Guinea is the name of an old village in the El Golfo valley. The reason for the name is unclear, but the village was used by the inhabitants of El Hierro only in spring and autumn. The came down on a path through the steep cliff, with all their family and animals, to grow the more sun loving crops in this region. As water is generally sparse on El Hierro, wine was the solution, which still grows well in this part of the island.
At the same location, the Lagartos, the giant lizards of El Hierro, have their recovery centre. They were believed to be extinct, but when some shepherds found a group of them in a very remote and steep area, the rescue began. They are now bred in captivity and released to remote places, where the rats and cats can’t get them.
The waves are still very high, and are crashing very impressively against the coast, so that is where we will go next!