la palma

La Palma, the beautiful island, is -with its 728 square kilometres and 80,000 inhabitants - the green island par excellence. It has the greatest heights in relation to is circumference. In the centre of the island lies the largest known crater: La Cadera de Taburiente, a National Park. It has a circumference of 28km full of dense pine forests and depths of up to 770m. The greatest height is called Roque de los Muchachos (2,423m), and there is the Astrophysical Observatory. The impressive grandeur of la Cadera can be observed from the observation platform of La Cumbrecita because it can be viewed in detail and visited from that point.

Santa Cruz de la Palma

This is the capital of the island with an important port and 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the east coast of the island on the slope of the mountain and on the edge of volcanic crater called la Cadereta. Its form is that of an amphitheatre which gives the town a curious look. Its picturesque Real St, the centre of Official, commercial and social life, leads to Espana Sq, where El Salvador's and the Town Hall stand, two valuable examples of the 16C.

Santa Cruz de la Palma has a Museum of Natural History with magnificent zoological examples and traces of the original population as well as a large library.

The seaside avenue skirts the sea and there are modern buildings alongside large old houses with huge, wooden balconies which are typical of the island.

Near the town stands the Sanctuary of Nuestra Senora de las Nieves, the patron saint of the island.

Places of interest in La Palma

Los Llanos de Aridane

It is an important commercial and agricultural centre of the island and lies in one of the loveliest valleys of the Canary countryside which can be viewed in all its beauty from the observation plataform of El Time.

From there it is also possible to see La Cadera de Taburiente and Tijarafe.

Tazacorte

It lies in surroundings full of banana-trees and it has a small, very typical harbour and good beaches.

Puerto de Naos

It is a small, very tourist-oriented village with an excellent beach of fine, black sand.

Fuencaliente

This is the most southerly village of the island. It is surrounded pine forests and vineyards contrasting with its volcanoes, the most famous of which are San Antonio and Teneguia. The later erupted in 1971.

Mazo

There is Belmaco Cave with prehistoric inscriptions and an observation platform with splendid view overlooking the coast. The is where La Palma airport lies.

Brena Baja

Its Cancajos beach is a series of small coves with transparent water. It is an interesting place from the point of view of its tourist promotion.

San Andres y Sauces

It has a very beautiful lime-tree forest, one of the densest in the archipelago, with eye-catching giant fern.

Cueva Bonita

This natural grotto lies near Tijarafe and is flooded by the sea.

Discover the Canary Islands

The following links will take you to the different islands: