Walking Trails of La Palma

Friday 19th February

Fly to La Palma Airport, where we’ll be met on arrival and transferred to our 4-star hotel, Parador de La Palma. Set among lush gardens, overlooking the sea and Santa Cruz de La Palma, this will be our base for the week. Following a welcome meeting this afternoon, there will be time to settle into our surroundings, explore the hotel’s beautiful gardens and facilities, and relax before our first dinner together.

Dinner included. Overnight in Parador de La Palma.

Saturday 20th February

We start our week by exploring the island’s charming capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma. A leisurely stroll through its cobbled pedestrian streets takes us along the vibrant Calle Real, where the colourful façades of historic buildings reflect the town’s rich heritage. Along the way, we’ll hear stories of local traditions and discover more about the island’s fascinating history before visiting La Recova, Santa Cruz’s bustling food market. Here, we’ll have the opportunity to sample freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and browse the stalls for local produce.

After lunch, we’ll visit Maroparque, a wildlife park and rescue centre housing over 300 exotic and endangered animals, including kangaroos, crocodiles, snakes, monkeys, porcupines, lemurs, and much more. Known as the ‘vertical zoo’, the centre is built into the steep slopes of the El Galeón ravine, a unique setting which dramatically overlooks Santa Cruz de La Palma. There’ll be a chance to get up close to some of the animals, with the possibility of feeding them too.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Parador de La Palma.

Sunday 21st February

Distance: 8km (5 miles), Total Ascent: +50m (150ft), Total Descent: -750m (2,450ft)

Today, we drive to the south of La Palma where we’ll start our volcano walk from Los Canarios. The visitor centre here provides plenty of information to understand the geological formation of the island and the volcanic eruptions that have shaped its landscape. Before heading out we’ll have the opportunity to sample some local specialities. This area is renowned for its almendrados, traditional almond biscuits that pair perfectly with the sweet malmsey wines produced here.

With our appetites satisfied, we’ll set off to walk the rim of San Antonio volcano, where we’ll experience the scale of its deep circular crater and the wider southern reaches of the island. From the volcano’s edge, we’ll descend through a dramatic landscape of volcanic sands and ancient lava fields, witnessing first-hand the powerful forces that have shaped La Palma over thousands of years. As we continue, the terrain gradually softens and fragrant pine forests emerge, marking a distinct change in landscape as we approach the Faro de Fuencaliente lighthouse. Here, we’ll explore La Palma’s only commercial salt pans, a site of special scientific interest, before returning to our hotel.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight in Parador de La Palma.

Monday 22nd February

Distance: 5km (3 miles), Total Ascent: +400m (1,300ft), Total Descent: -325m (1,050ft)

This morning, we head towards the northeast of La Palma, for a walk of two halves. Our day begins in the ancient laurel forest of La Galga where water has carved deep barrancos into the landscape and lush green vegetation surrounds us. After enjoying lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll then drive to the charming village of San Andrés for the second part of the walk. Setting off from the village square and historic church, we’ll follow a coastal path with banana plantations stretching out on one side and the rhythmic sound of the Atlantic Ocean and scent of its salty sea air on the other. Our walk ends at the beautiful Charco Azul pools, where, weather permitting, you may wish to enjoy a refreshing dip in their crystal-clear waters.

We’ll round off the day with a visit to the Ron Aldea rum factory, where we’ll learn more about the island’s sugar cane heritage and have the opportunity to sample local honey rum and other sugar cane-based specialities.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Parador de La Palma.

Tuesday 23rd February

Wednesday 24th February

Distance: 5km (3 miles), Total Ascent: +400m (1,300ft), Total Descent: -250m (800ft)

Today takes us to the highest part of the island where we’ll walk along the ridge of Caldera de Taburiente, on our way to Roque de los Muchachos. Rising above the pine forests, this spectacular landscape offers breathtaking views over a sea of clouds and, on clear days, all the way to Mount Teide.

Taking advantage of La Palma’s famously dark skies, the summit is home to one the world’s most important astrophysical observatories. The Gran Telescopio Canarias (the largest telescope on Earth) as well as the Liverpool and Isaac Newton telescopes, are located here. The Caldera itself is an extraordinary natural feature measuring at almost 2,000m deep and around 8 kilometres across, with the Taburiente stream flowing through its heart. Erosion of the caldera has exposed spectacular tiered lava dikes where the vegetation has adapted to surviving in this harsh landscape year-round. As we continue our walk, we’ll pass some of the observatory telescopes before reaching Roque de Los Muchachos, the highest point on the island at 2,426m above sea level, where we’ll have the opportunity to appreciate the immense scale and dramatic geology of the caldera below.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight in Parador de La Palma.

Thursday 25th February

Distance: 6km (3.5 miles), Total Ascent: +25m (100ft), Total Descent: -650m (2,100ft)

On our last day of hiking, we’ll visit the area affected by the island’s most recent volcanic eruption. In 2021, for the first time in 50 years, La Palma witnessed the birth of a new volcano: Tajogaite. The eruption lasted 85 days, with lava flows covering large areas of the island’s central-western slopes. We’ll cross the ash-covered landscape where unique fire-resistant pine trees have survived, resilient amongst the scorched earth, while other vegetation has dried out or burned away, leaving a stark reminder of the destruction in the wake of the volcano. We’ll walk close to the still-steaming cone of Tajogaite and, depending on the wind, where we may catch the distinctive scent of sulphur in the air. Our descent takes us through Las Manchas, where homes, roads and farmland were engulfed by lava and ash during the eruption. The area offers a powerful insight into both the destructive force of volcanoes and the resilience of the local communities affected by the event. After our walk, we’ll enjoy lunch at a unique winery housed within a cave before returning to our hotel.

This evening, we’ll gather for a celebratory dinner, reflecting on a wonderful week spent exploring the many landscapes, traditions and flavours of ‘La Isla Bonita’.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Parador de La Palma.

Friday 26th February

This morning, we’ll check out of the hotel and enjoy some leisure time after breakfast. Whether relaxing by the pool or taking a final walk through the gardens, there’s an opportunity to savour the last moments of our stay on La Palma before transferring to the airport for our journey home.

Breakfast included.

Fitness, Walking Ability & Footwear: Please note a reasonable level of fitness is required for this trip as, although distances are relatively short (the longest walk is 5 miles), there are some lengthy ascents and descents. Hill walking experience would be advantageous, or, if you don’t have any, please commit to acquire some before you travel. Paths will generally be good, but will, on some days, be rough and rocky underfoot and proper, sturdy closed-toe walking shoes or boots will be required (not trainers or sandals).

In the interests of your safety and the rest of the group’s enjoyment if, at any time, the tour manager or walking guide feels that you are not suited to a walk or are not able to complete a walk for any reason, they may, at their discretion, request you to stay behind or return to the hotel (this includes unsuitable footwear).

Visa Requirements: If you are travelling on a full British citizen passport, you can enter Spain without a visa for tourism visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. If you hold a passport from outside of the UK, check with your local embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date visa requirements before travelling.

Passport Validity: Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you enter La Palma and be valid for at least 3 months from the planned date of departure from Spain.