How to reach La Palma

The island is connected with Madrid, and there are international flights from Germany and England. An alternative is to fly charter to Tenerife and continue with a local flight (Aeropuerto Norte) or with a ferry from Los Cristianos.

What to bring

Apart from the main luggage you should bring a day pack for the hikes; its size depends on the chosen programme. CLASSIC LA PALMA consist of very brief walks and we do not neeed to carry much more than a sweater, a snack and some water. The ROMANTIC LA PALMA programme has longer walks that go through a variety of climate zones, so we need to add some food and rain gear.For the EXTREME LA PALMA we also need to carry sleeping bags and matresses, torch (we also recommend to bring a head lamp), and personal hygiene items. We provide the tents and basic camping gear such as thermos bottles, plates and cutlery, and so on.

CLOTHES: One of the main characteristics of La Palma is the high number of microclimates. The famous “eternal spring” of the Canaries does only correspond to a few coastal regions of the main islands. Therefore, it is essential to come prepared for all sorts of climatic variations: heat, cold, wind and rain, at any given moment of the year.

We recommend you to bring clothes that are both strong and comfortable. We suggest the following: a few changes of underwear. Two or three pairs of long trousers and one or two pairs of short trousers or shorts. A few T-shirts and long-sleeved shirts. One lighter and one thicker sweater, and a windproof jacket. Rain gear. Comfortable and well worn-in boots – this is most definitively not the right moment to inaugurate brand new footwear! A pair of lighter shoes for those moments when we return to civilization, and rubber sandals (“flip-flops”) – the beaches have black sand that can really burn in the sun. A swimsuit and a towel. A warm cap and a sunhat or baseball cap. A small purse for your personal hygiene utensils. High quality sunglasses – the light at the coast or in the high mountain can be very strong. Therefore, it is also important to bring a good sun lotion; however, we strongly recommend some non-perfumed variety! In particular for the EXTREME LA PALMA programme we must be prepared for a great varitey of climate types.

Food and lodging

The lodging depends on the chosen programme. In CLASSIC LA PALMA we stay in a little apartment complex at a height of 200 metres over the sea, just ten minutes from the capital but yet in a quiet and peaceful setting. In ROMANTIC LA PALMA we stay in a traditional country cottage in Garafia, with splendid views over the sea and the mountains, without neighbours or any type of noise or light pollution. In EXTREME La Palma we stay at a different place each night: a pension, a mountain hut and tents.

Something similar can be applied to the food. In CLASSIC LA PALMA we eat at bars and small restaurants. The walks are short and we do not need to carry more than a light snack. In ROMANTIC LA PALMA we will carry a simple lunch with us to be eaten along the route, and we prepare a solid, home-cooked meal at the end of the day. We will also eat in restaurants and do the occasional barbecue. In EXTREME LA PALMA we have to limit ourselves to a simple diet most of the time, due to the characteristics of the programme. However, the next-to-last afternoon we will do a barbecue in an adapted area in the mountain, and the last day we will eat at high quality restaurants.

Structure of the programmes

Arrival day: pick-up at harbour and/or airport and transfer to lodgement. Information meeting. Lunch and/or dinner depending on arrival time of our clients.

On tour days we depart relatively early in order to make good use of the day. Our support vehicle leaves us at the trail head and picks us up at the end. On our way back we might stop at the beach or do the occasional visit to churches, handicraft centres and so on, in accordance to the characteristics of each programme.

CLASSIC LA PALMA: Six days of short walks.

ROMANTIC LA PALMA: Two routes, resting day witth vehicle excursion to the north-east and the summit Roque de Los Muchachos, two routes and final day with vehiclexcursion to the south and the volcanoes.

EXTREME LA PALMA: Five consecutive days of walking, final day with vehicle excursion to the north-east.

Language

We work with a Spanish, English and Scandinavian clientele. In the case of being the group of mixed nationalities, we will either use English as the common language or give the same information in the corresponding languages, depending on the case.

Photography and Internet

La Palma is a highly photogenic island, walking its mountain is like walking through an issue of the National Geographic magazine. Therefore we recommend to bring a memory card with a high capacity and a spare battery. Do not forget the charger! In the main villages it is possible to get standard film rolls as well as single-use camaras.

In the main villages there are some cybercafés.

Level of difficulty, technical problems, safety issues

La Palma is not a dangerous island to hike. You never get extreme temperatures, the island is too low to make altitude sickness a concern, and the paths are well build, strong and solid and reasonably wide.


It is, however, a very mountainous island, which means that virtually all its trails will have a sucession of upward and downward slopes. This is not quite the Andes or the Himalayas, but you really do need to have a good physical condition to walk here.


For CLASSIC LA PALMA we have chosen a series of trails that are not so steep in order to be accesible for most anyone. ROMANTIC LA PALMA have longer routes with frequent slopes, and for the EXTREME LA PALMA programme it is absolutely vital to be in a good physical shape; it is also important to be prepared to put up with bad weather as we will walk a lot in the exposed high mountain.


The most common obstacles are sections of trail with dense vegetation to force, and areas with mud, gravel, carpets of dry pine needles and pine cones, all of which implies a certain risk of slipping.


Occasionally barking dogs might come running from some solitary farm, but it is of curiosity, not of aggressiveness, and they never present any form of danger.


We must be aware of the fact that the weather can be very variable. With proper clothes and the correct attitude, some rain or mist should not be a problem at all. If we should be forced to suspend a given route altogether we will offer alternative activities such as cultural visits, museums, etc.