epic-best-island-europe-la-palma-canaries-volcano-remote-isolation

La Palma, Canaries
The Weird and Wonderful Island 

Santa Cruz - Los Llanos - Roque de los Muchachos - 
Tamburiente National Park - Chaco Azul - Los Tilos - San Andres - 
Puerto de Tazacorte - Puerto Naos - Chaco Verde - Poris de Candelaria

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La Palma ticks all the right boxes for an island getaway: lovely sunsets, stunning beaches, great swimming, beautiful countryside, lush vegetation, picturesque towns and villages, appealing food. But things are just a little odd here, and nicely so. For a start, sunsets are not your sinking-ball-in-the-ocean type of occasion, since on most evenings, a bank of clouds forms on the western horizon. You still get the colours, but not excessively so. The beaches are of the black-sand variety and are often located against the backdrop of sharp volcanic rocks. It often feels as if you are sun-bathing within a moonscape. When driving on La Palma, you will be enchanted by lush vegetation and flowers that you can usually find in the indoor houseplant section of your typical North-European Garden centre. No wonder the island is also referred to as La Isla Verde (or Isla Bonita for the more poetic types). You will also come across acres and acres of banana fields and, more often than not, find yourself stuck behind an armada of banana trucks that are trundling along the island’s narrow roads.  

View from Roque de los Muchachos, the island's highest point at 2,423 m

In particular the northern and western part of the island are carved up by massive ravines in a landscape that resembles a piece of cake whose slices have been eaten in an un-chronological order. You always wanted to visit the Grand Canyon but are reluctant to embark on a long-distance journey? Come to La Palma instead: land of canyons galore. But beware, adventurous driving awaits you: up, down and around mountains and hillsides, with barely a bridge, a tunnel or even a stretch of straight road. And to top it all off, the island hit global news in 2021, when a volcano by the name of Cumbre Vieja (which rather unimaginatively translates into ‘old summit’) exploded in spectacular fashion. But more about this later.

How to get there:At the time of writing this post in 2022, there were hardly any direct flights to La Palma with Brussels, Paris, and Frankfurt being the notable exceptions. Take it as a blessing, as a lack of easy connections also means that you will enjoy an island that has not suffered from tourism overkill. You could fly via Madrid, from where there are regular connections with Vueling Airlines. Most people though fly into Tenerife South and take a direct ferry from Los Cristianos to the island’s capital Santa Cruz. Check for departure times at either Naviera Armas or Fred Olsen  for the 3 hour crossing. 
Depending on your flight times, you might need an overnight stay in Los Cristianos with its highly developed mass-tourism infrastructure, which is not to everyone’s taste. As always Skyscanner is an excellent tool for finding the best connections.  La Palma is also accessible via its Canary neighbour La Gomera. Both Naviera Armas and Fred Olsen offer direct links from San Sebastian to Santa Cruz for the 2 hour crossing. But check the webpages carefully. Some crossings will take a detour via Tenerife which can hardly be the point of the exercise. 

How to get around: Like all Canary Islands, La Palma has a well-functioning, publicly owned bus network which runs up and down the eastern side of the island and across the mountain spine to the second city Los Llanos. Other parts of La Palma are covered by a private company called TILP. So if you are staying in or near Santa Cruz or Los Llanos, or indeed in any of the bigger villages like Puntagorda or Tijarafe, you might just get away with using public transport and the odd taxi. But most people tend to rent a car as it offers you better access to trail heads, beaches, and some of the more hidden sights. When in the Canaries, I always book through Cicar. On La Palma, the rental company has the distinct competitive advantage of a kiosk right inside the ferry terminal. There is another office at the airport as well.

Where to stay:La Palma is a compact island, and you can get from Santa Cruz (with its ferry terminal and airport) to the western side in one hour. Likewise, the sights of the north and eastern coast are equally just an hour’s drive away. So you could very feasibly base yourself in the island’s magical capital, with its bars, restaurants and even a man-made beach at your disposal. I have a real soft spot for El Hotelito 27 , a quirky boutique hotel right in the centre of town. It’s worth asking for bigger rooms, some of them even come with a small balcony. Parking though might be an issue, but there is free parking at the ferry terminal (just in front of a massive McDonald’s), from where it is a short(ish) and pleasant stroll into town. Should you want to stay a little longer (and bring along moody teenagers, whose prime objectives are to sleep off the night’s excesses and get a tan), you might want to book one of the many holiday villas that are on offer, most of them with outdoor pools. I would choose the western side of the island since that part has just that little bit more sunshine. Vrbo has a wide selection.   

When to visitLa Palma is a year-round destination with a wonderful climate that barely changes throughout the seasons. This means that you can swim and sun-bathe in the depth of winter, but also avoid the fierce heatwaves that have plagued the Mediterranean in recent years. High season is the period around Christmas and the New year, when sun-starved northern Europeans, but also many Spaniards visiting relatives and friends, get their dose of vitamin C. But even then, the island never feels crowded. You might also want to time your visit to coincide with Carnival in February, which is a mad affair in particular in Los Llanos.  

Best Eateries: Cervezeria Isla VerdeEl Jesus/Tijarafe: Simple, local dishes, craft beer with a nice garden terrace and glorious sunset views.El Cuarto de TulaAvenida Maritima, Santa CruzLively tapas bar right on the sea front of the island’s capital; excellent shrimpsEl Geco, Los LlanosIn the pedestrianised part of the town, with tables spilling out into the street, and run by an Italian family who make excellent use of a wood-fired oven. La Colonial, Los LlanosPretty much next to El Geco, for stylish and fine dining. Bar El Vaquero, San AndresYour fuel stop, when visiting the north-eastern part of the island; local dishes, simple and wholesome, but only open until 5.00 pm.

somewhere along the west coast ...

My Spanish is rather limited but even I could easily detect some departures from classic Castilian: There’s no ‘th’ sound, the plural ‘s’ at the end of words is often silent, and some Latin American expressions (such as the ubiquitous ‘Guagua’ instead of the Castilian ‘Autobús’) have crept into the local dialect. This comes as little surprise when looking at the ethnic mix of the population: northern European expats trying to get away from it all, Spaniards and descendants from the original conquistadores who colonised the island in the 16th century, but also many faces showing Latin American roots: a fascinating, wonderful mix that exemplifies the island’s location in the middle of the Atlantic, slap bang along the trade winds that link Europe with the south-western hemisphere. 

Even the weather is odd. You can walk in winter sunshine basking in glorious 25 degrees and half a year later the temperature scale has barely moved. Not much rain either, and you start to wonder why this island is so lush and produces such an astonishing variety of food – from the aforementioned bananas to grapes, almonds and even apples. But then you get hit by moisture seamlessly coming from all directions. You can start your day in sunshine along the east coast of the island in the capital of Santa Cruz with a thick bank of clouds covering the mountainous spine further inland. Wait an hour, and you might just be engulfed in clouds before ascending to the western side where sunshine is greeting you once more. You constantly wonder what will happen next. 

the east coast between San Andres and Charco Azul

Yet, the oddest meteorological phenomenon must be ‘La Calima’; a hot, dust and sand-laden wind coming straight from the Sahara. Not too much sand here out west, as this is mostly dumped on Lanzarote, La Palma’s easternmost Canary cousin. But nonetheless the wind sweeps across the mountain tops of the archipelago, and when it blows at full force, the temperature effect can be astonishing. I once started an early morning hike at sea level with a temperature reading of 18 degrees. By the time I got up to 2,000 m four hours later, it was 38 degrees hot. How bizarre is that: The higher up you go, the hotter it gets. I told you. La Palma is weird. 

Cumbre Vieja Volcano

Which leads us back to that volcano. Cumbre Vieja only stopped spewing lava as recently as January 2022. Surely, tourist hordes must be lining up to visit this most magical of places. Yet, La Palma is, together with El Hierro, the least visited of the Canary Islands, thanks in part to the paucity of international flight connections. In high season, there are some charter flights mainly from Germany, and very few direct scheduled links. In any case, it would be hard to build a mega resort given the challenging topography of ravines, cliffs, and mountains, with only a few long stretches of sandy beaches fit for hotel developments. This makes La Palma a perfect destination for the independent traveller who aims to somehow get away from the crowds. Here are my highlights: 

Lava damage near Los Llanos

Highlight #1
Driving over a Lava FieldLos Llanos to Puerto Naos and Playa de Chaco Verde13 km, 30 minutes each way

The road from Los Llanos to Puerto Naos

The eruption of Cumbre Vieja in 2021-22 was vicious. This was the the longest eruption in living memory, lasting a staggering 85 days. It was also the most-devastating eruption ever recorded on the island: 850 million € worth of damage, 700 people evacuated, 1,000 hectares of agricultural land and 3,000 buildings destroyed, the villages of Todoque and Loca Campitos totally submerged. Six months later, and the monster still emitted smoke, but this time closely monitored by seismological experts. During my visit, road LP-213 had just opened, linking for the first time in a year, the area around Los Llanos with the island’s only tourism resort of Puerto Naos, further south on the western coast. I drove over lava fields (and most likely over someone’s former home) that were 3 – 4 metres thick, passing half-submerged houses, with twisted lampposts and building debris poking out from the black volcanic rock. Soon I approached Puerto Naos, previously the only area on La Palma reserved for bucket-and-spade tourism, and that at a manageable scale. The town remained shut and fenced off: no shops open, no commerce, no people; a ghost town par excellence. But locals can at least once more enjoy the delights of the volcanic sand beach at Chaco Verde, which looks outer-worldly and unlike any beaches I have encountered on the European continent: volcanic sand against the backdrop of steep, brooding cliffs with hardly any vegetation in sight. A moonscape, really. 

Highlight #2
Hiking up a mountain:  Pico Nambroque, 1,922 m , 700 m elevation4 – 5 hours, 12 – 15 km depending on route

Along the Slopes of Pico Nambroque

From Santa Cruz, drive along LP-2, which links the capital with Los Llanos. Take the first exit after the tunnel and follow LP-203 towards the Refugio del Pilar (signposted). This is a big outdoor recreation area with picnic tables, plenty of shade and toilets. From the parking lot, you can follow Trail GR-131 (also referred to as the Ruta de los Volcanos) straight up. 2 ½ hours uphill and 2 hours down should do the trick. Yet, the path often feels as if you are walking up a gigantic sand dune, and your calves might remind you of this every step of the way. Better then to do a little detour: from the Refugio follow the sturdy path PR-LP 16 on the eastern flank of the ridge. After about 4 km, you will see a sign towards Ruta de los Volcanos (GR-131) which will lead you to the top. On the way down, just follow GR-131 all the way to the Refugio car park. You will be rewarded with far-reaching 360 degree views across the whole island and on to Roque de los Muchachos; La Palma’s highest peak at 2,423 m. Just watch out (or ask the park rangers) for any signs of La Calima. Any hint of that one can really spoil the experience. But if you are hoping to get close to the crater of Cumbre Vieja, which after all just sits below Nambroque, you might want to change your plan. Park rangers and seismologists have sealed off the area.  

Highlight #3
Hiking up another mountain: Pico Bejenado1,854 m, 600 m elevation5 hours, 12 km

Pico Bejenado in the foreground, with Roque de lost Muchachos looming in the back

Bejenado is one of the smaller, and easily accessible mountains in the middle of the Taburiente Crater National Park, just east of Los Llanos on the LP-3. My plan was to drive up to a stunning viewpoint called the Mirador de la Cumbrecita at an elevation of about 1,400 m before doing a 4-hour, 8 km hike to the mountain top and back. But of course, once more I neglected to pay attention to the booking system imposed by Spain’s National Park Service, which asks you to reserve a parking slot in advance. Clearly, I’m a man of the first-come-first-served variety, which was an utterly useless personality trait on this occasion. So I grabbed a slot for the next day (in mid-day heat alas) and asked a park ranger whether he could suggest another way to get to the top of Bejenado. He did indeed, and from the NP headquarters I drove along the Pista Valencia, ignored the right turn leading to Cumbrecita and parked the car once the paved road gave way to gravel. The trail was straightforward: a car-wide forest track leading through Canary pines with views back towards Cumbre Vieja, followed by a gentle incline and a narrower track, that was still very easy to hike on. No scramble over rocks, no steep ascents. At the top I was rewarded with panoramic views towards Roque de los Muchachos with a number of other 2,000 m plus peaks standing shoulder to shoulder and lining a deep crater (hence the rather aptly name of the National Park). But then La Calima hit, and the temperature soared. On the way down, my water supply emptied rapidly. I felt the onset of de-hydration and just about managed to reach a supermarket just outside the national park, where I drank a mega bottle of an Atlanta-based soft drink (note to editor: insert advertisement here, ha ha). 

Highlight #4
Driving up to Roque de lost Muchachos (2,423 m)Start in Puntagorda on the north-west coast, then roads LP-1 and LP-113 30 km / 1 hour each way

Astronomical Observatory on Roque de los Muchachos

On a beautiful and crisp morning, I hoped that for once the summer haze might just give way to clearer skies, so I jumped in the rental and headed north to the village of Puntagorda on the west coast’s LP-1. A beautiful drive past intensely fragrant almond trees, orchards, and vineyards. Photogenic, puffy white clouds were coming in from the north, quickly covering that part of the island. But higher up, the scenery was becoming more and more magical and eery, with dense forests giving way to sheer rock and a gigantic astronomy observatory that takes advantage of the near absence of light pollution. At the top, quite a lot of folks in flip flops admiring the stunning views into the Tamburiente cauldron and onto Cumbre Vieja. Maybe they were expecting La Calima to strike once more …  

View from the Top of Roque de lost Muchachos

Highlight #5
Exploring the Capital Santa Cruz

For many, myself included, this is the prettiest town in all of the Canary Islands. It is compact with only 13,000 inhabitants but packed with beautiful colonial buildings, an atmospheric old town, excellent restaurants, lively bars, shady squares, a gorgeous beach, all perched against steeply rising, pine-covered mountains. Even some of the high-rise suburbs are painted in appealing colours. The town was founded in 1493, a year after Columbus discovered the new world, and the Spanish crown wasted little time in establishing an outpost that proved vital for the colonisation of Latin America. Most of the commercial action takes place on Calle O Daly, named after Cork native and banana trader Dennis O Daly who in the 18th century led a popular (and successful) revolt against the island’s ruling nobility. But you can also take a stroll along the seashore and admire the fabulous colonial buildings on Avenida Maritima. Or join the locals for an early evening snack of fresh shrimp and a glass of Vino Blanco in the numerous bars in the Old Town. 

Santa Cruz, Old Town

What’s missing though is an insightful museum that charts the island’s fascinating but also complex role during Spain’s colonial era. The Museo Naval inside the concrete replica of a 15th century ship with its story of the triangular trade between Europe and the Caribbean doesn’t quite cut it. La Palma is a place, very much unlike anywhere else in Europe, where cultures from the ‘old’ and ‘new’ world formed an intriguing amalgam of food, music, architecture, and customs. But Santa Cruz during the 16th, 17th and 18th century was also a port that was instrumental in the slave trade. Come on municipality of Santa Cruz! Where is that application to the EU’s Cohesion funds? 

Santa Cruz, Old Town

Highight #6
Carnival in Los Llanos

Carnival, Los Llanos

During my time on La Palma, the island’s second city of Los Llanos was staging the carnival that they had missed out on because of Covid restrictions in February 2022. What a fabulous experience. An excellent South American Salsa band got the crowd rocking with every generation loosening up their limbs and hip joints. ’Volunteers’ (my kind of volunteering) were throwing talcum powder at random, drenching party animals in white; a reference to the ‘white visitors’ who returned to the island from Cuba or Venezuela for a family visit dressed in their (white) Sunday best linen suit. The fine citizens of Los Llanos regard their town as the real capital of La Palma. And indeed you can find more shops and commercial activity here than in the rival Santa Cruz. I enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere of the place so much that I returned time and time again, watching the heaving lunchtime crowds in the cafés on Plaza de España, which is wonderfully shaded by gigantic laurel trees, or strolling down pedestrianised Calle Real with historic, often colonial (i.e. 16th century) buildings: stylish, grand, beautiful. 

Highlight #7
Dip into Nature
Rockpools, Waterfalls, Forests, Gorges on La Palma’s Northeast ShoreSanta Cruz – Cubo de la Galga – San Andres – Charco Azul - Los TilosRound trip of about 60 km

Your first stop after leaving Santa Cruz is the entrance to Cubo de la Galga, right on road LP-1. A 10 km circuit leads through a dense, almost perma-shade laurel forest, apparently one of the last of its kinds; up, over, and down a steep ravine. You will be accompanied by noisy birdsong, and if you don’t want to walk the full four hours, you can just hike out and back for however long you intend to. 

San Andres

Then it is another 15 minute drive to picture-perfect San Andres with pretty, often white-washed houses around a shady church square: a classic. Head towards the shore of the village and follow the coastal path north, past banana plants and lava rocks with the sound of crashing waves as a background noise. 

Charco Azul 

After 15 minutes you come across Charco Azul, a collection of man-made pools that catch the incoming seawater with happy locals and tourists diving in from the edges. Quite a hoot and for the more injury-prone types, there are also handy ladders leading into the water. And another 15 minute drive takes you to the final highlight of this stupendous part of the island; The veil-like waterfall at Los Tilos: another ravine, yet more laurels and ferns, and the handy source of the local water supply (which is gushing past you while you hike up to the foot of the waterfall). 

Los Tilos Waterfall

Highlight #8
Beachtime  Puerto de Tazacorte10 minutes from Los Llanos 

With the La Palma’s only real resort at Punto Naos closed for the foreseeable future, and the nearby Chaco Verde beach requiring a drive along a temporary lava-dirt track, the island’s sun worshippers have increasingly flocked to Puerto de Tazacorte. The western part of the island is a geological challenge. Most of the towns and villages lie high up on a plateau with steep cliffs going down to the sea. Great for views, difficult for swimming. 

Puerto de Tazacorte

But in Puerto de Tazacorte nature has gifted the island with an opening, and a very pretty black sand bay, with a modest, yet fully sufficient range of bars, restaurants, shops, and supermarkets. Look up the cliffs and you see a viewpoint called ‘Mirador el Time’. You can hike up the steep slope (around 1 hour at your lungs’ peril) or take your vehicle up on the trusted LP-1, for sweeping views across the west coast of the island and that ubiquitous volcano.  

Highlight #9
Cave Dwellings on the West CoastPuerto del Puntagordo and Poris de Candelaria.30 – 45 minutes from Los Llanos on LP-1

By now you have probably driven over an extinct lava field, felt the heat of a Saharan wind, and maybe engaged in the odd Salsa jiggle, but the island has one more fantastic oddity in store. As mentioned previously, La Palma’s west coast is dominated by a high plateau which makes access to the sea a little challenging. All those steep climbs just to dip your toe in the Atlantic. Little surprising then, that ingenious locals built dwellings into caves which the sea had carved out, often complete with water supply and electricity (on your way down, you can just about spot some pipes and cables). It saves you lugging all your weekend stuff up and down rather steep drops. Visitors to the island will encounter a bizarre setting, more reminiscent of a film set for a swashbuckling movie (not for nothing is Poris de Candelaria also referred to as ‘Pirates’ Bay’). 

Puerto del Puntagorda

But first you have to get there. The more spectacular of the two (but hence, also the more crowded) can be found below the village of Tijarafe, about 30 minutes north of Los Llanos on LP-1. Coming from the south, the town’s main drag curves sharply to the right. This is where you turn left into ‘Calle de Molina’, which you can follow all the way down until you reach a parking lot. There is a further parking lot just below from where a steep footpath will lead you to this astonishing collection of weekend retreats. On the way back, make sure you hit your accelerator pedal with authority. The gradient is very steep. A little more accessible are the dwellings at Puntagorda (a further 15 minutes up the road). In the centre of this peaceful village follow the signs to Puerto del Puntagorda until the road runs out. Another steep set of stairs will lead you to the sea: Not as steep as Candelaria, but also not as crowded.  