La Palma walking holiday in the Canaries
Optional single supplement from £200 - £215.
Minimum age 16.
Description of La Palma walking holiday in the Canaries
On this week long La Palma walking holiday, you will have five full days of guided hiking, based in two different hotels. With a few vehicle transits in between to access some of the best hiking terrain. La Palma is one of the lesser known Canary Islands, and with just a few direct flights it is also very untouristy generally, with local people more interested in trading bananas than tourist bucks. Which means it is still one of the most unspoiled islands in the chain.
Walking here is a delight, especially when winter weather is kicking in, or spring hasn’t quite warmed up the air back home yet. A volcanic island, with dramatic black, rocky terrain, there is a fine mix of moderate and a bit more challenging hiking, which range from coastal walks taking you through dramatic gorges en route to the sea, to treks around the Pico de la Nieve volcanic caldera (2239m) where you can walk through subalpine terrain.
More volcanic virtuosity will be discovered in Caldera de Taburiente National Park, where we hike through ravines, gorges and alongside cooling rivers. The highlight of the trip is saved for the end, however, as we take on the famous La Ruta de Los Volcanes, a classic walking trail that takes in many volcanic craters and lava landscapes as well as aromatic Canarian pine forests.
Walking between 11-20km a day on varied terrain, some days can be rocky and steep, with loose volcanic scree underneath. So you might want to bring your walking poles to manage those tougher stretches of gorgeous gorge or volcanic slopes. The maximum elevation during the holiday is 2426m at Caldera de Taburiente on day six and there are plenty of ascents and descents in between, so a good level of fitness is required. All just a few hours away, after a week of walking and trekking in La Palma, you will feel revived and inspired to just keep walking.
Map
Price information
Optional single supplement from £200 - £215.
Minimum age 16.
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Holiday information
Reviews
2 Reviews of La Palma walking holiday in the Canaries
Reviewed on 15 Dec 2017 by Kristina Mattsson
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Sunday along the edge of the crater
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
To check which hotel the group will be accomodated in. To find that we were put up in a huge hotel like Taburente was I am afraid a disapointment in an otherwise excellent trip.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Benefitted local people yes reduced environmental impact no supported conservation maybe a little.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent except that the hotel. Taburente was a big disappointment and therefore the information about the trip was misleading. Excellent guide, excellent hiking, very good dinners and the hotel in Berlovento was very nice. A group size of max 12 people would be preferable but we were a nice group that went well together so no problems.
Reviewed on 27 Mar 2017 by Cathy McCall
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The visit to the top of the island - Los Muchachos.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Get fit beforehand as some walks are very upwardly steep.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Definitely. We ate locally for all the meals and only used one bus given that it was a walking holiday.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent. Our guide was just the best. Apart from being very organised, knowledgeable and friendly he was very caring and efficient. Sadly my husband was very ill all week so he arranged visits to both a physio and a doctor, and got the hotels sorted in advance to let my husband have our room early so he could go to bed.
Responsible Travel
Planet
Activity:Fewholidays have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a walking and trekking trip. The local operator on this trip makes positive contributions by assessing the walking paths at many points of the year, and refraining from using some parts (therefore changing the route slightly) at certain times of the year in order to protect endemic plants and rare animals of the island such as the lagarto azul (blue lizard). Some of the paths fall within the National Park area which is a protected area of La Palma.
Water:
Water is a really important issue with trekking trips especially with late spring and summer temperatures and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. We suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should fill up at their accommodation and at the bars/restaurants along the way. Any water points will be mentioned by the guide to allow for planning ahead regarding re-filling.
Group size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people.
UK office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
People
Accommodation & meals:This is a two-centre walking trip, and the accommodation used is locally owned or managed, drawing upon local staff. The hotels and apart-hotels are relatively small and benefit from this type of tourism. All dinners are included and the restaurants often take full advantage of local produce to serve to the clients. There are opportunities to taste new foods and drinks that are produced directly on the island - e.g. locally produced honey, and local rum.
Community:
Encouraging visitors to the area creates employment at the hotels, restaurants, cafes, local shops etc. Ourwalking routes take us away from the tourist hot spotsand through visiting the occasional small village not on thetourist route, our walks brings some economicaladvantages to areas of the island that lack thisopportunity. There are local markets that can be visited in Santa Cruz de La Palma. The guide is from the island and so knows the area very well; visits to small bars and restaurants are very common giving clients a real insight into local life.
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