La Palma REAL

Includes 7 nights in 2 charming accommodations, breakfast included. By La Palma hiking 6 self-guided walks on the northern and southern side walking along the GR130 on La Palma. With all necessary transfers, both for person’s support and luggage.

1st – Coastal Path, from Los Sauces to Puntallana

2nd – Hike through the laurel forests, from Los Tilos to Barlovento

3rd – The rugged north coast, from Barlovento to Franceses

4th – Franceses – El Tablado – Roque del Faro on the GR130 la palma

5th – The Caldera peaks: from Roque Muchachos to Pico La Nieve

6th – The Volcanoes Route: Refugio del Pilar – Fuencaliente

Take out a Cancellation Insurance for your trip just for a few pounds and get a full refund of everything you would have paid, including your flights.

About the Isla Bonita

With no more than 724 square kilometres, the ridges of La Palma rise vertiginously from 0 to 2500 metres in an instant. This is why it deserves the honour of being among the highest in the world, in relation to its surface area. Its climatic diversity is due to the mountainous mass that divides the island in two and generates different microclimates with their respective landscapes. The north side receives the humidity of the Atlantic and boasts an incredible semi-tropical vegetation. However, the west side has trees with a Mediterranean aspect, made up of pine forests and low scrubland. The south, of recent volcanic origin, is more desert-like and often sun-drenched. It was in a small strip in the south-west that the recent Cumbre Vieja volcano was produced. Fortunately, none of the routes of La Palma hiking have been affected.

La Palma REAL in words

La Palma hiking on the Coastal Path, from Puntallana to San Andrés  

The GR130 is a path that runs along the old Caminos Reales (Royal Roads) and goes all along the north coast of La Palma. Our route starts in Puntallana, 400 metres above the sea. From there the path heads gently towards the coastline. It crosses three impressive ravines, always along the edge of a cliff that drops vertically towards the sea. It crosses countless banana, avocado, mango and pineapple plantations and heads towards the idyllic village of San Andrés, home to the island’s first landowners.

La Palma hiking through the laurel forests, from Los Tilos to Barlovento

As in other places in the north, in the forest of Los Tilos we find dense laurel forests together with a very particular endemic flora. Los Tilos was the place where the declaration of Biosphere Reserve was initiated, later expanding it to the rest of the island. In addition to a beautiful waterfall that can be visited before starting the route, we can obtain interesting information about its fauna and flora at the Visitor Centre.  With this background, we can now start our way to the Mirador de Las Barandas, along the PR LP 7. Then we still have to enter the Barranco de la Herradura ravine and reach the Laguna de Barlovento before finishing at the hotel.

The rugged north coast, from Barlovento to Franceses

Barlovento is located 600 metres above the sea and, as its name indicates, it receives the wind from the north-east almost constantly. From here the GR130 continues westwards, passing through the Bosque de Dragos de La Tosca and tiny hamlets until it reaches the district of Gallegos. It’s worth a refreshment in the only bar in the area. Marlenny is a Venezuelan woman of Palmeros ancestry who runs a characteristic place where you can have lunch and get your strength back. And now it’s time to cross the last ravine, perhaps the most spectacular. The GR130 descends along the cliff to the height of the sea to climb again towards Franceses, the end point of this route.

Franceses – El Tablado – Roque del Faro on the GR130

Probably one of the most impressive, but also one of the toughest routes. After a short transfer, the driver drops us off at the place where we finished yesterday. From there, following the route of the GR130, we descend steeply down a zigzagging path to climb back up to El Tablado. Fortunately in El Tablado there is Claire who runs a small shop and serves as a supply point. Here we leave the GR130 to begin an ascent to Roque del Faro along the PR LP 9. This is a circular path that takes you back to Franceses, passing Roque del Faro. But first you will cross the Barranco de La Magdalena ravine with its impressive laurel forests. 

The Caldera peaks: from Roque Muchachos to Pico La Nieve

Today we change tack. Our trail will be the GR131. This is a summit of La Palma hiking trail that skirts the entire crater of La Caldera de Taburiente, before heading south. From the Roque de Los Muchachos, at 2426 metres, we will walk eastwards, leaving behind the Astrophysical Observatory, a group of telescopes of different nationalities. The route offers permanently spectacular views of La Caldera de Taburiente, towards the north and south of La Palma and on the horizon, towards the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro. But on this route we will cross such peculiar landmarks as the Pared de Roberto, the Mirador de Los Andenes or the Pico de La Cruz, before reaching the Pico de La Nieve.

The Volcanoes Route: Refugio del Pilar – Fuencaliente

The Volcanoes Route is a classic of La Palma. It is probably the mythical route of the Isla Bonita. Not only because of the recent eruption at Cumbre Vieja (which did not affect this route) but also because of the exotic landscapes and the possibility of walking through an environment of recent volcanoes of extraordinary beauty. The starting point is at Refugio del Pilar, 1450 metres above sea level. From there, the path is marked GR131 in a southerly direction. After leaving the pine forest area behind, the first craters of the San Juan volcano, barely 70 years old, appear. From then on, the volcanoes follow one after the other in a breathtaking scenery that leaves no one indifferent. The final point of the route will be Fuencaliente, after crossing new pine forests in the south. Fuencaliente is known for its wines and for the exquisite almendrados, which you will be able to taste after the route.  

La Palma weather

The Canary Islands offer very stable and spring-like weather throughout the year. However, the central summer months can also be hot. The best months to enjoy La Palma hiking tours are from October to May..

La Palma trails

The trails are well signposted, with markings and posts in three colours: green, yellow and red. Red belongs to the long distance trails. Green to local trails. Yellow to small footpaths. You can get additional information on Senderos de La Palma web site.