheap when flying out of season into Tenerife with one of the budget airlines. The plan would be for all guests to fly into the South airport of Tenerife. I will then arrange your pick up from the airport and then travel to Los Cristianos where we will be staying the night in Tenerife, tickets for the ferry will be pre-booked before you arrive. The ferry from Tenerife to El Hierro usually takes 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Day One: Please make sure you fly into Tenerife South Airport (Aeropuerto Reina Sofia). You will either be picked up by me or I will arrange a taxi. We will then travel to Los Cristianos where we will be staying a night near the port and will be boarding the ferry to El Hierro the next day. Once you have settled into your accommodation in Los Cristianos for the night, it would be good to meet up later that evening to lay out our plans for the next few days. Day Two: Today we will be travelling to La Restinga the only ferry port on El Hierro. The two hours and 15 minutes crossing will give us a chance to get to know each other and have a talk on the basics of photography and Photoshop before we start on our photographic tutoring tour. Once we have arrived we will be travelling to your accommodation, as the island is fairly small this should not take that long. If we reach El Hierro at a reasonable time, we will be heading out to the coast stopping off at Las Puntas and Charco los Sargos, there are many great viewing points on this island. There are a few steps to climb at Charco los Sargos. After, we will be travelling more inland towards Frontera where we will find a place to stop off and have some lunch. After lunch, we will travel back to our accommodation where we can up load our photos to my laptop and have a review of the photos that we have taken today. We will also be looking at the basics of Photoshop and backing up your photos. Day Three: We will be travelling to the west of the island today. We will be taking a packed lunch with us today, as there will not be many café/bars at the places where we plan to stop and take photos. Our destination will be El Sabinar, a formation of trees that have been weathered by the wind over many years. The twisted shape of these trees offers plenty of opportunities to take creative photos. As we travel to the Sabinar it s worth stopping off at the Aroc de la Toscadel and also Bascos, a good viewing point to take more fabulous photos. Finally we will head to Mirador de Julan, another viewing point with an information centre where we can stop off and have a drink before we head back to our accommodation. Please note: this itinerary is subject to change based on weather conditions
Day Four: Day four is a free day for you. You can do whatever you like on this day. The hotel that I recommend has various facilities such as a spa and swimming pool. First thing in the morning before breakfast I will be travelling east to Roque de La Bonanza for sunrise, you are more than welcome to join me. I will be returning back to the accommodation after. Day Five: We will be travelling to La Restinga the most southern tip of the island, diverting off to Cala de Tacoron for a picnic. On our way back if we have enough time it would be good to drive through the coastal road from El Pinar to the capital Valverde. Before we leave El Pinar we should spend some time looking at the vast pine forest in this area. Day Six: Day six is subject to change as we will be travelling back to Tenerife. There is only one ferry per day. Depending on the time that this is leaving, we may be able to fit in a location on our way to the port. This could possibly be the capital of El Hierro which is Valverde or explore some higher parts of the island such as Guarazoca. On the ferry we can have a critique of the photos that you have taken over the last few days. When we arrive back in Tenerife, we will head towards our accommodation in Los Cristianos. Day seven: Drop off to Tenerife airport for your flight back to the UK. Please note: this itinerary is subject to change based on weather conditions
Accommodation: I have visited and stayed at this hotel and I would definitely recommend it. It is clean, the staff are friendly and they have great facilities such as plenty of space for us to set up Photoshop workshops and a swimming pool. It is authentic and traditionally Spanish. It acts as a good base, with options of an onsite restaurant. There is the option of half-board, where you can have breakfast and your main meal in their restaurant in the evening.
El Hierro photographic tutoring tour information: Booking information: - Total cost of this 6 night Photographic Tuition Holiday, including travel to all locations, photographic tuition, return ferry tickets to El Hierro and Tenerife and lunch 850 per person - To book, a booking form will need to be filled in and emailed or posted back to me BOOKING FORM LINK - A deposit of 300 will be required to secure your booking, full balance due 8 weeks before your travel date - Payment can be paid by bank transfer/ debit / credit card - Please think carefully about your suitcase size as we will all have camera cases as well What is included: - Pick up and drop off service from Tenerife South Airport and transport to and from Los Cristianos - Accommodation for 2 nights in Los Cristianos - Ferry tickets - Travel to and from each photographic location - A light lunch each tuition day - Photographic / Photoshop tuition - 5% discount on total price for couples that book The schedule below is subject to change depending on the amount of time we stay at each location, weather and time travelling to each destination. What will not be included: - Flights to and from Tenerife - Your accommodation in El Hierro is not included in the package - I can book this on your behalf, I do charge a 5% commission (of your accommodation) for this service - Full payment for the accommodation would need to be paid on day of booking - Travel/camera insurance - Alcoholic drinks - Camera equipment Contact information: Website: www.travelphotos.biz Contact number: 07484 628 288 Email: gary@travelphotos.biz ã All photos are copyright of Gary Atkinson