La Palma does not offer "tourist traps" or loud and noisy street bars like those you may find on Tenerife or Mallorca. Instead, life on the "Isla Bonita" is easy going, very quiet and original. Fiestas are still the old, traditional way and you may find yourself in the middle of Palmeros enjoying their hospitality and natural kindness.
Since many say that La Palma is the "most beautiful island in Europe", you will soon discover, that there is a lot of truth in this statement.
La Palma is often named as the "Hiking Island" - hiking on La Palma is really something special. But please, don't be scared away if you are not a "hiking junkee", there are a lots of other activities waiting for you to enjoy.
Also, the saying that "there are no real beaches on La Palma" must be contradicted. There a lot of pretty beaches - not as large and populated as on the other islands but here, the beaches are clean (as well as the water). There is plenty of room for everyone to relax and you may find a small hidden beach without plenty people around - just start looking.
La Palma has a volcanic history. In some areas, the soil consists of very unstable, loose ash and lava surfaces. One should consider this when hiking. Suitable footwear, durable clothes to protect from suddenly arising breezes or moisture as well as a sufficient supply of drinking water is a precondition for a successful outdoor adventure.
You should never go on your own. La Palma is partially wildly fissured. If you walk off the regular trails, it may become difficult to find you in case something happens. Meanwhile all hiking trails are documented and are equipped with markers. Most of the beautiful trails can be found in various hiking guides.
Many people offer guided tours on the island - make sure, that you pick a reliable one.
The homepage of Graja Tours (which we can recommend) gives you an overview of their services.
In this privatly owned observatorium in Tacande guests have the opportunity to have spectacular views into the sky of La Palma.
The observation sessions are an audio-visual description of the physical characteristics of the objects to be observed such as the moon, planets, nebulae, stars clusters, galaxies, etc. followed by a practical observation using a professional 400 mm. diameter telescope.
The above activities -except the last- are performed inside of an observatory sheltered from the wind and the cold that sometimes accompany us in the Canary Islands. The observatory is located at 760 meters above sea in a central position on the island -so there's no need to travel at night to remote areas- in the vicinity of the small town of El Paso. The meetings start at 10:00 PM in summer and at 9:00 PM. in winter. The session length is about 2.5 hours. The communication language could be English or Spanish at your choice.
The price is 20€/person with a minimum people of three. We will try to join people with the same language but if we can't meet this minimum -because they are just one or two persons- then the session is dedicated and the total price shall be 60€.
The collection of the plentiful burgeoning Mushrooms. during november and december is still an insider tip. The local "Mushroom-club" offers organized tours upon request. Please ask us.
La Palma can be ideally discovered by bike - preferably by mountainbike. There are many trails, paths and roads on which bikers can ride undisturbed.
Riding offroad can not be recommended because of the vulcanic nature of the territory.
Experience the nature of the beautiful island on the back of a horse. Go trotting over sandy grounds, through evergreen pine forests, passing vulcanos and along the black lava beach. A horseback trip on La Palma is a very special experience.
On La Palma there are several horse facilities offering tours on the island. We will glady help you to find a suitable location.
With good weather conditions you can see paragliders circling over La Palma looking for upwinds. The west side of the island is the preferred flight zone for paragliders because of its steadier weather conditions.
The starting point is between Las Manchas and Fuencaliente. The ideal starting point is selected depending upon wind and weather conditions. Landing strip is Puerto Naos. This is also the place to go, if you are interested in taking a ride.
Tandem flights are offered as a special attraction. The experienced pilot sits behind the customer and steers the paraglider.
La Palma does not offer the typical "tourist attractions" like Teneriffa. Life on La Palma goes on contemplatively and calmly, with certain cultural highlights, which however are not of touristic nature, but arise from the old local traditions.
Public suburban traffic is operated by a very reliable bus system, which covers most parts of the island. On La Palma, a bus is called "Guagua" (waawaa).
If you want to go to more remote objects of interest, it is highly suggested to rent a car (quite reasonable at La Palma) or take a taxi.
Meanwhile, jeep tours are offered as well as organized bus trips. If you are interested in such tours, please contact us.
If you are ready to spend your vacation on the "Isla Bonita" you will soon discover, that your inner clock needs to be ajusted to the relaxed La Palma pace.
La Palma does not only offer worth while seeing attractions - each little village has its own charm.
Just look for a little pub or bodega along the village plaza, sit down and enjoy the local beverages and tapas and experience the atmosphere.
Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean can be one of the bigger highlights during your La Palma vacation. But never forget: you’re not in a bath tub… Especially during the winter time, the ocean can be quite turbulent.
With a green flag, everything is safe -> enjoy! A yellow flag should make you very cautious - better not go swimming. With a red flag, swimming is strictly forbidden - heavy water turbulences have caused accidents, even with skilled swimmers. On such days, you’d rather either take a dip in the pool or enjoy other activities on the island.
The warning signals (coloured flags) must be respected by all means.
All beaches on La Palma have black sand. The dark lavasand is soft and warm. Generally speaking, the beaches in the southern part of the island are more suited for bathing than the ones in the northern part, due to less dangerous water turbulences.
The most favourite beaches are:
If you reached the island by ferry, you may have experienced how „shaky“ the Atlantic can be… – depending on the weather circumstances and consequently the intensity of the waves.
Another outdoor-experience is to discover La Palma by boat; the recommended starting point is the port of Tazacorte.
The possibility of deep sea fishing is highly appreciated by the fishermen’s friends.
During the winter time, surfers meet at the Playa Nueva, located just before Puerto Naos, if you take a right turn before the last big curve. Of course, the waves don’t belong to the world-championship-category, but nevertheless they can be quite challenging!
During the summer time, surfers gather at the Playa Los Nogales. Insiders claim, that the waves there are „just like on Hawaii“ -- probably a little exagerated, but nevertheless „The“ tip for surfer tourists.
The visitor centers should be able to give you detailed informations on spelunking. In case of questions, please ask.
Two places on La Palma are well prepared for climbing. One with difficulty level IV A 7b, located in the Barranco Madera, adjacent to the Las Nieves church and one on top of the Tajuya volcano in El Paso, with difficulty level IV A 7b+. Both places dispose of basic climbing devices with approximately 70 resp. 13 variations.
Ravine climbing is possible in the ravine of Marcos and Cordero in the biosphere-preserve Los Tilos, the Las Granjas canyon near Roque de Los Muchachos and the Barranco de Fagundo in the northern part of the island.
