La palma spain. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT La Palma

For some tourists, a trip to La Palma is associated with beach holiday and measured walks around the city, but for others La Palma is hiking. The island offers countless forest and mountain routes - from one-day to multi-day ones with overnight stays in tents in the forest. Most of the museum-reserves and observation decks are also located under the open sky, so La Palma is considered an island for active recreation.

The best time for trekking is spring and autumn, when it is not very hot. You can also go rock climbing in the mountainous areas, and speleology in the cave areas of Villa de Mazo. You can explore the beauty of the island not only on foot, but also on horseback, like a real conquistador. One of the most spectacular routes begins in Fuencaliente and ends at the Caldera de Taberiente.

The island is washed by the beautiful Atalatic Ocean - this is where there is freedom for lovers sea ​​trips, sailing, kayaking and fishing. During excursion walks along the sea you can meet dolphins. Fans of more extreme recreation La Palma offers diving, paragliding and mountain biking.

Transport features of La Palma

Although La Palma is an island for lovers of walking, it is still most convenient to get around the island by car, since most of the tourist national parks and observation points are located outside the city. Be prepared for the fact that La Palma is largely mountainous and has steep serpentine roads. To rent a car, you will need to provide driver license, voucher and credit card Visa, AMEX, Mastercard. To drive a car and rent it abroad, you must have an international driver’s license, which you can obtain at the MREO traffic police department.

Another way to get around is, of course, buses, which run here on a regular schedule. Each stop has a route map and schedule. You can buy bus tickets directly from the driver, or purchase ticket(bono card). The cost of travel from Los Canjajos to Santa Cruz de La Palma (7-10 minutes drive) is approximately 1.5 euros. And from Santa Cruz de La Palma to Los Llanos or Fuencalente (an hour's drive) about 2.5 euros.

Palm Island small green island with an area of ​​only 728 sq. km. La Palma very beautiful, ideal for lovers have a relaxing holiday. The island's coastline is mostly rocky, so there aren't many beaches, but they're just as stunning as the others. islands of the Canary archipelago.

La Palma unusually mountainous island. The highest peak is Roque de los Muchachos peak 2387 m. The entire north of the island at an altitude of 500 1500 m above sea level is covered with cherry laurel forests. These are the last representatives of the forests that once covered the entire south of Europe. The ravines of Cubo de la Galga and Los Tilos, declared by UNESCO biosphere reserve and are excellent examples of such forests.

Hotels in La Palma

Hotels on La Palma there are about 7000: in tourist centers on the coast, cities and countryside. There are two small tourism centers: one in the east and the other in the west of the island. Village Los Lancajos, in the east, is located a few kilometers from the airport and from the capital of the island. Puerto Naos, in the agricultural municipal district Los Llanos de Aridane, in the west, has a sunnier climate. Both centers are located on secluded volcanic sand beaches. There are also hotels in the capital, the city Santa Cruz de la Palma, and in the second largest city of the island, Los Llanos, near the National Park Caldera de Taburiente .

It is also worth noting the growing supply of housing and hotels in rural areas. This sector is well developed in La Palma, since the island is well suited for relaxation in the lap of nature.

Attractions La Palma

Meaning La Palma Islands during the Renaissance, when its capital, Santa Cruz, became the third port of the Spanish Empire after Seville and Antwerp, reflected in its architecture. The artistic splendor characteristic of the era, manifested in beautiful secular and ecclesiastical buildings, as well as in the spread of Flemish artistic embroidery, greatly influenced the culture of the population La Palma. In the city Santa Cruz de la Palma The most beautiful buildings of the island in the colonial style are concentrated.

The city has preserved buildings from the 16th century, including the City Assembly and El Salvadors. The Museum of Natural History contains magnificent examples of local flora and fauna. On the sea promenade, modern houses and ancient buildings with wooden balconies stand side by side.

The capital of the island is Santa Cruz de La Palma — small town with many ancient buildings and narrow streets. City center small triangular Plaza de España (Plaza de Espana) with a wonderful stone fountain (1776). Here it is Church of the Savior with a high bell tower ( Iglesia Matriz de El Salvador), built in 1503. The Mudejar style ceiling is made from the heartwood of pine trees. The sacristy houses fine examples of wood carvings in the Gothic style.

On the other side of the square stands Town Hall (Ayuntamiento), built in 1569, with an arcade in the Italian Renaissance style. The second floor is decorated with coats of arms Philip II of Spain, Palm trees and the Austrian royal house.

Another attraction of Santa Cruz fortress Castillo de Santa Catalina, which perfectly protected the city from pirates.

At the end of the street Calle Real can see Columbus ship model Santa Maria real size. The model is used as maritime museum.

North of Santa Cruz in the mountains is sanctuary of the island's patroness, Nueatra Senora de Las Nievas (Madonnas of the Snows). The church has an altar made of Mexican silver and a terracotta statue of the Madonna. Every five years the Madonna is brought to Santa Cruz for the holiday La Bajada de la Virgii(Appearance of the Madonna) a mixture of religious sadness and general joy and entertainment.

Another holiday is celebrated on May 3 day of the cross in Santa Cruz de la Palma. A competition of decorated crosses is organized.

Other interesting settlements islands: Los Llanos, the second most important city; El Paso, famous for its silks and cigars; Fuencaliente, home of great wines; And Maso, in the vicinity of which there is a pre-Hispanic Belmako cave.

La Palma especially rich in various natural attractions. Palmitos Park the biggest butterfly sanctuary. In addition to butterflies, you can see about 230 species of exotic birds here.

The cherry laurel forests that cover the entire north of the island at an altitude of 500-1500 m are genuine plant relics, the last representatives of the forests that covered the entire south of Europe in the Tertiary period. In the narrow gullies of the northern part of the island, 20 native tree species form a dense plant mass that is often shrouded in fog. Another interesting natural attraction is the volcanic ridge that stretches from north to south across the entire island. So-called "Volcano route" runs along this ridge with cones and craters, which ends in the extreme south of the island with a volcano Tenegia. which last erupted in 1971.

In the center of the island there is a huge crater La Cadera de Taburiente, which is a National Park. The crater is covered with a dense pine forest, its depth reaches 770 m and its circumference is 28 km. To view it in all its grandeur there are several observation platforms: La Cumbrecita , Las Chosas , Roque de los Muchachos — highest point(2423 m) islands where the largest astrophysical observatory in the northern hemisphere is located. A stone spire 800 m high rises from the bottom of the crater Idafe Rock. They say that there was a sacred Guanche altar where sacrifices were made.

Holidays on La Palma

La Palma provides excellent opportunities for activities aquatic species sports and for hiking . There is a yacht club on the island Puerto de la Playa. There is a sports fishing club in the capital la Gaviota.

Puerto de Naos the biggest island resort with magnificent black sand beaches. There is a village nearby San Nicolas, which erupted in 1949 volcano Nambroque, now only a lonely church rises among the frozen lava fields.

Near San Andres y Sauces there is a dense forest of lime trees with huge ferns. Fuencaliente, the southernmost village of the island, is surrounded by vineyards, pine forests, and volcanoes, the most famous of which are San Antonio and Teneguia.

Cancajos Beach near the village Breсa Baja consists of several bays with clear water. In the village Puerto de Naos with good tourism infrastructure the location is amazing black sand beach. Near Tijarafe beautiful natural location Cueva Bonita grotto.

Souvenirs. Palma is famous for its cigars and silk fabrics. At the Tobacos Vargas tobacco factory, which is located in Santa Cruz de la Palma, you can see how workers roll cigars by hand, and you can also buy samples. In the village of Maso you can buy excellent ceramics. The island's handicrafts rival its cuisine in richness, with some of the best mojo sauces in the Canary Islands.

The first part is here
La Palma or, as the Spaniards also call it, La Isla Bonita (Beautiful Island), a place very rarely visited by Russian-speaking tourists. Main contingent: British and Germans. During our almost week of stay, we did not hear Russian speech even once. Although, of course, there are reviews on the Internet Russian tourists and stories of Russians who live permanently on the island.
I had my eye on La Palma four years ago, when we were going to the Canaries for the first time. Then it didn’t work out and as a result we visited Lanzarote, which we don’t regret one bit. But of course I wanted to see the greenest Canary Island.

In preparation for the trip, I downloaded this guide with maps of the island and main cities on some official website http://www.koser.hut2.ru/La%20Palma%20map.pdf.
The island seems to be divided in half by a mountain range. Previously, in order to get from the eastern side of the island (where the port, capital and airport are) you had to go around through the south of the island. Now a system of tunnels has been made in the middle, including one that is as much as one and a half kilometers long. Controversial issue how to drive faster, the navigator claimed that the time doesn’t matter. We drove through the center of the island, but neither one nor the other path saves us from the serpentine roads. It's probably better to relax on the western side. There more beaches, although we didn’t come here for them. The population of the island is only 80 thousand people, compare with the millions of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. There is basically a problem with hotels on the island. Big hotel only one, proudly rising like a ship on the beach of Puerto Naos, reviews for it are far from the best. The rest are practically only private hotels, which are actually village houses or part of them. This option of living suited us, especially since we still took a car; without it, we don’t have to go to the island at all - it’s pointless. As a result, we booked this hotel http://www.otzyv.ru/read.php?id=161254
After our arrival, we looked for him again for a long time, the navigator circled us around the private sector of the outskirts of the town of Los Llanos (that’s right, with two “l”). How we found the hotel is a whole story, which is told in the review about it. We checked in, it was late in the evening, there were no shops nearby, we wanted to eat, we had something left with us from Tenerife, but not enough. My son and I went out looking for shops, it’s good that we immediately stopped a local in some kind of van. He told us that basically nothing was open anywhere at this time, not a single store at all. We returned to the hotel and came across a German neighbor with her daughter. We got to talking, they were surprised that we are from Russia, our tourists rarely come here. We came for a month. Walking in the mountains, hiking. Having learned that we were starving, they brought us some simple food and even beer. Many thanks to them, very sincere people.
We woke up early and looked at the sky in amazement for a long time. Here it is necessary to say separately about the weather on the island. I don't know about east coast, but in the north there is no point in waking up before 10 am (this means one o’clock in the afternoon in our opinion). Everything is covered in clouds, fog hangs over the ocean, not cold, but not hot either, about plus 20. It was like this all the days that we lived there.
I’ll immediately share my general impressions of the island. Overall, a village. One such big village, but with simply fantastic nature. The climate is completely different, cannot be compared with Tenerife, much less Lanzarote and Fuertoventura. Humid, very green. And at the same time, excellent beaches, although we allocated only one day to them, but the impressions were very positive, as well as from the island as a whole. Let me emphasize again: don’t even think about being without a car. Not driving – cross out La Palma.
In the morning we rushed to buy groceries (it was still cloudy), and went to Los Llanos (about four kilometers from the hotel) for the first and last time. Crazy town. It took us half an hour to find a place to park. We went to local market in the center there is one and a half stalls selling some kind of garbage. Nearby is a Vip Market supermarket (or Viper, I don’t remember exactly). Excellent shop. Everything is available in a wide range. Later we stocked up in the same supermarket in the town El Paso, it’s a little further, but we still drove through it every day.
First day decided to look down at the seals on the beach. Let's go first to Playa Nueva. They arrived, laughed and left. An enchanting pile of cobblestones. Good thing is nearby Puerto Naos. It's about five kilometers from the hotel. A tiny coastal resort town, population less than a thousand people, clean and tidy. Most famous beach. Black sand, excellent access to the ocean, equipped with free toilets. showers. The embankment was really under renovation, but we didn’t care. Here it is, the most populous beach on the island


Second day. We finally started to see what we came for. Mountains, views! The most famous place Mirador del Roque de los Muchahos. Here's the most famous one astrophysical laboratory. It's a long drive, about an hour and a half. Three quarters of the road are serpentines, the further, the merrier. Especially when the high mountain pine forests begin. From the mirador you can take a short walk, there is a path and an excellent observation deck. It must be said that in the very center of the island there is a huge volcanic crater, more than 20 km in diameter. Apparently left over from the explosion. Accordingly, the most wonderful views are from the edges of the crater wall. Well, Mirador del Roque de los Muchahos is the northern edge of the crater.
The road is on the way. We are already above the clouds


We've arrived


You have to go here strictly Necessarily. Even after Mount Teide and all the magnificent views of Madeira. The views are great! The domes of the observatory especially fit here. Just some kind of alien landscape.

Generally speaking, there are a hell of a lot of different hiking routes running diagonally across the volcano’s crater. All roads are lined with signs. But there are no short ones. Minimum from 12 kilometers and up to 50-70 km! Those. This is clearly one route for several days. So, those who are interested should go for a month. This is real relaxation and connection with nature. The entire island is covered with pine forests, the smell of resin is such that you want to fall on a layer of fallen pine needles and lie there forever.
Day three. We are now going to the southern tip of the crater, it is next to us, literally outside the town of El Paso, Mirador la Cumbrecita. We are driving in the morning, as I am expecting an ambush, which inevitably happens. The fact is that this entire crater of the volcano and the immediate surroundings are the territory of a national park Caldera de Taburiente. And in order to enter some of its areas you need a permit, which is issued by the management of this very park, or rather in its branches Centros de Informacion de Turismo (CIT). There is nothing wrong with this, the permit is free and it is issued to everyone. But in this way the authorities are trying to control the number of cars entering certain points at the same time. I’ll say right away that it turns out badly for them, but that’s their problem. For tourists, this happens as follows: you arrive at the required point (the same mirador la Cumbrecita) and at the CIT office, which is located at the entrance, you take this very permit, but! We arrived at 10 am (this office is open from 10 to 18, on Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 14), and they could only give us permission from 11:30, citing the fact that many cars had already arrived. They suggested walking as an alternative. Yeah, something like 7 kilometers in the heat, in the forest and uphill. Well, thank you. It was not an option to wait an hour and a half, so we took a permit for 13:00 and decided to rush to the very south of the island. The permit is a piece of paper with your name (you must show at least your license), date and window of stay in the park (in our case from 13 to 16 hours). I’ll immediately upset those suffering: you can’t get through without a permit, there’s a barrier and an auntie.
Meanwhile, we went to the very south of the island: our plans were to see the lighthouse (faro) and the salt factory (salinas). It doesn’t seem like a long drive: some thirty-odd kilometers, but the road runs along a winding mountain serpentine road, which was still undergoing active repairs. Often it is physically impossible to drive more than 30 km/h. The views along the way are good, but it took us more than an hour. You need to go to the very, very south of the island, focusing on the town Fuencaliente. There are already two lighthouses: an old one and a very old one. Neither one nor the other is anything special, just for the sake of general development. Naturally, there is no access to the lighthouses, they are simply closed.

There is also a small deserted beach with a depressing fishing village.


Nearby is a typical salt factory, we saw exactly the same one in Lanzarote, but at that time you couldn’t go inside or walk around the courtyards. Here there is such an opportunity, although half of the paths for tourists are being actively repaired. In general, it’s quite informative; if you have a window of half a day, then it’s quite possible to go and have a look. If you wish, you can even buy both food and bath salts, although in the nearest supermarket it will be half the price. In fact, it makes sense to go here for the whole day for walking route on the volcano Teneguia. Judging by the signs, the route is only about 6 kilometers in one direction, and the volcano is not high, so no special difficulties are expected. We didn’t have time, unfortunately, so we walked among the salt courtyards and went back. I also managed to lose my car key while walking (!) and we spent half an hour looking for it.


The factory does not at all disdain manual labor.


Salt grinding and packaging workshop. On the left you can see an improvised counter with products.


Finally, at about two in the afternoon, we entered the territory of the national park and drove up an extremely narrow road to the parking area of ​​La Cumbrecita. There are no special views directly from here, but there is a fairly simple route for a couple of kilometers, which I recommend taking, and specifically the long version. No skills or abilities are needed here; ordinary sneakers and desire are enough.

The path is visible on the left

This is how large-scale landslides occur

Day four. Our time on the island was quickly ending. I didn't have enough days for La Palma. It was decided to go to the tobacco factory, and then to the waterfalls in Los Tilos in the northeast of the island.
If anyone doesn’t know, tobacco is grown on La Palma and cigars are made, the quality of which is not inferior to the famous Cuban ones. This is exactly so, I personally verified the quality, and had the opportunity to compare it with Cuban cigars, which a Cuban friend brought from his historical homeland at the same time. There are only two cigar manufacturing factories left, one small in Brena Alto(with him actually tobacco museum) and quite serious production in Brena Baja. It is extremely difficult to find information on the Internet in Russian, and there is not a lot of it in Spanish. It’s good that we had two brochures about these factories in our room. According to the brochures, only the tobacco museum in Brena Alto was open on Saturday, so we had no choice.
How to find it. The task is not at all easy, so I give you a scan of the brochure

I stuck into this piece of paper for a long time and realized that it would not help me in any way in my search.
Therefore, I’m simply posting a map with the exact coordinates of the museum 28.667324,-17.787193


Entrance to the museum costs 3 euros. We were the only visitors, which actually surprised me. The exhibition tells the history of the tobacco industry in Canary, and briefly touches on other export industries: bananas, cochineal (a natural dye for fabrics). The museum is small, but in each room there are monitors where you can watch videos in English that are quite interesting even with a superficial knowledge of the language. There is also a small courtyard where tobacco grows, there is an elderly gentleman who sorts out the tobacco leaves and hangs them to dry.

The lady, who plays the role of a cashier and, to the best of her ability, a tour guide, also rolls cigars from ready-made tobacco on a special machine; if you wish, you can even do this yourself.


There is also, of course, a store with its own products. The price of cigars is low, but actually almost the same as in other shops on the island and in duty-free in Tenerife: from 1 to 4 euros per cigar. There are packages of 5 or 10 cigars, boxes of 20-30 pieces and individual cigars in individual gift packaging. I dialed different types 2-something euros apiece. The auntie’s English was completely zero, she couldn’t answer the questions I had in any way, but she promptly called some friend of hers, who spoke quite decent English.
Product range on a poster


And bought by us


Very pleased with our visit to the museum, we went to the north of the island to Los Tilos. We found it quickly enough using the navigator. We drove along the mountain road to the end until we came to a tourist information office; there was a small museum right there. There we were told that the trail to the waterfalls was closed due to apparently rain. Now I think that this is still reinsurance and I had to go at my own peril and risk. But the trouble is that we had absolutely no idea which way to go or how long to go. At the tourist office they told us that the route to Mirador is open Espigon Atravesado(something like Crossed Peaks), just a couple of kilometers. The route starts just below the tourist office, the road goes sharply uphill. They gave out a brochure. Here is a scan of the route.

I’ll tell you straight away: don’t go! Wasted time, an hour of tramping up a wide forest road,

to see this at the end:

even with this look


So the conclusion we can draw is this: either the waterfalls, or, well, what the heck, Los Tilos.
Day five. At about 12 o'clock we slowly checked out of the hotel and went to the capital of the island Santa Cruz de la Palma. It was Sunday, the car was abandoned somewhere close to the center. There is a weekend market in the square near the port. Locals sell their products and other crap. We bought homemade liqueurs there from a nice elderly couple, first tasted these liqueurs until there was a good buzz in our heads, and got into conversation with the sellers. It turns out they were part of some cruise tour in St. Petersburg, delighted with our city. Happens.
Then we examined the town itself, quiet, provincial, colonial, and in no way similar to the capital. In the center there is the loudly called Plaza de Espana (Plaza de Espana). A ten by ten meter patch.

We reached a local landmark: the Santa Catalina fortress. Of course it's closed. Well, that’s right: why work on Sunday. After lunch, everything is completely closed, including the Sunday market.

We had a snack “what God sent” and headed towards the airport, returned the car and at 18:00 we flew from the island to Fuertoventura with a transfer in Tenerife. Who knew that on this day we were not destined to get to the final point of the route and that we had a lot of wasted nerve cells ahead of us.
To be continued...

Beaches of La Palma

Puerto Naos is a small, cute resort with 330 hours of sunshine a year. Here is the longest beach on the island with black sand, many cafes, restaurants and shops.

2 km south is Charco Verde - picturesque sand beach, ideal for a family holiday.

Popular hotels in La Palma

Guides on La Palma

Entertainment and attractions of La Palma

The capital, Santa Cruz, is a small town whose main attractions are located within a few blocks of the Avenida Marítima promenade. Here it is worth visiting: Plaza de España, Dali Street with the Salazar Palace of the 17th century, Constitution Square, Church of the Holy Light of the 16th century, Aiantamiento (town hall) of the 16th century. It is also worth visiting the House of Tobacco, where they hold interesting excursions and you can buy very high quality cigars.

Maps of La Palma

La Caldera de Taburiente National Park

La Caldera de Taburiente is a giant crater with a diameter of 8 km and a depth of up to 2 km, formed by powerful eruptions volcano This fourth National Park in Spain was opened in 1954. There are many walking routes throughout the park (some of which require good health when climbing). There is a volcanic rock (10 km in diameter) and the “Gorge of Fear” (the height of the walls reaches 2000 m). The park can be reached by car or bus from Santa Cruz (8 km).

Pico de la Cruz is one of the most high peaks in the park. You can get here in 4-5 hours. Roque de los Muchachos is a trail that runs along the highest peaks and offers stunning views of the crater walls. At the very top of Mount Muchasos, at an altitude of 2400 m, an observation deck has recently opened - the highest on the island. The new observation deck is part of excursion route Espigon del Roque de los Muchachos and is expected to soon become the most visited on the island. Lomo de las Chosas, on the other hand, is a short and easy trail.

4 things to do on La Palma

1. Learn a little more about Benajoares at the La Zarza Museum.
2. Buy quality cigars at the House of Tobacco - if not for yourself, then as a gift.
3. Feel like you're on top of the world at the observation deck at the top of Mount Muchasos.
4. Overcome yourself during difficult times walking route through La Caldera de Taburiente park.

Los Tilos

The rocky walls of the Barranco del Agua gorge are the largest habitat on the island of the ancient laurel forest - laurisilva. In 1983, Los Tilos was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.

In the reserve with an area of ​​5 square meters. km there are several walking trails. One of them leads to the Mirador Las Barrandas observation deck. The longer (6 km) and steeper route heads northwest to the Caldera de Marcos y Cordero, where you can admire spectacular waterfalls.

Views of La Palma

La Zarsa

In the archaeological area of ​​La Zarza, evidence of the existence of the Benajoares, the ancient inhabitants of the island of La Palma, was found. Evidence of their existence, which attracts tourists so much, is strange signs carved on the rocks (petroglyphs). They can be seen in the areas of Roque Faro, Don Pedro and Juan Adalid. These designs mainly consist of spirals, circles and linear figures, and their meaning remains unknown to this day. The real “hit” of all the finds here are the images in the Aztec style: a man and an abstract figure of a woman with the head of an insect.

The La Zarza Visitor Center has a museum dedicated to the life of the Benajoares, which includes a 20-minute film that introduces the nutrition, medicine and funeral rituals of this people.

1. The main attraction of the island is National A park Caldera de Taburiente , located in the center of the island. A huge erosion crater was formed 400 thousand years ago as a result of a monstrous explosion and earthquake. In addition to rocks with unusual shapes, the crater is covered with a dense pine forest. The depth of the crater reaches 2,000 m, its circumference is 28 km (diameter 8-10 km) and covers an area of ​​2426 m. A stone spire 800 m high rises from the bottom - Rocke de Idafe.

The caldera funnel is also crossed by deep ravines, with waterfalls and a water drop of more than 100 m ( cascadas de la Desfondada, Hoyo Verde de colors, la Fondada and others) and streams of ferruginous water, like riachuelo Almendro Amargo, coloring the stones a bright red-orange color. Almost all the waters flow into the beautiful Dos Aguas gorge (Dos Aguas) at an altitude of 520 m.

To view the Caldera de Taburiente in all its grandeur, there are several observation platforms: , And . TO observation platforms can be reached along conveniently marked paths and roads.

Roque de los Muchachos- the highest point (2426 m) of the island, where the largest and most significant of the northern hemisphere is located.

Unique and impressive landscapes National Park attract thousands of tourists every year. Along the territory of the reserve there are laid

There is a visitor information center (Centro de Visitantes del Parque Nacional La Caldera), created specifically for everyone who wants to get acquainted with the reserve. Here you can watch an exhibition in the exhibition hall, a film about the formation and characteristics of the Caldera, get maps in Spanish, English or German languages, guidebooks and brochures.

2. One of the largest and most significant observatories of the Northern Hemisphere is located on this island. Palma has unique geographical, topographical and meteorological conditions that are extremely favorable for stargazing. The island's remoteness and sparse population allows scientists to observe the starry sky in virtually the absence of artificial light. The air above the mountain is virtually still, helped by the prevailing winds and the unique shape of the mountain. Most years, the clouds that trap dust and moisture are located below the observatory. All these factors contribute to perfect observation of distant stars and galaxies.

Observatory of Roque de los Muchachos - astronomical observatory, founded in 1985 in the municipality of Garafia, belongs to the Canary Institute of Astrophysics, which is part of the Northern European Observatory. The largest observatory belongs to Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes. It houses the largest telescope in Europe, named after William Herschel. Today, several international scientific organizations operate here. “Telescopic time” is strictly divided between professional astronomers from all over the world. Several specialists apply for every minute. Everything is controlled from a computer console, and operators sit in warm rooms. Thanks to natural conditions Palm trees and the extreme precision of scientific equipment, the observatory on Roque de los Muchachos is a unique window on the Universe.

3. The entire north of the island is covered with cherry laurel forests growing at an altitude of 500-1500 m. Such forests covered the entire south of Europe in the Tertiary period. Only here can you find trees and ferns, which can rightfully be considered real living fossils. Forest Los Tilos, located not far from Los Sauces, declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO and is an excellent example of such a forest. There are trails for hiking here.

Gorges of Barranco del Agua Barranco del Agua in the northeast of the island of the municipality of Puntallana (Puntallana) and Cubo de la Galga (Cubo de la Galga) and Galgen Nature Reserve (Galguén) in the municipalities of Barlovento and Garafia (Barlovento and Garafía) are also worth special attention. Every nature lover will appreciate these excursions.

4. Not far from Barlovento there is a small cultural park fraught with many mysteries and secrets. We are talking about an archaeological region and ethnographic center La Zarza, where you can see evidence of the existence of the Benaoares - the ancient inhabitants of La Palma. They left petroglyphs carved into rocks at several locations in the northern part of the island, including Destiny Faro, Don Pedro and Juan Adalid. These designs consist mainly of spirals, circles and linear figures, the meaning of which remains unknown. Interestingly, exactly the same drawings, called petroglyphs, are present in Irish Newgrange and date back to the megalithic era (Irish petroglyphs date back to 3200 BC; they are older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids). The information center has a museum dedicated to the life of the Aurites. The exhibition is supplemented by a 20-minute video film.

And in the archaeological park of Belmaco, in the municipality Villa de Mazo, you can see ten caves and rock paintings of the Benaoarites - the residence of the last leaders of the canton of Tigalate - Hugiro and Gareagua. It was here that the first rock paintings were discovered in the 18th century. Canary Islands.

5. IN La Tosca (Barlovento) and in Buracas (Garafía) You can admire the dragon trees growing here. The trunks of the oldest dragon trees look very exotic: they are disproportionately thick, topped with a thick brush of sharp leaves. The trunk of an adult dracaena branches fancifully, forming many side shoots. Some trees produce aerial roots covering the trunk. And sometimes a hollow forms in the trunk of an old dragon tree - large enough to accommodate a person. Residents of the Canary Islands consider such trees sacred; rituals are performed near them.

The red resin secreted by dracaena when cut is also considered sacred. This resin was used in ancient times for embalming; legend says that it is not just resin: under the dracaena bark there is real dragon blood. Carnivorous dragons once lived in these parts and elephants were their prey. But one day a large elephant fell and crushed the dragon. Dragon blood soaked the ground and rose up the trunk of the tree that grew in this place.

From dragon tree seeds local residents they make beautiful jewelry.

6. Visiting volcanoes San Antonio and Teneguía (Fuenacaliente) will not leave anyone indifferent; they represent an amazing contrast to the green part of the island.
The last eruption of the volcano was in 1971 and near its crater you can still feel the warmth from the extinct volcano.

7. La Palma has beautiful, comfortable beaches made of black volcanic sand. The water is very clean, and thanks to artificially erected breakwaters on some of them, very calm. The coast is home to a huge amount of marine life, so in addition to swimming, there are excellent conditions for diving. The beaches are quite comfortable: there are playgrounds and many cafes, and huge palm trees grow along the beaches, under the shade of which you can relax from the hot sun. You can also discover almost wild, but lovingly maintained beaches or visit artificial sea pools.

8. Capital of the island (Santa Cruz de La Palma) is a small town with many narrow streets and old buildings in neoclassical and colonial style with Portuguese or Andalusian details. It is located on a mountainside, near the rim of the crater la Caldereta. The importance of La Palma during the Renaissance, when its capital Santa Cruz became the third port of the Spanish Empire after Seville and Antwerp, is reflected in its architecture.

City center - small triangular Plaza de Espana (Plaza di Spagna) with a wonderful stone fountain (1776). There is a monument to the “liberal” and the priest on it El Salvador-Manuel Diaz Hernandez (1774-1863).

And here is the famous (Church of the Savior) with a high bell tower, built in 1503. The main building is in the Renaissance style and was expanded in subsequent centuries. The sacristy houses fine examples of wood carvings in the Gothic style. The Mudejar style ceiling is made from the heartwood of pine trees. 

On the other side of the square is the no less famous city hall of the capital, built in 1569, with an arcade in the style of the Italian Renaissance. The second floor is decorated with the coats of arms of Philip II of Spain, Palma and the Austrian royal house. The Town Hall is also famous for one feature - the wood finishing and ceiling treatment called Mudejar. Inside, the walls are painted with the painting "Pilgrimage" by the Palmeran artist Gonzalez Mendes (1843-1909) and frescoes by the artist M. Kassir (1890-1960), showing the folklore of La Palma.
The very first democratic town hall in Spain in 1773! There is a very old and valuable archive of historical documents dating back to 1553.


Another attraction of Santa Cruz is the fortress. Castillo de Santa Catalina , which perfectly defended the city from numerous French pirates. It was built in 1554, after the defeat of the city by pirates under the leadership of the legendary François Le Clerc in 1553, and thanks to which the islanders were able to repel the legendary pirate Francis Drake in 1585. It also served as the location of a military garrison. On its territory there were living quarters, warehouses and a prison.


Casa Salazar , on one of the main streets of Santa Cruz. This incredibly beautiful, rich building was built already in the 17th century by the governor of the island, Ventura Salazar.

At the end of the street Calle Real you can see the Ship of Our Lady, Barco de la Virgen - Maritime Museum of Santa Cruz de La Palma (Museo Naval de Santa Cruz de La Palma). Santa Maria- a replica ship of St. Mary, on which Christopher Columbus made his voyage to America, built by the descendants of sailors and shipbuilders and opened in 1940 as a maritime museum.

North of the capital Santa Cruz, in the municipality of Velhoco, is the sanctuary of the island's patroness - Nueatra Senora de Las Nievas. In - the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Snows, there is an altar made of Mexican silver and a terracotta statue of the Madonna. The image itself Virgen de Las Nieves already from the 15th century. This is the oldest image of the Virgin in the Canary Islands. The iconostasis was built in the 16th century, in the Baroque style, it is gilded and many details are made in chased silver (art of the 17th-18th centuries). This church contains one part of a collection of Flemish sculptures and paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries, which are found in various churches on the island and are very rare and valuable. historical heritage.

9. The collection of Flemish sculptures and paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries represents a very rare and valuable historical heritage. All works can be viewed in different churches on the island.

12. Another attraction of the Canaries is National cuisine- a mixture of Latin American and European cultures with indigenous heritage and elements of African cuisine. Its simplicity emphasizes the quality of local products. Canarian cuisine consists of simple but high-calorie dishes. The islanders love to eat with pleasure and a lot, with family and in a big, cheerful company.