La palma canary islands spain. Resorts of Spain

Palm Island- small green Island with an area of ​​only 728 sq. km. La Palma very beautiful, ideal for lovers quiet rest... The coast of the island is mostly rocky, so there are not many beaches here, but they are just as gorgeous as others. islands of the Canary archipelago.

La Palma Is an unusually mountainous island. The most high peak- 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 laurel-cherry 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 as a biosphere reserve, are excellent examples of such a forest.

La Palma Accommodation

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 Lankajos, in the east, located a few kilometers from the airport and from the capital of the island. Puerto Naos, in an agricultural municipality 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, city Santa cruz de la palma, and in the second largest city on the island, Los Llanos, near the National Park Caldera de Taburiente .

The growing supply of housing and hotels in rural areas should also be noted. This sector is well developed in La Palma as the island is well suited for relaxation in the bosom 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 that era, manifested in the beautiful secular and church buildings, as well as in the spread of Flemish artistic embroidery, greatly influenced the culture of the population. La Palma... In the town Santa cruz de la palma concentrated the most beautiful buildings colonial style islands.

The city has preserved buildings of the 16th century, including the City Assembly and El Salvador's... The Museum of Natural History contains magnificent examples of local flora and fauna. Modern houses and old buildings with wooden balconies stand side by side on the seaside promenade.

The capital of the island is Santa Cruz de La Palma — small town OK with many old buildings and narrow streets. City center - small triangular Spain square (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), erected in 1503. The Mudejar ceiling is made from pine cores. The sacristy contains fine examples of Gothic wood carvings.

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

Another attraction of Santa Cruz - fortress Castillo de Santa Catalina, which perfectly defended 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 a maritime museum.

North of Santa Cruz in the mountains is shrine of the patroness of the island, Nueatra Senora de Las Nievas (Madonna 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 a holiday La Bajada de la Virgii(The Apparition 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 being held.

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 laurel-cherry forests, covering the entire north of the island at an altitude of 500-1500 m, are true plant relics, the last representatives of the forests that covered the entire south of Europe in the Tertiary period. In the narrow ravines of the northern part of the island, 20 native tree species form a dense vegetation that is often foggy. Another interesting natural attraction is the volcanic ridge, which stretches from north to south across the entire island. So-called "Route through the volcanoes" runs along this ridge with cones and craters, which ends in the extreme south of the island with a volcano Tenegia... which erupted for the last time 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 thick pine forest, its depth reaches 770 m and it is 28 km in circumference. For an overview of it in all its glory, there are several viewing platforms: La Cumbresita , Las Chosas , Roque de los Muchachos- the highest point (2423 m) of the island, where the largest astrophysical observatory in the northern hemisphere is located. A stone spire with a height of 800 m rises from the bottom of the crater - Idafe rock... They say that there was a sacred altar of the Guanches, where sacrifices were performed.

Holidays on La Palma

La Palma provides excellent opportunities for practicing aquatic species sports and for hiking ... There is a yacht club on the island - in 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 small village nearby San Nicolas, which was hit by an eruption 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 and pine forests, and volcanoes, the most famous of which are San Antonio and Teneguia.

Cancajos beach near the village Breca Baja consists of several bays with clear water. In the village Puerto de Naos with good tourist infrastructure located in a delightful black sand beach... Near Tijarafe located beautiful natural mainsail Cueva Bonita.

Souvenirs. Palma is famous for its cigars and silk fabrics. At the Tobacos Vargas tobacco factory in Santa Cruz de la Palma, workers can be seen folding cigars by hand and samples can be bought. In the village of Maso, you can buy excellent ceramics. The island's handicrafts rival the richness of its cuisine and some of the best Mojo sauces in the Canary Islands.

Discover the choice best places and attractions LA PALMA CANARY

National park

This is awesome national park which you can find in La Palma. It was once believed to be a huge crater due to its shape. It was named a national park in 1954.The site is simply breathtaking and one of the most visited places in La Palma. The view from the highest point of this place is simply incredible.

Padron Common Road, 47, 38750 El Paso, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Rocky Kurgan

This is a rocky mound and is located on the very high point on the island of La Palma. The view from the top of this place is simply breathtaking. Huge cliffs here, which is over 2400 meters above sea level. There is an observatory nearby where some of the largest telescopes in the world can be found.

LP-4 Municipality of Villa de Garafia, 38788, La Palma, Spain

Reserve

This is a very special place for people who like to travel. Be sure to come early if you want to hike here. There are many tunnels and a diversified forest. This place is a true delight for adventure lovers. Be sure to take all the necessary accessories with you that you may need for mountaineering and hiking.

San Andres y Sauces, La Palma, Spain

It is a beautiful conical rock that was once active volcano... It is located on the island of La Palma and is a good place to visit. It gives a beautiful appearance and is covered in various rock colors such as red, pink, brown, black and gray. You will love the natural beauty of this place.

Fuencaliente, La Palma, Spain

Amalgamation of natural pools

This is the amalgamation of 3 natural pools on the island. It is very unique because of this feature. The view of the place is simply amazing. You can find restaurants and bars near this area and it is very a good place to enjoy with the whole family. You can easily move from one pool to another and have a lot of fun.

Calle la Fajana, 25, 38726 Barlovento, Spain

Natural pool

This is a natural pool on the island of La Palma. You can enjoy clean water the sea is here and this place offers many services to visitors. This perfect place to enjoy with your family. Many swimmers come to explore this amazingly beautiful place. This is one of the most beautiful places on the island.

Melonar Road, San Andres y Sauces, La Palma, Spain The first part is here
La palma or, as the Spanish call it, La isla bonita (Beautiful island), an extremely rarely visited place by Russian-speaking tourists. The main contingent: the British and the Germans. We have never heard Russian speech for almost a week. Although, of course, there are reviews on the Internet. Russian tourists and stories of Russians living permanently on the island.
I looked at La Palma four years ago, when we were going to the Canary Islands for the first time. Then it didn’t come together and, as a result, we visited Lanzarote, which we do not regret a bit. But of course I wanted to see the greenest island of Canary.

When preparing for the trip, I downloaded this guide with maps of the island and the main cities on some official website http://www.koser.hut2.ru/La%20Palma%20map.pdf.
The island is kind of divided mountain range in half. Previously, in order to get from the eastern side of the island (where the port, the capital and the airport), you had to go round and round through the south of the island. Now a system of tunnels has been made in the middle, including one and a half kilometers long. A controversial issue of how to go faster, the navigator argued that the time is all the same. We drove through the center of the island, but neither the one nor the other way from the serpentine roads does not save. It is probably better to rest on the western side. There are more beaches, although we did not go here for them. The population of the island is only 80 thousand people, compare with the millions of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. With hotels on the island, in principle, tension. There is only one large hotel, proudly towering a ship on the beach of Puerto Naos, reviews on it are far from the best. The rest is practically only private hotels, in fact, representing village houses or part of them. We were satisfied with this option of residence, especially since they still took a car, without it, you don't have to go to the island at all - it's pointless. As a result, we have booked this hotel http://www.otzyv.ru/read.php?id=161254
After arriving again for a long time looking for him, the navigator circled us around the private sector of the outskirts of the town of Los Llanos (just like that, with two "l"). How the hotel was found is a whole story, which is told in the review for it. We checked in, late in the evening, there are no shops nearby, I want to eat, something left with me from Tenerife, but not enough. We left with our son in search of shops, it's good that they immediately stopped a local in some kind of van. He told us that, in principle, nothing works anywhere at this time, not a single store at all. We returned to the hotel, met a German neighbor with her daughter. We talked, they were surprised that we were from Russia, apparently rarely brings our tourists here. We arrived for a month. They walk 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 gazed at the sky for a long time. Here it is necessary to say separately about the weather on the island. I don’t know about the east coast, but on the north one there is no point in waking up earlier than 10 in the morning (which means one in the afternoon according to our opinion). Everything is covered with clouds, fog hangs over the ocean, not cold, but not hot either, somewhere plus 20. It was like this all the days that we lived there.
I will immediately share my general impressions of the island. Overall a village. One such bigaaa village, but with fantastic nature. A completely different climate, cannot be compared either with Tenerife, much less Lanzarote and Fuertoventura. Humid, very green. And at the same time, excellent beaches, although we have allocated them only one day, but the impressions are very positive, as well as from the island as a whole. I emphasize once again: do not even think without a car. Not driving - cross out La Palma.
In the morning we rushed to get groceries (it's still cloudy), went to Los Llanos (four kilometers from the hotel) for the first and last time. Crazy town. Turned around for half an hour to park. We went to the local market in the center - one and a half stalls selling some kind of garbage. Near the supermarket Vip Market (or Viper, I don’t remember exactly). Excellent shop. Everything is in the widest range. Later we stocked up in the same supermarket in the town El Paso, this is a little further, but we still drove through it every day.
First day decided to put down the seals on the beach. Let's go first on Playa nueva... We arrived, laughed and left. An enchanting pile of cobblestones. The blessing is near Puerto Naos... From the hotel about five kilometers. Tiny coastal resort town, population less than a thousand, neat and tidy. Most famous beach... Black sand, great entrance to the ocean, free toilets. showers. The embankment was, however, under repair, but we don't care. Here it is, the most populous beach on the island.


Second day. We finally began to look at what we came for. Mountains, views! The most famous place Mirador del Roque de los Muchahos. Immediately the most famous astrophysical laboratory... The ride is long, an hour and a half. Three-quarters of the road are serpentines, the further, the more fun. Especially when high-mountain pine forests begin. From Mirador you can walk a little, there is a trail and an excellent observation deck. I must say that in the very center of the island there is a huge volcano crater, more than 20 km in diameter. Apparently remaining after the explosion thereof. Accordingly, the most wonderful views from the edges of the crater wall. Duck here is Mirador del Roque de los Muchahos - this is the northern edge of the crater.
Road along the way. We are already above the clouds


Have arrived


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

Generally speaking, through the crater of the volcano there is a hell of a lot of all kinds of hiking trails running diagonally. All roads are lined with signs. But there are no short ones. At least 12 kilometers and up to 50-70 km! Those. this is clearly one route for several days. So, whoever is fond of it - you have to go for a month. This is real relaxation and connection with nature. The whole 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 end of the crater, this is next to us, literally outside the town of El Paso, Mirador la Cumbrecita... We are going in the morning, as I expect an ambush, which inevitably happens. The fact is that this entire volcano crater and the immediate vicinity are the territory of a national park. Caldera de taburiente... And in order to enter some of its sections, 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 here, the permit is free and it is issued to everyone. But in this way, the authorities are trying to control the number of cars simultaneously entering certain points. I will say right away that they get it sucks, but this is their problem. For tourists, it happens as follows: you arrive at the required point (the same mirador la Cumbrecita) and at the CIT branch, which is located at the entrance, you take this very permit, but! We arrived at 10 am (this office is open from 10 am to 6 pm, on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm), and we could be given permission only from 11:30 am, arguing that many cars had already arrived. As an alternative, they suggested walking. Yeah, something about 7 kilometers in the heat, in the forest and uphill. Well, thank you. We couldn't wait an hour and a half, so we took a permit for 13:00 and decided to dash to the very south of the island. The permit is a piece of paper with your surname (you must at least show your license), the date and the window of your stay in the park (in our case, from 13 to 16 hours). I will immediately grieve those who are suffering: you cannot pass without a permit, the barrier and auntie.
In the meantime, we went to the very south of the island: the plans were to see the lighthouse (faro) and the salt factory (salinas). It seems to be not far away: some thirty-odd kilometers, but the road passes along a winding mountain serpentine, on which active repairs were still underway. It is often physically impossible to drive more than 30 km / h. The views are good along the way, but we dragged on for over an hour. You need to go to the very, very south of the island, focusing on the town Fuencaliente... There are already two lighthouses: old and very old. Neither one nor the other is anything special, so 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 depressed fishing village.


Nearby there is a typical factory for the production of salt, we saw exactly the same in Lanzarote, but at that time it was impossible to go inside and walk around the courtyards. Here there is such an opportunity, although half of the paths for tourists are being actively repaired. In general, it is quite informative, if there is a half-day window, then it is quite possible to drive to see. If you wish, you can even buy both food and bath salts, although in the nearest supermarket it will be twice as cheap. In fact, it makes sense to go here all day for the sake of walking route on the volcano Teneguia... Judging by the signs, the route is only about 6 kilometers one way, besides, the volcano is not high, so no special difficulties are foreseen. We did not have time, unfortunately, we walked among the salt courtyards and drove back. I still managed to lose my car key while walking (!) And we spent half an hour looking for it.


The factory does not shun manual labor at all


Salt grinding and packing workshop. An impromptu product counter is visible on the left.


Finally, we drove into the territory of the national park at two in the afternoon and went up an extremely narrow road by car to the la Cumbrecita parking lot. Directly from here no special types no, but there is a fairly simple route for a couple of kilometers, which I recommend to go, and it is precisely according to the long version. No skills and abilities are needed here, ordinary sneakers and desire are quite enough.

The trail is visible on the left

This is how large-scale landslides occur.

Day four. The time spent on the island was rapidly ending. I have allocated few 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 does not know, tobacco is grown on La Palma and cigars are made that are not inferior in quality to the famous Cuban ones. This is exactly the case, I personally made sure of the quality, and I had the opportunity to compare it with Cuban cigars, which was brought at the same time by a familiar Cuban from his historical homeland. Only two cigar factories have survived, one is small in Brеna Alto(with him actually tobacco museum) and a fairly serious production in Brena Baja. Information on the Internet in Russian is extremely difficult to find, and in Spanish it is not abundant. It's good that we had two brochures about these factories in our room. As it follows from the brochures, only the tobacco museum in Brena Alto was open on Saturday, so we had no choice.
How to find it. The lesson is not at all easy, so I give a scan of the brochure

I stuck it into this leaflet for a long time and realized that it would not help me in any way in my search.
Therefore, I just spread the map with the exact coordinates of the museum 28.667324, -17.787193


The entrance to the museum costs 3 euros. We were the only visitors, which surprised me in general. The exposition tells about the history of the emergence of the tobacco industry in Kanry, briefly touched upon other export industries: bananas, cochineel (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 senior who sorts out tobacco leaves and hangs them to dry.

Auntie, who plays the role of a cashier and, as far as she can, a guide, also rolls cigars from finished tobacco on a special machine, if you wish, you can even do it yourself.


Also, of course, there is a store with its own products. The price of cigars is low, but in fact, 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 wrapping. I got different types of 2 euros apiece. Auntie in English is complete zero, she could not answer the questions I had in any way, but she promptly called some of her friends, who spoke English pretty well.
Product range on the poster


And bought by us


Very pleased with the visit to the museum, we went to the north of the island to Los Tilos. We found it quickly enough with the help of the navigator. Drove through mountain road until the end, until we ran into the tourist information office, there is a small museum right there. There we were told that the trail to the waterfalls was closed due to the apparently past rains. Now I think that this is all the same reinsurance and I had to go at my own peril and risk. But the trouble is that we did not know at all in which direction and how much to go. At the tourist office we were told 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. The scan of the route is here.

I'll tell you right away: don't go! Lost time, walk an hour up the wide forest road,

to see this at the end:

albeit with this kind


So the conclusion can be made like this: either the waterfalls, or well, this Los Tilos nafig.
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 bullshit. We bought homemade liqueurs there from a nice elderly couple, pre-tasted these liqueurs until such a good noise in our head, talked with the sellers. It turns out they were part of a cruise tour in St. Petersburg, delighted with our city. Happens.
Then we examined the town itself, quiet, provincial, colonial, in no way resembling the capital. In the center there is the loudly called Plaza de Espana. Piglet ten by ten meters.

We got to the local landmark: the Santa Catalina fortress. Of course closed. Well, right: why work on Sunday. After lunch, everything is totally closed, including the Sunday bazaar.

We had a snack "what God sent" and moved towards the airport, handed over the car and at 18:00 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 we had a lot of wasted nerve cells ahead of us.
To be continued...

Remember the ad for a chocolate bar: a girl with a beautiful figure is basking by a palm tree against the backdrop of a turquoise sea and drinking coconut milk? .. Today we will tell you about a place where you can not only feel paradisaic delight but also test real feelings.

Palma - the "true" island

A small piece of land in the middle of the ocean, created by the eruption of an underwater volcano, today is buried in green gardens of indescribable beauty. Palma has become famous for its special atmosphere, which is often celebrated by those who have been there. And if other Canary Islands attract tourists active species sports and recreation on the flawless shores, then Palma has its own magic.

Being surrounded by "living" inanimate nature, a person returns to his essence, remembers the soul. Perhaps that is why there are such contradictory reviews about Palma: it attracts some, and repels others, forever.

Have you already felt the power of gravity? Then welcome to the island of Palma! It only covers 708 square kilometers, so we have no doubt that you will want to explore it all. And we anticipate the first question upon arrival.

Where can I rent a car?

It can be rented right at the airport, so don't rush to leave. To do this, you need to have a driver's (international) license, voucher and credit card... On this list required documents does not end, so we advise you to take care of the full package of documents in advance and book a car in advance. By the way, if you are under 21, the company may not give the car back. In some regions, the critical age reaches 23 years.

Rent a car to get more from Palma!

And finally, a couple of reminders about the rules of the road, which are highly recommended on the island of Palma:

• at the pedestrian crossing it is necessary to let everyone pass. In this place it is not customary for pedestrians to fear for the driver's carelessness. In addition to people, goats, cats, dogs and rabbits can jump out on the road. Be careful, especially at night!
• overtaking cars on the right is not accepted;
• want to overtake a car in the leftmost lane? Turn on the left turn signal - they will understand you and give in;
  if you want to slow down, first stick out your hand to the left or turn on the left turn signal. This will warn those who follow you about the stop. On a mountain road with poor visibility before a turn - signal;
• yellow markings prohibit parking the car;
• the fine for speeding by 20 km / h will be € 100;
• driving while intoxicated may face jail time;
• and lastly, representatives of the traffic police do not take bribes

Accommodation on about. Palm

Now let's talk about housing. What do you want: a villa, a hacienda, a cottage or an apartment?

Fazenda has a long history within its walls. Sometimes she is two hundred years old. A cozy country house with gardens, a swimming pool and everything you need will plunge you into complete tranquility and give you an unforgettable experience. Weekly rent will cost at least € 300-400. The price may include cleaning, airport transfers, yacht rentals, and more.

Apartments on the island Palm is promised no less comfortable rest but directly in resort town, where, in addition to the pool and terrace, you can see the beach and bars-restaurants nearby. Cost - from € 300.

Spacious villas will cost you € 1000 per week. And for those who like rest with an agro-cultural "touch", cottages are suitable: cozy small houses with a personal plot, a garden or a vegetable garden. You will have to pay € 350 and more for them.

Separately, I would like to tell you about one unique hotel for adults. Have you ever wanted to spend a couple of unforgettable days at the museum? The Hacienda de Abajo offers to stroll past the relics and feel like an exhibit in a sense. The history of the estate begins in the 16th century, but it was opened only in 2012 after a thorough restoration. This is probably why the price tag is quite acceptable: from € 92 per night. The hotel is located in a quiet historical center resort town Tazacorte surrounded by banana plantations and with magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Beaches

There, in Tazacorte there is forever sunny Beach, on which gloomy clouds do not cast shadows even in winter. And at night along the coast, dozens of fishermen in boats await their catch. The light of the lamps reflected in the dark water and the male singing are mesmerizing! There are a few more notable beaches in the table below.

Puerto Naos beach on the island of Palma

Be sure to take a dip in the natural pools of Charco azul in San Andres on the island of Palma (Spain)

Despite the small area of ​​the island and our rather lyrical introduction, here everyone will find something to their liking. But the priority, of course, are excursions. Here is just a small list of where to go and what to see ...

sights

The main attraction of the island is its nature. And amazingly clean air. Since 2002, Palma has been recognized as a world biosphere reserve. About 35 percent of its area is covered with pine and laurel forests.

Caldera de Taburiente National Park. The extensive forests and mountains make the island ideal for hiking trails.

"Colored" waterfall in national park Caldera de Taburiente.

Together with ferns, dragon trees and other species (there are more than twenty of them), they form a "dome" that shelters the ancient north of the island. These are the "last of the Mohicans" forests, endangered representatives that covered the south of Europe for many years. Especially for lovers of romance and solitude, there are paths laid here, along which you can walk, "wrapped" in fog and feeling the breath of wildlife.

A couple of steps from the central part of the city of Los Llanos there is a good Botanical Garden... Not far from it there is the Maroparque zoo with exotic birds and animals: pompous peacocks, fastidious toucans, slender herons, etc. sit in valliers.

Los Llanos de Aridane - The largest city on the island. Here you can take some spectacular photos against the background of bright facades.

Las Manchas has an original mosaic square of the Four Stones. Here they are buried in small greenery, but beautiful fountain, numerous gazebos and benches, as well as a stage for performances. Conveniently, the house-museum of wine is not far away. Here you can taste and even buy the vaunted Canarian wines.

Santa Cruz de La Palma is the capital of the island. The city is notable for its colonial-style facades.

Be sure to visit the cactus garden on your way to El Paso. There are more than seven hundred exotic species of them.

For museum lovers:

• in the cigar museum, you will get acquainted with the stages of making high-quality cigars, which are quite comparable in quality to Cuban ones;
• in the silk museum you will see the process of making silk products. When leaving, do not forget to buy something for yourself or as a souvenir;
• There is also the only banana museum in the world on Palma, where you will learn in detail about the impact of a banana on the society and economy of the island. The fact is that this product is the most cultivated and export

There are a lot of observation platforms (free!) Scattered all over the island, from where absolutely fantastic landscapes open up for every taste: the coast and cities, amazing sunsets and the vast ocean.

A well-known fact, which we have no right not to mention - astronomical observatory, which studies the entire northern hemisphere of the planet. If you decide to visit this amazing place do not forget to register in advance and bring warm clothing and comfortable shoes. The observatory is located at the highest point of the island: 2400 meters above sea level.

A couple of facts that were not included in the article:

• Tenerife is so far the only island in the Canary Islands with which there is an international air connection. Therefore, you will have to get to Palma "the old fashioned way", with transfers.
• There is practically no crime in this place, life is measured and calm.
• In addition to the forests on Palma, you can admire the vast heather fields.
• Since scientists conduct round-the-clock observation of our Universe, special lighting has been installed on the roads, which does not interfere with astrophysicists' work.
• There are several geographical names, which includes the word "Palm". Do not confuse them, so as not to be, instead of the Canary Island of Palma, on, for example, Palma de Mallorca, on about. Majorca.
• The average air temperature throughout the year is approximately 22-24 ° C.
• The palm tree is able to provide itself with vegetables and fruits. And the potato crop is harvested here four times a year.
• There are not many places for tourists on the island - not a few: only seven thousand. So hurry up!;)
• The palm is known for producing delicious honey.

Leisure

In this regard, the possibilities on the island are no less than the number of attractions. Are you surprised? It seems, what else can you do in a place surrounded by azure warm water, under the gentle sun? Here's what:

• diving or spearfishing. If you've already mastered scuba diving, it's time to get down to business. True, there are many conditions for spearfishing to take place. First, not all fish can be caught. Secondly, not on all days and, thirdly, not in any place you like. In addition, the catch cannot be sold, and there must be a license to fish. If the above restrictions have discouraged you from hunting underwater, well, you can just go fishing. Catching a rich catch - no matter where you are: in a boat or under water - is always a pleasure. Or it can be even easier: just go to boat trip... Good too;
• rock climbing or paragliding. And for that, and for another type of entertainment, there is everything you need. By the way, the island of Palma is considered one of the most ideal places for free flights;
• arrange a real marathon or explore the route on foot by visiting ancient caves. You can use a mountain bike

Pay attention to the possibility of a guided tour of the acropark, which is located very close to Refugio del Pilar. Hanging bridges, ropes and nets will add vivid impressions to a relaxing holiday.

Gastronomy

It's delicious everywhere here. A bit unusual - the influence of many national cultures affects: Spanish, European, Latin American, African and not only. The dishes are still based on fresh seafood of excellent quality and impeccable taste. Add to this the excellent wine of our own production, amazing desserts and, as they say, "impossible to resist"! Prices in restaurants range from € 10-15, with wine the amount increases to € 50. By the way, dinner on Palma starts late and can drag on until midnight.

Green and red mojo are traditional hot and spicy Canarian sauces.

P.S.

This is what it is, the island of Palma, to which today we deservedly pass the palm (do not take it for a pun) among other islets of the Canary archipelago. Shall we meet on the Palm?;)

The Canary Islands are a very popular holiday destination among the Dutch. This is probably why, when we decided to arrange a week of summer for ourselves in November, we didn't have to think too much about choosing a place to escape. Having packed our bags, we went for 7 days to the island of La Palma - and spent a day more there. I heard Russian speech only once in a week (perhaps even faintly)) - but in the menu of restaurants and food courts I often saw Russian Salad. All about this - my today's report, how I spent my summer vacation.

The trip report was written in December 2014 and updated after the second trip to La Palma in December 2016.

Few facts about the island of La Palma

So where did we go? Geographically La Palma island (not to be confused with Palma de Mallorca and Las Palmas (capital of Gran Canaria)):

• located in the Atlantic Ocean
• part of the Canary archipelago
• is farther than the other Canary Islands from the continent
• refers to the territory of Spain.

La Palma often call:

• an island eternal spring – average temperature air throughout the year here is + 23º
• the greenest of all the Canary Islands
• "Beautiful spicy" or La Isla Bonita.

The famous shoe designer Manolo Blahnik was born here. Here grows the dragon blood tree, from which the legendary Stradivarius instruments were made. About this island sang Madonna... In my opinion, not bad "stellar achievements" for an island with an area of ​​only 706 km2 :)

However, before the trip, I found very little information and reviews about the island of La Palma in Russian. Therefore, I decided to make my contribution to rectifying the situation :) I hope it will come in handy!

How to get to La Palma island

We flew to La Palma on a direct flight with Transavia from Amsterdam. From Moscow, as far as I understand, you can get there with a transfer in Madrid, Berlin, Dusseldorf and others European cities... Residents of Minsk can fly from Vilnius to Tenerife, and from there take a ferry or take a local flight to Santa Cruz de La Palma airport. Perhaps there are other, more convenient flight options.

About hotels on La Palma

On La Palma we stayed at a hotel on Los Canjajos beach on east coast islands (if you are interested in three or four-star hotels, then you need to go either here or to the west coast in Puerto Naos). These are such small apartment complexes at every turn.

Photo: Aparthotel La Caleta

Both of our hotels were generally good with one small "but": after all, such complexes have a touch of Egyptian-Turkish "settlements" for all-inclusive vacations. And this largely eats up the local flavor. So next time - just a villa or an apartment! Update: in December 2016 we will go to La Palma again and have booked a bungalow in Los Llanos de Aridan.

Santa Cruz de La Palma

The capital of the island is a very small town with two main streets stretching along the coast. Here the color is already beginning to be felt! Colorful houses, a local market, grandfathers playing dominoes on the street, bright Spanish women (on paving stones on 10-centimeter heels - mmm, our people! :)) - beauty!

And this is an exact copy of the ship "Santa Maria" by Christopher Columbus and the patron saint of the island of La Palma, the dwarf Enano.

Los Llanos de Aridane

The largest city on the island, it seemed to me even more real, saturated with emotions and colors than the capital. If I came to La Palma for a month or two, then most likely. Update: yes and we have already booked accommodation here for our next trip! Update 2: about a month or two, I take my words back :) The city is good, but in a week you manage to explore it up and down, and it becomes boring.

Los Canarios

In Los Canarios, a city in the south of the island, we came to see the volcanoes, but the entrance to tourists was closed due to strong winds. In general, there was a feeling that, having driven only a couple of tens of kilometers from our habitat, we were in autumn. But don't come back right away! We decided to walk along the hiking trails:

Winemaking flourishes in this part of the island, and what turns yellow below is just the same vineyards.

In Los Canarios, one could go on some wine excursions and tastings. But the city was enveloped in such gloom and fog that after a couple of hours we chose to jump on the nearest bus to the capital and return to our November summer.

Puerto Naos

A city in the southwest of La Palma, whose black volcanic sand beaches are considered by many to be the best on the island. We, in general, also liked it. The beach is good, the sea is warm (you could swim even at the end of December), the city is not crowded (at least in winter). The only thing is that it makes sense to stop here only if you have a rental car. Otherwise, it is unlikely that you will be able to travel around the island.

Tazacorte

A coastal town in the western part of the island. In fact, it is divided into two parts - Puerto de Tazacorte. There is a port (from which boat excursions and boats for amateur fishermen depart) and a small beach (it is considered one of the warmest on the island).

And Tazacorte Pueblo, a more urban part of town 1 km from the beach.

About restaurants

For 8 days on the island, we visited about a dozen restaurants. Returned ( or would return :)) we are most likely only in three of them. I recommend them boldly!

La Muralla in Tijarafe

We discovered this restaurant in the mountains by accident. Stopped in for coffee, liked the terrace overlooking the ocean from a bird's eye view. Booked a table for the evening ... and it was the best dinner ever! The food was not just food, but some miracle of molecular chemistry. The service is friendly, fast and of a high standard. The view from the window is amazing. For all that, the price tag is about 12-15 euros for the main course. A bottle of excellent wine costs the same.

That's all for now. I will gladly answer all questions in the comments or tell them in the next posts!

Stay in touch! :)