Los Gigantes

Los Gigantes takes its name from the cliffs beside it, a wall of rock that drops as much as six hundred metres straight into the Atlantic and forms the western…Los Gigantes takes its name from the cliffs beside it, a wall of rock that drops as much as six hundred metres straight into the Atlantic and forms the western end of the island. The town is built on the slope at the foot of them, which means steep streets, a lot of steps and views that justify both.

It is small and quiet by southern standards, and it runs into two neighbours along the same stretch of coast: Puerto de Santiago immediately south, and Playa de la Arena below that, which has the best of the local beaches, a compact bay of genuinely black volcanic sand.

The marina is the focus. Boats leave from it for the cliffs themselves, which can only really be appreciated from the water, and for whale and dolphin watching in the strait towards La Gomera, which is clearly visible across the channel and closer here than from anywhere else on the island. Diving and fishing charters go from the same quay.

The town suits walkers, divers and people who want the south's weather without its scale. What it does not have is a long beach or much nightlife, and the drive to the southern airport is around fifty minutes rather than the twenty most southern resorts manage.