Walking on the Island of La Palma

We meet you at La Palma Airport and take you to your hotel. Unpack and settle in.

We start the week exploring the laurel forest of La Galga and the northeast coast of La Palma. Water has carved deep barrancos where green lush vegetation, giant ferns and mosses grow all over creating a magical fairy tale atmosphere. On the second part of the walk, we pass along banana plantations over the marine cliffs until our final destination, Charco Azul. Today, we enjoy contrasted landscapes of a protected forest, rural areas, great ocean views and lovely typical houses in the little charming village of San Andrés.

Today’s walk takes us to isolated hamlets set on the mountain ridges of the north coast, far from mass tourism and back to past times. The ‘camino real’ swings up and down constantly descending and ascending barrancos and offering stunning cliffy coast views. This is one of the authentic paths leading to the end of the world, passing modest houses and telling old stories of local people’s life.

La Palma is the most active volcanic island of the Canary Islands, the last eruption taking place in Today both groups enjoy dramatic landscapes sculpted by the wild force of nature. Volcanoes, lava fields, volcanic sands and chaotic scoria combining with peaceful nature, green pine trees and a deep blue ocean.

Each week there is a free day when no guided walks are offered. This is an ideal opportunity to relax around the hotel, walk independently or visit local places of interest. Some options for your free day may include:

Hotel: Relax in the hotel, enjoy a walk in the gardens and rest by the pool area. You can also explore the nearby seaside of Los Cancajos, enjoy a stroll along the beach or dip in the sea on a warm day.

Santa Cruz de La Palma: Why not visit some local places of interest? Santa Cruz is the pretty capital of the island and just 10min away by bus or taxi from the hotel. Walk around the cobbled streets in the old quarter where there are traditional buildings with wooden carved balconies festooned with brightly coloured flowers. You can have lunch in one of the many restaurants and relax at the new beach.

Today takes us to the heart of ‘La Isla Bonita’, to the Caldera de Taburiente National Park. On the centre of the island can be found a spectacular hole 8km (5 miles) large and 2,000m (6,500ft) deepprotected since 1954. Colonized by pine trees and shaped by water erosion, Taburiente and Las Angustias offer beautiful sceneries for today’s walk.

Last day, we are rewarded with exhilarating walks to reach the top of the island, the Roque de Los Muchachos, 2,426m (7,960ft) above the sea level. This area above the pine tree level offers stunning views over the clouds and as far as Mount Teide in Tenerife. The summit is also home to one of the most important astrophysical observatories worldwide and to many international telescopes such as the largest telescope on Earth, GRANTECAN, and some British ones with familiar names: Liverpool Telescope or Isaac Newton Telescope, located here due to the ‘dark skies’ of La Palma.

We take you back to the airport for your flight home. Hasta la vista La Palma! We hope to see you soon.

Before booking, you should check with your doctor to see whether any health precautions are needed for your trip. Health advice and requirements can change, so we recommend doing this in good time before travel.

As a general rule, travellers should ensure they are up to date with routine UK vaccinations and boosters, including, for example, MMR and diphtheria, tetanus and polio. Some countries may require you to have specific vaccinations such as Malaria, Rabies and Yellow Fever. Please check with your GP if you are unsure.

Please note that the use or possession of some common prescription or over-the-counter medicines is restricted or banned in certain countries. If you will be carrying medication, you should check with the relevant embassy or consulate before travelling. As an extra precaution, we recommend keeping medication in its original packaging, carrying a copy of your prescription, and, where possible, asking your pharmacist to provide the medication name in the language of the country you are visiting.

For further country-specific health advice, visit www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk or www.traveldoctor.co.uk. If you are travelling from outside the UK, please consult your own doctor and check local entry requirements.

This information applies to travellers holding a full British Citizen passport. Entry requirements vary by destination and can change at short notice. For most EU and worldwide destinations, passports must be valid for the entire duration of your stay. Some countries also require a minimum period of validity remaining on your passport (often up to 6 months beyond your return date), even if you are not staying that long.
We strongly recommend ensuring your passport has at least six months’ validity remaining at the time of travel to avoid any issues.

If you hold a different type of British passport or a passport issued by another country, you must check the requirements with the relevant embassy, consulate, or official government website.