| Page Views: 16,786 Last Visit to Isla de La Palma: July, 2005 | Isla de la Palma by Birsen - last update: Jul 29, 2005 |
I just came from a short trip from this island. Out of 7 canary Islands La Palma was the 5th island I had seen so far. (Only El Hierro and La Gomera left). This Island is absolute beauty and dream vacation for me. I definetely will go there back with more time.
Starting this summer now Islas airways has direct flights to La Palma from Gran Canaria. Flight was 40 min. aprox.
We stayed 2 nights and 3 days and did many things. But still more to see. Let's say next time.
Mountains and volcanoes, beaches and forests, a tropical rainforest, tiny villages and breathtaking views. On La Palma there is much to see in a small area.
La Palma is, according to many people, the most beautiful Canary island, unspoilt by tourism and ideal for rest, peace and quiet, walking and hiking. The island has many surprisingly different areas of natural beauty and enjoys a stable climate: pleasant temperatures in all seasons, warm in the winter, not too hot in the summer. |
|  | Where is La Palma La Palma is one of the Canary Islands.
They are part of Spain, but the Canary Island government is largely autonomous.
The islands lie 200+km from the coast of Morocco and about 3500km from the UK.
The Canary islands lie just north of the Tropic of Cancer, at a similar latitude to Florida, Los Angeles, Kuwait and Hong Kong in the Northern Hemisphere, and Brisbane in Australia and South Africa in the Southern Hemisphere. |
General info Mountains and volcanoes, beaches and forests, a tropical rainforest, tiny villages and breathtaking views. On La Palma there is much to see in a small area.
La Palma is, according to many people, the most beautiful Canary island, unspoilt by tourism and ideal for rest, peace and quiet, walking and hiking. The island has many surprisingly different areas of natural beauty and enjoys a stable climate: pleasant temperatures in all seasons, warm in the winter, not too hot in the summer.
The La Palma is 50km long and 25km wide at its widest point. The island shape is often compared to a stone-age axe.
The island is dominated by the Caldera in the north with its steeply sloping sides, both on the inside and outside of this massive erosion crater. It is largely made of volcanic rock but is not, as is often thought, a volcano. The south-west part of the Caldera has collapsed and been eroded away to leave a deep ravine running down to the sea at Tazacorte. In north and the southeast of the island the coast drops steeply down to the sea making access to the coast very difficult. Some coves are only reachable by sea.
The central and southern parts of the island are dominated by the central ridge (cumbre) that extends from the Caldera in the north to the southern point of the island and divides the island into two.
La Palma is called La Isla Bonita (beautiful island). It is green island with many trees, including the tall Canary Pine and tree-heather at higher altitudes and cultivated citrus, avocado, chestnut, almond and banana trees at lower altitudes. The coastal landscape is largely characterised by steep cliffs of volcanic rock, small bays with black sand and cactus that grow as weeds and many, many banana plantations. In the North-East of the island there is even a small piece of tropical rainforest.
None of this is possible without rain, of course. And it can rain very hard, but not for very long and mainly in the winter and at higher altitudes.
La Palma is a volcanic island, as can be seen in many places all over the island, but is most obvious, and most recent, in the south. The last small volcanic eruption was in 1971.
La Palma has about 90.000 inhabitants.
The main concentrations of population are on the east coast around Santa Cruz de la Palma and in 'the valley' on the western side of the island, including Los Llanos and El Paso.
In rural areas people live in compact villages or spread out over the hilly countryside. Most people live between 200 and 700 meters above sea level.
In general people have a relaxed attitude to life. They are usually patient and don't mind waiting. They are not impressed by shows of impatience from foreigners.
The only language spoken on the island is Spanish, or at least the Canarian/Palmero dialect.
In the holiday centres some staff may speak German or English.
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| Pros: | "Very green! Beautiful landscape, not touristy." | | Cons: | "Curvy mountain roads" | | In A Nutshell: | "La Isla Bonita!" |
Birsen's Isla de La Palma Travel Tips
 Comments for Birsen about Isla de La Palma | | | | |
scottishvisitor Wed Apr 12, 2006 14:08 UTC
I have a plan to come here with my friend on a walking holiday - thanks for the tips & beautiful photos | evaanna Thu Apr 6, 2006 23:46 UTC
Lovely place for a holiday. Excellent pictures and interesting tips. Thanks for the virtual tour. | sachara Mon Oct 17, 2005 22:23 UTC
Wonderful page of Isla la Palma ! Looking at your page, I realize again how much I enjoyed my stay at this island. | munki Sat Sep 3, 2005 23:46 UTC
Hi Birsen, Thanks for visiting my Norway page. I think your pictures and tips in your Isla de la Palma page are great. Thanks for sharing! |
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