The north-westernmost island in the Canary chain, La Palma receives the most rainfall and is the only island truly like Hawaii, with waterfalls and natural springs.  Relative to its size, La Palma is also the hilliest island in the world.  Dotted with volcanic craters, the fires that lie beneath this tiny island are still very much alive as the last eruption occurred as recently as 1971.  The island has an interesting ice-cream cone shape with the middle hollowed out as world's largest caldera, Caldera of Taburiente.... which is still slowly eroding away.  The ring around the summit is nearly 6 miles with easily marked trails allowing for a lengthy hike around  and down into the belly of this Caldera... but pack your gear, the weather changes very quickly on this island.

Our Binter Airlines flight over to La Palma from Tenerife was quick and easy, and we were lucky this time to have found a taxi cab driver who knew the location of the Parador de la Palma.  What a treat to find that this hotel was newly built on a hilltop in San Antonio overlooking the capital city of Santa Cruz.  We received a second floor room with a comfortable balcony and view towards the sea.  Exploring the grounds, we discovered a sparkling cold pool, fitness center with a unisex sauna, and beautiful gardens with a outdoor bar.  That's where we ordered a pitcher of homemade Sangria and enjoyed a relaxing evening hanging around this comfortable hotel. 

We did learn that other Americans were visiting the island and even staying at the same hotel to view the anticipated Leonides meteor shower.  Of course, November's weather living up to its reputation of being the rainiest month, prevented these stargazers from seeing much of a show.

With a break from the rain, we head off to the center of Santa Cruz to explore some shopping and culture on the island.  City life thrives with many boutique shops, art galleries and outdoor cafes... though seating inside was in more demand to avoid the sudden changes in weather.  Loved the Spanish architecture and the Canary balconies... many which date back to the 16th century.  As soon as we arrived at a outdoor cafe for lunch, the skies opened up.

In a rental car, we explored the natural features of the island starting with Cueva de Belmaco, an ancient cave site, discovered in the 18th century, once was inhabited by the Guanches (aboriginals of these islands) known on La Palma as Benahoare tribesman, before the Spanish conquest.  We crawled through a cave that depicted life as it was 2,000 years ago with a stable area for goats and donkeys, a natural wine cellar, and an oven used to dry fruits.  Even the view was plush with an opening out over a ravine for water that drained down to the sea... providing easy access to plenty of fish and other sea life for the Benahoares.  Rock carvings left by the tribesmen are still visible.

We followed the trail of volcanoes, passing through Fuencaliente, hot springs that have been long since buried by a volcanic eruption, to Volcano San Antonio, where tourists line up to walk along this volcano's rim.  The hike around challenges your ability to balance a fine tightrope as gale force winds blew through strong enough to easily lift you off the ground.  The neighboring volcano, Teneguia, showered its hot stuff in 1971, but we passed on hiking this rim in the rain for a dryer exploration through a local vineyard in Fuencaliente.  This is community we also discovered an artesian market famous for its traditional handmade embroidery.

A break in the clouds gave us an opportunity to head up the peak of the island to see and possibly hike around the upper rim of the famous Caldera of Taburiente.  But with the winds blowing at hurricane force, it was a quick visit for a few photographs with shelter support from the islands massively strong Canary Pines.  Our tour of the island's peak included the Roque de los Muchachos, at 8,000 feet this is the highest point of the island with the most spectacular views. 

The warm sun finally shined over this island on the day we left for our last island, Gran Canaria.  Even with all the wind and rain, we found this island magical and both of us spoke of returning someday... just not in the month of November.

Taking the "Good" with the "Bad" ~

During our travels through these islands, we recorded the best and worst on each island.  Of course, these are our observations and opinions to share with you as a way to provide an overview of our impressions.

The Best of La Palma:
1 - Green never looked so good - with its lush mountain trails, beautiful Canary pines and an irresistible pitcher of awesome Sangria
2 - Unlike the Parador on La Gomera, the staff and accommodations at La Palma's truly luxury Parador offered exceptional service and welcoming attitude
3 - Shopping and browsing around Santa Cruz provided some of the best of all the islands
4 - Walking the rim of Volcano San Antonio - just one of many volcanoes on the island was quite thrilling... and thankfully dormant


The Worst of La Palma:
1 - Please turn off the "water faucet" for at least one day... with so much rain, we barely got a view of the crater.  Avoid visiting in November, their rainy season
2 - Again with the rain… sadly we were not able to enjoy the extent of the island's massive crater and it size ~ cloud cover laid heavily over the Caldera every time we attempted to take in its magnificence
3 - Aside from the rain, afternoon winds could blow you right into the pit of a volcano if you don't watch your step
4 - Even with daily rain, high winds and persistent cloud cover... not much bad to say about this island

A SPECIAL THANKS:  We appreciate the special tourist assistance and exceptional service from the staff of Isla de la Palma Parador.  You can contact this Parador via e-mail at lapalma@parador.es

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