Three centuries ago, the island of El Hierro was considered the edge of the civilized world and the prime meridian (the one used to measure longitudes) was set to pass through its western tip. Therefore, all nautical measurements were set taking El Hierro as the base reference, until this prime meridian was changed to Greenwich during the 19th century. Today, technology has made it possible to bring El Hierro within a closer reach of civilization, but even now those who have decided to buy a property in El Hierro and have made up their mind to settle here will often have the feeling to have escaped from the rest of world.
El Hierro is the smallest of the Canary Islands and the less populated one (only 10,000 inhabitants in the whole island!). The international expats who have found the right property for sale in El Hierro and are spending their days here are mostly people happy to avoid touristic resorts, who really appreciate the quiet life that the island allows, and who instead of ending their day with their countrymates at a beach British Pub, are happy to mingle with the local herreños and listen to their crop growing stories. But besides tranquility in your day to day, if you buy a property in El Hierro, you will have a life in a land with a disproportionate amount of contrast and beauty. There is a reason why the whole island has been declared as a Global Biosphere Reserve by the Unesco. You just need to take a walk around the island, and if one moment you are strolling in a landscape formed by solidified lava, within one hour the scenery changes to an area teeming with lush vegetation or to a wall made up by incredibly steep cliffs. And if you head to the western tip of the island to El Sabinar, you will find one of El Hierro’s unique attractions: a forest of incredibly twisted savin trees that have been deformed by the local winds. For those who enjoy the sea, El Hierro has a smaller share of volcanic beaches than the other islands, but those that you find here will a very early stage of urban development and also do not need to be shared with a throng of other swimmers. However, the fans of snorkeling and scuba diving are in for a real treat since there are 46 immersion points around the island where you can enjoy an incredible submarine landscape. La Respinga, in the southern part of the island, is a favorite spot. If the tranquil life of this island and its overwhelming beauty are what you need and you decide to look for a property for sale in El Hierro, you may need to have a little patience in order to find the perfect house for you. With such a small population, the supply of properties for sale in El Hierro is a little scarce and some of these properties may be a little old and in need of refurbishment. However, the effort will be worthwhile since El Hierro is truly a unique island to live in.
