15 days in La Palma, a hidden gem with a thousand contrasts

Hello,

First attempt at a travel journal for me and first post after 7 years away from this forum. 😮 I went to the island of La Palma for 15 days in September 2025. After visiting Lanzarote in February, I was looking for a different and greener island. Well, I wasn’t disappointed. 😎

We stayed in Breña Baja on the east coast of the island, 5 minutes from the airport. This choice was mainly motivated by the desire not to change accommodation during the stay and to be in a "central" location close to amenities. It worked out well, but if I were to do it again, I’d split the stay in two by getting another place in the north of the island to explore that area, which really appeals to me. Note that the island is "climatically divided in two": the west coast is sunnier and drier, while the east coast is often foggy or cloudy. It’s quite impressive when you come out of the LP-3 road tunnel connecting the two sides—you feel like you’ve changed regions even though it’s less than 3 km apart.

Flight options weren’t plentiful (no direct flights from France), so I went with Iberia, connecting in Madrid for 250 € round-trip per person excluding checked baggage (80 € round-trip for one 23 kg suitcase on this route). Make sure to buy the checked baggage at the same time as your flight, as it’ll cost about 15 € more if you add it later. I booked the tickets 5 months in advance directly on Iberia’s website. You could also take a low-cost airline to Tenerife or Gran Canaria and then a flight with a Canarian carrier, but in my opinion, that only makes sense if you’re visiting one of those islands first, as the connection isn’t "guaranteed." The ferry is an option from Tenerife (about 2.5 hours crossing).

Our departure from Lyon was initially scheduled for 6 AM but took off at 9 AM so the crew could rest after the late arrival of the previous flight. This let us grab breakfast on the airline’s dime—thanks, EU Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. 😉 Iberia took a week to reimburse me after I submitted my passport, receipts, and bank details via their online claim form.

Our small but spacious CRJ-1000 Air Nostrum Bye-bye, Bugey nuclear plant And hello, Madrid—or rather, its very dry region. Our layover was initially 4 hours but shrank to 1 hour due to the previous flight’s delay. That worked out for us because Terminal 4 at Barajas is way less comfortable for resting than Lyon’s T1.

Landing with a view of Playa de la Cangrejera and del Pozo. When I say the east coast is often cloudy... 😇 First sight of "plátano" plantations. Banana farming makes up 50% of the island’s GDP!

More to come soon. [;]

It's really nice that you took the plunge. You're one of those young people who might help keep VoyageForum alive.

Hi Aurore,

I’m heading to La Palma (which I don’t know at all). Maybe a new destination to add to my list after this travel journal 😎?

Good evening Aurore, and thanks for sharing! I’m like Muriel—eager to discover a destination I don’t know yet. Looking forward to the rest! 😊

Part 2

Off to the airport parking lot where we pick up our car for these 2 weeks. We rented from Acoron, a Canarian rental company, a Ford Ka+ for 280 € (insurance with no excess and 2 drivers included by default). Besides the great price, there’s hardly any paperwork: no car inspection at pick-up or drop-off, and you just leave it (with the same fuel level) in the same spot before heading to your flight. I have to say, it brings a peace of mind I don’t get with traditional rental companies. 😛

After stopping by the supermarket, we headed to our accommodation for the stay: a beautiful house with a jacuzzi and sea view. I was surprised by the reasonable price for such a place—I wouldn’t have been able to afford it in France, for example. We were welcomed by Dino the gecko, who spent the whole stay in the kitchen gobbling up insects. 😄 We actually saw a lot of lizards on the island.

First time I’d seen bananas outside of a market stall, so I *had* to snap a pic of the bunch—😊

View from the house of an Airbus heading to Madrid. Every day, we watched numerous ATR-72s from Canarian airlines take off. On average, 25 flights depart daily to the other islands in the archipelago.

In this part of the island, there are quite a few abandoned plots (often littered with trash) and ruined houses. Given the views, climate, and landscapes, you’d expect to see luxury villas with immaculate lawns. Overall, I got the impression that the local population has a fairly low standard of living. For example, there are *tons* of cars from the 90s/2000s. The newer vehicles are mostly from rental agencies.

The next day, we took a trip to the capital, Santa Cruz. El Salvador Church The Recova Market, open every morning. Lots of fruits and vegetables grown in the archipelago. I highly recommend the freshly pressed sugarcane juice—it’s delicious! The "papas locas" (literally: "crazy fries") from the bar next to the market will satisfy even the biggest eaters. We went for the version with pulled pork and grated cheese. Thankfully, there are plenty of hikes to balance out the calorie count. 😄 Santa Cruz’s beach is as clean as it is empty. You can’t see them, but there are large fixed parasols that I found really handy. The water was 25°C. The downside of black sand is that it gets scorching hot fast—I was really glad I’d brought water shoes.



Part 3 to come...

Part 3

Heading to Cubo de la Galga and the Somada Alta viewpoint for this third day, in the northeast of the island. It's one of the most well-known hikes on the island. It's fairly easy (500m elevation gain for 7 km). I really enjoyed walking through the laurel forest, especially since there was a heatwave that day.





When we reached the summit, the view was hidden by clouds. But at least the wildlife was visible, including: several giant lizards of La Palma And Canary Islands finches that weren’t shy, probably used to pecking at picnic leftovers.



On the way down, we came across a *felis catus ferocius* who made us scratch his back







Afterward, we went to relax at the natural pools of Charco Azul. Well, that was the plan...

...Because while we were holding onto the stairs that allow you to descend gently into the water and people were splashing around carefree, a rogue wave swept us away and tossed us into what must have felt like a washing machine on spin cycle. Yet we were 10 meters from the concrete barrier. Luckily, some men helped us get out. Quite a scare... but that didn’t stop us from going back twice, without ever encountering such a fierce wave again.

Part 4 to come...

Part 5

For our 4th day, we opted for a relaxed day with an afternoon at Los Cancajos beach, which is part of the eponymous seaside resort. Once again under the clouds (long live the east coast!), but it was pleasant, and at least the sand wasn’t scorching. 😛 There’s a coastal path, and it’s even possible to walk to Santa Cruz. I really loved this beach—it wasn’t crowded the three times we went. And that’s despite the fact there are quite a few buildings/hotels around. It was easy to park for free, and that was actually true for most of the places we visited.







Old windmill used for salt harvesting

Part 6

For this 5th day, we had planned to go to Roque de los Muchachos, the island’s highest point at 2,426 meters above sea level, and hike there. In the end, we spent some time there and decided to head back down via the west coast—a total of 100 km.

First stop at the Mirador de los Andenes, where the sky was almost perfectly blue 😛

At the summit, there are about twenty telescopes because La Palma’s sky is the clearest in the northern hemisphere. Here’s one of the two Cherenkov telescopes "MAGIC". At the mirador, we were greeted by Master Crow perched on a post, searching for some cheese. On the left, the Gran Telescopio Canarias, currently the world’s most powerful ground-based telescope in service. It will be surpassed in a few years by the Extremely Large Telescope in Chile. You can visit one of the telescopes (chosen by the guide-scientist) a few mornings a month by reservation. Note that driving at night is prohibited so that vehicle headlights don’t interfere with observations.

Panorama from the summit. On days when the sky is perfectly clear, you can see Tenerife.

The Caldera de Taburiente, formed about 2 million years ago after several eruptions.

We head back down toward the west coast, and the change in vegetation is dramatic.

More and more Canary Island pines.



Church of Las Tricias.

Part 7

On the way down, we took a break at the Garome ravine.



Then at Tazacorte Beach, where the sun was as scorching as the sand. It’s a large cove with very few waves.



Then a quick visit to the village.





On the way back, one photo was a must: the new volcanic edifice of Cumbre Vieja, which appeared after the 2021 eruption—I’m talking about Tajogaite.

The next day, we returned to the "dark side" of the island and its legendary mist . Mirador de Montaña Breña

At the end of the day, we headed to the southern tip of the island in an almost apocalyptic atmosphere. And as often during this trip, there weren’t many people around, which was really nice.

Fuencaliente Salt Flats



You can see the two lighthouses, the older one of which was partially destroyed by the 1971 eruption and later renovated. Several volcanic edifices from that eruption are visible in the background.

Another different "style" of vegetation. This variety of landscapes on a relatively small island is one of the things I enjoyed the most.

The landscapes are indeed incredibly varied on this small island! I’ll remember that if you love blue skies and sunshine, it’s best to stay on the west coast! 😉 (Is it like that all year round?)

Part 8

On our 7th day, we went to see the Los Tilos waterfall. To protect the site, it's only accessible from 10 AM to 6 PM. The parking lot is small, and in the future, access will likely require a reservation. Luckily, because it's very popular—there are only a few dozen meters to walk to get there.



We continued with a gentle hike to the Espigon Atravesado viewpoint.





View from the viewpoint.







A quick stop in the village of San Andrés y los Sauces.

Part 9

After spotting Tajogaite from afar, it was time to see it up close. It had been exactly 4 years to the day since the eruption. Cumbre Vieja erupted for 85 days at the end of 2021, giving birth to Tajogaite. 3,000 buildings were destroyed, including 1,300 homes. One person died from inhaling toxic gases. Hiking is only possible with a guide to protect the area. Plus, it helps boost the local economy, which suffered from the eruption. We went with La Palma Outdoor. The guide was really friendly and knew a lot about the island and the volcano.



After about an hour’s walk, we started to see it. The sea blends in with the clouds, by the way.







Hard to believe that on September 18, 2021, there were pine trees where these volcanic vents—about 120 meters tall—now stand. In a few years, the colors will fade due to wind and weather. Vegetation has already begun its slow reconquest, starting with lichens.

I'm amazed by your latest photo, Aurore: the trees look so healthy! But weren't they buried? Is that the treetop we're seeing?

Thanks for this new travel journal, Aurore! 🙂

This island is super nice—really diverse.

True, the sky isn’t very inviting, though...