UtahSlickrockGuides.com
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2024 dates
arrive on La Gomera: Monday, January 22
depart from Tenerife: Wednesday, January 31
approximate costs per-person (USD)
round-trip international airfare
$570 from New York, or $800 from Seattle, to Tenerife North
round-trip inter-island airfare
$170 between Tenerife and La Gomera
hotels
$75 per person, per night (double occupancy), buffet breakfast included
meals
$35 to $45 per person for dinner, not including beverages
rental car
$30 per day on Tenerife, $40 per day on La Gomera (plus gas)
scout fee
$1600 per person
additional
insurance (medical, car, trip), meals & accommodation to/from the Canaries
actual costs
Your airfare will depend on the airline you choose and when you purchase. The accuracy of our estimates for accommodation and rental car will depend on ever-fluctuating exchange rates. Our scout fee will not change.
payment
You’ll pay the deposit for accommodation through us. You’ll pay only what we’re charged. Then, by wire transfer or credit card, you’ll pay the hotel directly for the balance. All other costs (airfare, rental car, meals, etc.) you’ll pay directly. That’s what makes this trip affordable: There’s no markup on any of your expenses.
deposit
Tell us you’re interested. We’ll send questions about your hiking experience and fitness level. If you and we agree you can comfortably handle the hiking in the Canary Islands, we'll tell you the scout-fee amount due in August, 2024. The sooner you commit, the sooner we can establish our group of hikers, giving everyone ample time to confidently reserve flights. Bear in mind, connections from mainland Europe to Tenerife are limited. Yet Tenerife is a popular European getaway destination. So we must all book early to ensure we can meet our scheduling needs. Plus, the sooner we have a committed group, the more seats will be available on inter-island flights, which each of us must reserve for ourselves.
inter-island flights
You are responsible for booking and paying for your inter-island flights. As soon as we have a committed group of hikers, we’ll tell you specifically which flights to reserve with Binter, the local airline (www.bintercanarias.com/eng).
We recommend you allow a full day to rest after arriving on Tenerife (TFN) and before flying to La Gomera (GMZ), where our group will convene. From Tenerife’s north airport, near the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it’s a ten-minute taxi ride to San Cristóbal de La Laguna, where we recommend you stop over.
Flight time from Tenerife (TFN) to La Gomera (GMZ) is 30 minutes. You’ll need to arrive at the La Gomera airport no later than 10 a.m. on Monday, January 22. The airport is on the south side of the island, near Playa de Santiago. You’ll rent a car at the airport, then drive about one hour to Valle Gran Rey, on the west side of the island, where we’ll greet you at the hotel.
Your other option for inter-island travel is Fred Olsen Ferries (www. fredolsen.es/en), which has a good reputation. But travel time is longer on the water than in the air, and the logistics (port locations, rental- car pick-up / drop-off, etc.) aren’t as convenient as when you fly. Based on all the seamless, flying/driving transitions we've experienced, we recommend you fly.
rental car
If you’re comfortable and confident driving throughout North America, you should have no trouble on the Canary Islands. It’s essential, however, that you or your partner be confident and capable behind the wheel of a manual-shift car.
Once you commit to the trip, we’ll email you the details (dates, pick-up time, drop-off time) for your rental-car reservations on each island.
We've rented from CICAR (Canary Islands Car, www. cicar.com) on five of the Canaries' principal islands. Their agents have always been friendly, helpful and efficient. And CICAR’s rates are all-inclusive. Their rentals include full insurance (comprehensive, vehicle theft, third-party liability, USD $4 million total coverage) with zero deductible, unlimited mileage, and all taxes. They don’t charge you for having a second driver on the contract. And they don’t penalize you for changing your reservation. If two couples want to share one vehicle, CICAR offers an Opal Zafira that, from personal experience, we can assure you has adequate room for four adults plus all their luggage.
Other rental-car companies serve the Canary Islands, but we have no experience with them, thus cannot recommend them. Plus, CICAR gave us no reason to consider switching. Our impression is that the other companies are smaller, less pervasive, and offer less generous and transparent contracts.
insurance
We require you to buy emergency hospital and medical insurance to cover you while you’re in the Canary Islands. Should an insurance company ask if you’ll be climbing or mountaineering while you’re there, you can honestly say “no.”
We also recommend you buy trip-interruption/cancellation insurance. For a small fee, it covers an emergency return to your home country. Your need to return could be due to a foreign affairs office traveler-safety advisory, for example. Or it could be due to a family emergency—if you are the primary caregiver. A reliable travel- insurance company is Allianz Global Assistance (800-461-1079 / www. allianz-assistance.ca/en). Ask them for details. Another good option is World Nomads (www.worldnomads.com).
