Also known as La Isla Bonita, the beautiful island, La Palma is a destination full of natural beauty. One of the less visited Canary Islands, La Palma offers you dramatic volcanic landscapes as well as enjoyable beaches, high mountaintops, and a wide variety of possibilities for outdoor sports and other nature-based activities. It is also a place where you can enjoy a good portion of peace and silence, or explore renaissance architecture and the traditional Canarian way of life in Santa Cruz de la Palma, the island’s capital.
Natural wonders. The most photogenic part of the island is Caldera de Taburiente Nature Park in the mountainous inland of the island, offering several tracks for trekking on La Palma, as well as scenic volcanic landscapes and challenging possibilities for mountain biking on La Palma. The highest peak of the island, Roque de los Muchachos (2,423 m / 7,950 feet) is easily accessible also by car, with astonishing views over the island. In general, the geographic surroundings on the island are variable. The middle part of La Palma consists mainly of mountains, while the west part is covered by banana plantations and the east by volcanic lava fields.
Cultural attractions. Even though a strikingly beautiful island, La Palma is not all about natural wonders. You can also explore the local way of life and historical sights in small towns and villages of inland La Palma, or enjoy the city attractions of Santa Cruz de la Palma that has maintained much of its original charm as a small Spanish seaside town with renaissance buildings, fountains, marketplaces, and colorful houses. Also of interest, the island hosts a well-known astronomic observatory, which is a quite popular sight.
La Palma, a nature-lovers paradise full of volcanic wonders
Many of us associate Canary Islands of Spain not only with spectacular nature wonders, but also with crowded beaches and full-packed tourist resorts where finding your own space is not that easy. If you want to enjoy your holiday in more peaceful surroundings, but yet enjoy the astonishing volcanic nature and the warm climate of the Canary Islands, La Palma is definitely a good choice. There are no massive tourist resorts here, and also the nightlife and shopping scene is much more tranquil than on the most popular Canary Islands. However, La Palma is just as, or many would say even more, full of natural wonders as the other islands of the group.Natural wonders. The most photogenic part of the island is Caldera de Taburiente Nature Park in the mountainous inland of the island, offering several tracks for trekking on La Palma, as well as scenic volcanic landscapes and challenging possibilities for mountain biking on La Palma. The highest peak of the island, Roque de los Muchachos (2,423 m / 7,950 feet) is easily accessible also by car, with astonishing views over the island. In general, the geographic surroundings on the island are variable. The middle part of La Palma consists mainly of mountains, while the west part is covered by banana plantations and the east by volcanic lava fields.
Cultural attractions. Even though a strikingly beautiful island, La Palma is not all about natural wonders. You can also explore the local way of life and historical sights in small towns and villages of inland La Palma, or enjoy the city attractions of Santa Cruz de la Palma that has maintained much of its original charm as a small Spanish seaside town with renaissance buildings, fountains, marketplaces, and colorful houses. Also of interest, the island hosts a well-known astronomic observatory, which is a quite popular sight.
Practical information for your trip to La Palma
Just like the other Canary Islands, La Palma enjoys warm climate all-year-round. Average monthly high temperatures in La Palma range from 21 to 29°C, with the period between June and September facing the warmest temperatures.
Photo: Hyperfinch, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)
La Palma receives more rain than Gran Canaria and Tenerife, which is why landscapes on this mountainous island are quite green around the year.
How to get there. The beautiful island has remained untouched by mass tourism, which means direct flights to La Palma are available only from a quite limited number of locations. However, it is quite easy to travel to La Palma through Tenerife or even Gran Canaria, both of which have quite good ferry and flight connections to La Palma. Buses are the most popular choice for moving around on the island, and also car rental in La Palma is offered. Taxis are a good way of travelling short distances in the town areas, but for longer legs they are quite expensive. Unlike Gran Canaria and Tenerife, La Palma has only few organized tours available.
Tourist services on La Palma are not even nearly as many as on the more popular Canary Islands. However, the quality of the services is good. Hotels on La Palma offer you excellent services, and food and restaurants on La Palma have what it takes to make your holiday enjoyable. Nice beaches are available for sunbathing, and facilities for water sports such as diving in La Palma offer you an interesting alternative for mountain sports. Shopping on La Palma on the other hand is not that great with quite modest facilities available, but if you are looking for massive malls and high class boutiques, you can always take a ferry to the neighboring Tenerife.
hint See also these nearby destinations: Tenerife
