In February this year we visited the Canary Island of La Palma for the first time. The island is the most northwestern in the volcanic archipelago of the Canary Islands and is renowned for its natural beauty. We’ve had it on our “to do” list for a very long time, particularly to explore its volcanic landscapes.
With around 1,000km of well-marked footpaths that crisscross the island, a large majority of its visitors, including us, come to walk and that’s how we spent our two weeks, getting to know “La Isla Bonita”.
Over several days we hiked between the highest point in La Palma, Roque de los Muchachos at 2,426m, and the southern tip of the island, at sea level. Following a volcanic caldera and a line of volcano craters on the island’s GR131 long -distance trail we were often above a sea of clouds in beautiful sunny conditions (not bad for winter!). We took a guided walk to learn more about La Palma’s landscapes and to see the island’s newest volcano, Volcan Tajogaite,formed during an eruption in 2021. We also walked through beautiful Canarian pine forests and lush laurisilva cloud forests, visited black volcanic beaches, swam in sea pools, saw a lot of banana plantations and, of course, sampled the local food and wine!
For an island that’s less than half the size of the Isle of Skye it certainly packs a punch. Amazingly, this was our first winter sun holiday in 30 years together. We are definitely hooked and we hope to return to discover more.