European mountains
La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain
LOS ROQUES

Roque Carmona, 1148m
Roque de Ojila, 1170m
Roque de la Zarcita, 1232m
Roque de Agando, 1251m
 

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.

Los Roques
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Los Roques...

"A series of domes or Roques, which can be as much as several hundred metres higher than the ground that surrounds them, project from the surface of the island. They are old volcanic vents that were filled with pasty lava with a higher acid content than basalt. The subsequent erosive action over millions of years made the surrounding and easier to erode rocks disappear, leaving only the filling of the old chimney".

The above text is taken from an information board at one the Los Roques viewpoints, and serves as a good introduction to these natural monuments located in the middle of the island. The Los Roques group consists of 4 peaks - Roque de Agando being the highest, and undisputedly the most spectacular one.

Roque de Agando
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You can observe these volcanic plugs from several viewpoints, and when the day tourists come in cars and buses from Tenerife, the viewpoints quickly become overcrowded.

Roque de Ojila
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This site formerly contained information on how to access Roque de Ojila and Roque de la Zarcita, but after request from Estudio de Variables Ecológicas en el Parque Nacional de Garajonay, the information has been removed.

These peaks belong to an Integral Reserve within the Garajonay National Park and public access is not permitted because of conservation reasons.

Roque de la Zarcita
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There are marked hiking trails "all around" the Los Roques. Refer to the La Gomera hiking maps for more information.

Roque Carmona
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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.

Roque de Agando (Garmin GPS: 1251m, N28.10530 W17.21382) has a primary factor of 177m towards the higher parent Alto de la Tunera (1293m). The defining saddle (approx. N28.10693 W17.21343) is found along road TF-713 just north of Agando. The saddle height is 1074m on the Garmin map..

Roque de la Zarcita (Garmin GPS: 1232m, N28.11195 W17.21515) has a primary factor of 67m towards the higher parent Alto de la Tunera (1293m). The defining saddle (approx. N28.11115 W17.21730) is found along road TF-713 just west of point 1213m. Ref. the Garmin map, the saddle height is in the range 1161-1169m and has been interpolated to 1165m.

GPS measurement read 1243m (on the summit), averaged over a 5-minute period (error margin < +/- 2m).

Roque de Ojila (Garmin GPS: 1170m, N28.11434 W17.21056) has a primary factor of 129m towards the higher parent Roque de la Zarcita. The defining saddle (approx. N28.11431 W17.21240) is found on a forest ridge just west of the mountain. Ref. the Garmin map, the saddle height is 1041m.

GPS measurement read 1182m (on the summit), averaged over a 5-minute period (error margin < +/- 2m).

Roque Carmona (Garmin GPS: 1139m, N28.11003 W17.21301) has a primary factor of 34m towards the higher parent Alto de la Tunera (1293m). The defining saddle (approx. N28.10964 W17.21351) is found along road TF-713, just southwest of the mountain. Ref. the Garmin map, the saddle height is in the range 1101-1109m and has been interpolated to 1105m.

GPS measurement read 1144m (on the summit), averaged over a 5-minute period (error margin < +/- 2m). This is the only GPS recording that is lower than the map heights.

Agando and Zarcita
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Google map

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

Trail descriptions

Upon request from the Garajonay National Park, this section has been removed.

Pictures and Trip reports:

• Los Roques, Dec 30 2009 & Jan 1 2010

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