La Palma
Spain · Canary Islands · 20 m
Description
La Palma is the greenest and steepest of the Canary Islands, known across Spain as La Isla Bonita. Its centre is hollowed out by the Caldera de Taburiente, a vast erosion crater ringed by peaks and drained by a single gorge to the sea. Along the southern spine runs a chain of young volcanoes, the most recent of which buried farmland and villages under lava during a months-long eruption. Laurel forest survives in the wet north, and the ridge at Roque de los Muchachos carries one of the world's leading observatories. The whole island is a certified Starlight Reserve.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 4 to 10 days (optimal 6 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: March – May
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Caldera de Taburiente National Park
- Roque de los Muchachos & observatory
- Tajogaite volcano lava fields
- Ruta de los Volcanes ridge hike
- Stargazing in the Starlight Reserve
- Los Tilos laurel forest
- Santa Cruz de La Palma old town
- Mirador de la Cumbrecita
- Salinas de Fuencaliente & lighthouse
- Volcán San Antonio
- Puerto Naos black sand beach
- Puerto de Tazacorte
- Charco Azul natural pools at San Andrés
- Cascada de los Colores
- Barranco de las Angustias trail
- Los Llanos de Aridane murals
- Banana plantations of the Aridane valley
- Malvasía wine bodegas of Fuencaliente
- Diving off the southern lava coast
Getting there
- Airports:
- SPC
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry