European mountains
La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain

Tejeleche, 618m
Punta de Tejeleche, 596m
Roque de Mona, 542m
 

See also the La Gomera index page for a list of all tops visited. Also note that mountain elevations have been taken from the TOPO_España Insular y Ciudades de Ceuta y Melilla GPS map.

Tejeleche range

The Tejeleche range is located on the western coastline of La Gomera, and the most characteristic features are fragile rock, lava walls, rugged peaks and steep faces towards the ocean. The south-western part of this range is called Galión.

This page will describe a hike across the Tejeleche range (on path), and provide notes on how to ascend the peaks (off-trail). The only peak that requires climbing is the twin-topped point 595m. But climbing on this fragile rock is most definitely not recommended!

Tejeleche range
(Click for larger image)

Roque de Mona

Roque de Mona is located approx. 1km south of Tejeleche. This is a fascinating and - arguably - "ugly" peak. But despite its wild appearance, only minor scrambling is required to reach the summit (there is no path). From the top, you'll have a nice view towards the Taguluche village. On some maps, Lomo del Viento is marked along with Roque de Mona. This may be an alternative name, or the name of the ridge on which Roque de Mona is the high point.

Roque de Mona
(Click for larger image)

Heights & Primary factor:

The mountain heights vary depending on which map you have. Below is a table of heights, collected from various sources. The Garmin GPS map has been chosen as source for computing the primary factors.

Throughout our stay, personal GPS readings were in average 10-13m above the map heights. Even at sea level, the GPS read 10-13m. This may indicate that the GEOID model is not very accurate for this island.

Tejeleche (Garmin GPS: 618m, N28.15176 W17.33521) has a primary factor of 91m towards the higher parent Cabeza del Buey (980m). The defining saddle (approx. N28.14981 W17.32638) is found between the road to Taguluche and Punta de Tejeleche. The saddle height is 527m on the Garmin map.

GPS measurement read 625m (on the summit), averaged over a 5-minute period (error margin < +/- 2m).

Roque de Mona (Garmin GPS: 524m, N28.14229 W17.33234) has a primary factor of 94m towards the higher parent Cabeza del Buey (980m). The defining saddle (approx. N28.14371 W17.32964) is found between the road to Taguluche and Roque de Mona. The saddle height is 448m on the Garmin map.

GPS measurement read 561m (on the summit), averaged over a 5-minute period (error margin < +/- 2m). Based on the GPS reading, as well as the heights on the Goldstad and T&T maps (553m), it is reasonable to assume that roque de Mona is considerably higher than 542m.

Primary factor of the other tops; Punta de Tejeleche (55m), point 599m (22m) and point 589m (18m)

The Tejeleche tops
(Click for larger image)

Google map

Google's interactive map. You can zoom, pan and click on the markers.
 

Trail descriptions

The normal way to get to La Gomera, is to fly to Tenerife and take a jetfoil or ferry from Los Cristianos. Some ferries only run to San Sebastian de la Gomera, while others stop by San Sebastian and Playa de Santiago before arriving at Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey.

These route description are valid per Dec 2009. All distances are approx.

Access

From San Sebastian de la Gomera, follow road Carretera del Sur (TF-713) and Carretera del Centro (CV-15)  to the Vallehermoso - Arure/Valle Gran Rey junction on the northwest side of the island. Turn right towards Vallehermoso and follow this road (CV-16) approx. 3,1km. Turn left onto the road to Taguluche and follow this road approx. 4,5km to the Alojera junction. Go left (straight ahead) and drive 2,8km until you get to a sharp left-hand curve. Find parking on the right-hand side of the road.

Note that the road to Taguluche is narrow and that rocks and landslides may hit the road.

The route

The route - as seen in Google Earth
(Click for larger image)

From the parking, descend (partly steep) to the pass between the road and Punta de Tejeleche. Follow a path that passes Punta de Tejeleche on the north (right) side. The path gains the mountain ridge at N28.15138 W17.33018. Turn left for Punta de Tejeleche - a 10-15 minutes easy ridge walk (off-trail).

Descend back to the ridge entry point and follow the path in the direction of the Tejeleche tops. After a while, you'll see the twin-topped point 595m up to your right. Do not consider scrambling on this rock. Instead, follow the path to the pass between 599m and Tejeleche, and scramble (off-trail) up to point 599m. The summit is an overhanging cliff, and you have absolutely no guarantee that it will stay that way...

Point 599m
(Click for larger image)

Descend from point 599m and pass below Tejeleche (the main top in this range) until you reach the south ridge. The scramble up to the top calls for caution (due to fragile lava), but it is in no way difficult.

Return the path and continue west until you have passed point 589m. Then ascend this top from the west. The scrambling is just as easy as on the main summit. Proceed to point 558m (consider visiting an even more overhanging pinnacle along the way) which marks the end of the main ridge. Turn around here, or go discover the Galión section of this mountain range.

The route - as seen in Google Earth
(Click for larger image)

Access

Same as for Tejeleche (see above), but continue approx. 800m on the road to Taguluche. Find parking on the right-hand side of the road.

The route

The route - as seen in Google Earth
(Click for larger image)

Walk 80m along the main road, cross the road fence and descend towards the ridge leading to Roque de Mona (the route is quite obvious). Stay left when you meet the sharp ridge, and a short scramble (or jump) is required to get into the mountain's east face. Head towards the nearest couloir and locate an easy route (a short scramble) up to the summit ridge. The summit is located 90m to the southwest. The Tejeleche range looks quite impressive from here!

Roque de Mona
(Click for larger image)

Pictures and Trip reports:

• Tejeleche and Roque de Mona, Dec 31 2009

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