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La Palma
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El Mundo Garafia La Verada Barlovento Las Ledas San Anfres
Orotava Roque de los 2426 Muchachos Puntallana Roque de Idafe Los Llanos de Aridane Tazacorte El Paso San Nicholas Puerto Naos
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Tenagua
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La Palma
SANTA CRUZ DE LA PALMA
Los Cancajos Brena San Antonio Mazo
Tiguerote
Fuencaliente
LA PALMA
Punta de Fuencaliente
8 km
© TUI 2005
Average daily maximum temperature
La Palma
It's lush. It's green. And it's absolutely gorgeous. Mother Nature had a field day with La Palma.
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London La Palma
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C h a r g e s a p p l y, s e e p a g e 2
Ask someone on the street to name all the Canary Islands and most people can normally drum up the big four - Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. But the smaller ones don't tend to spring to mind quite so easily. And little La Palma certainly falls into this camp. A lot of people haven't even heard of it. Others think it's a city, confusing it with Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. One thing's for sure, it's off most people's radar. But this is where the appeal lies. La Palma remains totally unspoilt. It's quiet. It's peaceful. And it's far from the madding crowd. You won't find any of the telltale marks of mass tourism here - there are no concrete jungles or neon-lit strips to speak of. Instead, what you get is a more authentic picture of the Canaries. One of quaint, whitewashed houses, colonial buildings and tasteful lowrise resorts. And then there's La Palma's trump card - the scenery. Think mountains cloaked in pines and dramatic, almost theatricallooking ravines. No wonder the locals call it La Isla Bonita - the Beautiful Island. But La Palma's more than just a pretty face. It's a record breaker, too. It's home to the largest volcanic crater in world, La Caldera de Taburiente. Like the rest of the Canaries, La Palma has a volcanic past and is sprinkled with volcanoes and bizarre geological oddities. The famous volcano trail', down in the south of the island, will get keen walkers scrambling for their hiking boots while La Palma's volcanic black sandy beaches will appeal to the sun-worshipper in you. With all this on offer, we think La Palma is one of the Canaries' best-kept secrets.
Fuencaliente Location 35km to Santa Cruz Transfer Time Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes
Fuencaliente means hot spring'. And while the spring's long since gone, you can certainly still see the hot part - this area of La Palma overflows with volcanoes. Seven to be precise, including Mount Teneguia which last erupted back in 1971. As you can imagine, with this dramatic volcanic backdrop Fuencaliente is more than picturesque. It's gorgeous. Made even more so by the surrounding pine forests and lush vineyards that carpet the hillsides. Talking of vineyards, Fuencaliente's best-known for its sweet, heavy wine and is home to the largest and oldest winery on the island. Clinging to the southernmost tip of La Palma, this oozes village charm. Right down to the lovely whitewashed houses and a gorgeous little 18th-century parish church. The beach area is known as Faro de Fuencaliente and is guarded by a toy town-looking white and red stripy lighthouse. Like most of the beaches in La Palma, this one's made of volcanic black sand and pebbles. Simply unfurl your towel, pop on your shades and relax. Fancy taking a dip? Well why not go the whole hog and don a pair of flippers, wetsuit and an air tank? With its clear seas and abundance of marine life, the resort has become a popular scuba-diving haunt. And it's a hit with ramblers, too. From here you embark upon the somewhat arduous but spectacular walk through the Tour of the North ruta de los volcanes' - the volcano trail. Trust us, the reward is well worth the effort.
Highlights
Southern Tour
First we take you to Mirador de la Cumbrecita, with its gorgeous views of the Caldera de Taburiente national park, named after one of the largest volcanic craters on earth. Driving to Fuencaliente, you'll then take a short walk (about 30 minutes) over the crate of the San Antonio volcano. Stirring stuff!
Los Cancajos Location 5km to Santa Cruz
Transfer Time Approximately 20 minutes Los Cancajos - all the guide books describe it as La Palma's most developed holiday resort'. But that's almost a contradiction in terms. Granted, with its good selection of restaurants and fledgling nightlife, Los Cancajos is certainly the biggest resort on the island. But it's still got all of that low-key loveliness that makes La Palma so special. Made up of a series of hotels running along a small stretch of coast, Los Cancajos looks out to sea and is backed by the impressive central ridge of the island. It's got some pretty magical views alright. Jaw-dropping moments aside, Los Cancajos most definitely get the thumbs up in the location stakes. Santa Cruz is close by - great if you want to pack in some sightseeing. But Los Cancajos' pièce de résistance is, without a shadow of a doubt, its beaches. Three bays steal the limelight, spreading inviting sweeps of fine black sand before you to tempt you into their arms. Awarded Blue Flags for their excellence and clear, sheltered waters, they're brilliant for families and sun and sea addicts.
Visit the evergreen forest of Los Tilos, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and then go to the charming village of San Andres before making your way to the natural seawater pools known locally as Charco Azul'.
Garfia and Roque de los Muchachos
This excursion opens with spectacular views from the Las Angustia ravine and then takes you through the fantastic landscapes of the northwest coast of the island. There's a visit to the intriguing archaeological museum, though literally the high point of the trip is when we take you to Roque de los Muchachos, the tallest peak on the island, with - as you can imagine - its astounding views of the surrounding area
Boat Trip Fancy
Aboard the Agamenon, we visit the wilder western side of the island, where there's a good chance of spotting dolphins and pilot whales, as well as other interesting aspects of the sea life off La Palma.
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