I don't think anyone knew much about one of the smaller Canary Islands until its volcanic eruption last year. There are not many direct flights there, which puts off a lot of tourists. Maybe a shame for the locals, but definitely great for whoever actually finds their way there. You can enjoy the beautiful and diverse nature of the island in peace and, unlike Tenerife, you'll probably have somewhere to park 😁
I spent one very intense weekend on La Palma. It was long enough to sample the best of it, but if I had the chance, I would spend at least a week on the island. And what is there to see, you ask?
1. Playa de Nogales
- Rating: *****
- Difficulty: **
This beach absolutely blew me away. It is just a few kilometers north of the capital - Santa Cruz de la Palma. Expect, however, that as with most destinations on the island, the drive itself will take much longer: after all, La Palma is said to be the steepest island in the world, and unless there's a tunnel leading somewhere, you'll be putting in a lot of extra kilometres on the serpentine roads.
There is a fairly wide and comfortable road leading to the beach, at the end of which a spacious parking lot awaits you. From here, you have to walk about half a kilometre along a path under an impressive rock overhead, and above a cave (which gave me solid claustrophobic feel just by looking at it). But the journey to the beach is definitely worth it: Playa de Nogales is beautiful. The black, shiny sand, the green cliff above, and the clear and wild ocean. But be aware: there are underwater currents that can pull you into the sea. It is therefore advisable to stay close to the shore - unless you are surfing. Personally, I also recommend plenty of food and water - there's really nothing but nature on the beach, and even the only shower is non-functional 😉 .
How to get to the beach from the parking: https://mapy.cz/s/gugadarofe
2. Cascada de los Tilos
- Rating: *****
- Difficulty: *
A waterfall straight out of Lord of the Rings, seriously. It's just outside of Playa de Nogales and you can drive almost all the way to it. From the parking lot, it's a few yards through a fabulous canyon with trees, ferns, water and rocks. You will also walk for a while through a tunnel that takes you to the waterfall. If you're not afraid of the water, I recommend walking under the waterfall to the other side and seeing it from there. But expect to get wet everywhere.
A little above the parking lot, there is an information center with toilets and an exhibition (I don't even know about the topic, because I was much more interested in the toilets), and a restaurant that smelled great with typical Canarian meat and fish prepared on the grill.
Waterfall location: https://mapy.cz/s/kecedosahu
3. Pico de la Nieve
- Rating: ****
- Difficulty: ***
Serpentines all the way! Seriously, you can't get to the top otherwise. You can walk from the sea, but I really don't recommend that given the altitude of over 2000m and, as we said, the steep slopes. The ideal, in my opinion, is to drive to the parking lot (see map) and then walk a few kilometers (2,4 - 3,5 depending on the chosen route) up. You'll be rewarded (at least when visibility is good) with views of the neighbouring islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro and a wonderful view of the Caldera de Taburiente National Park at the top. Just watch out for the gravel. Especially in the last short stretch it really slides a lot (I almost killed myself 😁 ).
Route map from the parking lot to the top: https://mapy.cz/s/kegegudeso
4. Roque de los Muchachos
- Rating: *****
- Difficulty: *
While you're near Pico de la Nieve, I recommend driving a little further to the observatory and the viewpoint at Roque de los Muchachos. There you'll get views of real volcanic scenery - you can already see the different coloured rocks of various shapes along the way. If you go in May and are lucky, you can see a rare flower that only grows here: the purple Tajinaste, La Palma variety of the flower. It's a real monster: it can grow up to 3 metres tall!
The observatory at Roque de los Muchachos is quite interesting, but I was much more interested in the views provided by the half-kilometre walkway around the de los Muchachos rock itself. I imagine it will be quite busy during the day, but I managed to arrive at the site just before sunset. And that was something.
For all around you, a deep chasm opens up beneath you, leading down to the bottom of the Caldera de Taburiente, up to 1000 metres deep in some spots. It is lined by practically perpendicular, volcanic rocks, behind which you can again observe the surrounding islands. And because Roque de los Muchachos is the highest point on the island, you can see quite a lot of it, including fresh lava from the Tajogaite/Cumbre Vieja volcano. But you won't see the volcano itself, as it is hidden behind one of the rocks.
Location & trail to Roque de los Muchachos: https://mapy.cz/s/hugegavupo
5. Volcán Cumbre Vieja (Tajogaite)
- Rating: ****
- Difficulty: *
I'm sure you remember the headlines and articles discussing the eruption of the La Palma volcano. Of course I needed to see it for myself! Don't worry, it's perfectly safe at this point and they are working on preparing hiking trails along the crater edges. The spewed lava is still several hundred degrees hot in some places though, so no - I don't recommend walking on it! You can't do much of it anyway, the lava rock (at least most of the Canarian one), is quite bumpy, unpleasant and can rub off badly. But you can get close to the lava, and even touch it - it's already cold around the edges. But don't try to take it home - they'll confiscate it at the airport (or at least they should. They have it on display as "prohibited goods").
If you drive from El Paso (and I believe it's the same in other directions), you can't drive right up to the lava. You'll be stopped by a resident-only entry ban. But there's nothing stopping you from parking nearby and walking directly to the lava.
I guess it'll be more fun when the sidewalks are up and running. Still, it's an incredible experience to see one of the world's youngest volcanoes still smoking a little, and a sea of black lava with bits of houses and burnt trees sticking out of it. I actually still can't decide whether I found the spectacle absolutely beautiful or absolutely terrifying.
Link to the viewpoint: https://mapy.cz/s/jevucedepo
6. Porís de Candelaria
- Rating: *****
- Difficulty: ** (for drivers ****)
So, this place easily wins the competition for the best experience on La Palma. Maybe it was the perfect weather and timing during the day, but Porís de Candelaria, which I have been referring to as the "pirate cave", was something absolutely incredible.
First and foremost, though, was the journey. It is a terrible one. In fact, in the town of Tijarafe, there's a steep turn and an even steeper hill down. This then becomes a very narrow, serpentine road built on an almost perpendicular cliff. At times I was worried about whether the car would even fit on the road... and I preferred not to think about what if we met a car coming the other way. On the way down, you'll encounter 2 parking lots - I recommend driving down to the second one. Even from there you have to walk another 300m along a fairly steep walkway along the ocean.
But the horrible path is totally worth the effort. Porís de Candelaria is an absolutely breathtaking cave/rock overhang, with a group of small, white houses crouched underneath. I'm not sure if anyone lives here permanently - but I can imagine spending a romantic night here on holiday.
The cave is in a cove, so the ocean is calmer here than in the open sea - but that doesn't have to be the rule, I've seen videos of it being really wild and then I surely wouldn't go in. But this time the water was calm and incredibly blue and clear, it was almost asking for you to jump in. So I obeyed 😊
Some practical information: you can "beach" between the rocks. There are concreted "seats", so the sitting is quite comfortable. You can easily get out of the ocean (and into the ocean if you don't jump) by a ladder or stairs on the other side of the cove. And one last tip: the cave is located in the west, which means you won't find the sun there in the morning 😉 .
the path to the cave: https://mapy.cz/s/juratatepo
7. Cascada de Colores
- Rating: ***
- Difficulty: ***
Okay, here's the gem. You know how they say you shouldn't trust the pictures you see on the internet? Well, that was exactly the case! Just look at the comparison... 😂 Maybe it's because there wasn't much water, or the water was flowing underneath somehow, or I was expecting a really big cascade and the result was about 3 meters, but this waterfall wasn't worth the effort 😁 the path to it is almost 6 kilometers long. Maybe it was also because we left the waterfall for the end of our trip and didn't have time to enjoy the hike (we were already in a hurry to get to the airport), because the canyon at the bottom of the caldera was really nice in itself. There is a hiking trail leading through it, but we considered it a safer option to go straight to the bottom of the canyon. I'm not sure if that's possible in case of heavy rains, but it was a great experience - we actually jumped over a stream the whole time and even rock climbed at one point.
What I definitely found interesting though was the colourful, sulphurous water. It's the combination of sulphur and water that creates the unnaturally colourful effects. For example, a garish orange or an unhealthy yellow.
All in all: a nice hike, but I wouldn't do it a second time.
directions to the waterfall: https://mapy.cz/s/mahukahafu
So, that's all I could do in two days. More is to come next time. Because there will definitely be a "next time" on this island.
If you're interested in more photos and videos, you can check out my instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmikyhere/
Which place appealed to you the most? Or do you have any favourites? I'd love it if you leave a comment 😉