Walking the Island of La Palma

Walk across the dramatic volcanic terrain of La Palma

Home to more than 900 endemic species, the entire island of La Palma (known as the Pretty Isle) was classed as a Biosphere Reserve in 2002. Discover the many natural highlights on this walking trip, which takes advantage of well-waymarked paths to explore the diverse scenery in the north and centre. Days range from hikes along dramatic coastlines to walks through lush national parks, before culminating in arguably the most celebrated trail on the island: La Ruta de los Volcanes.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• La Palma has a structure of small hotels and family-owned accommodation. Staying in these establishments improves the local economies.
• Read more about our other initiatives

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for reusable bottles.
• The payment of entrance fees to natural reserves and archaeological sites generates income which is used for upkeep and development of these important sites.
• We rewild 1,075sqft (100sqm) per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• We use public transport in some cases.
• Walking trips like this have very little detrimental impact on the environment and the locals, as it is a quiet, low impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Visa

Spain

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Spain. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/spain
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/spain
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Spain.html

Vaccination

Spain

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus and rabies. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts and four dinners are included.

Breakfasts are generally a simple buffet affair at your hotel, usually including a bread selection, jam, pastries, cold meats and cheese. Dinners are taken from a set menu at a local restaurant or at your hotel and offer a variety of mouth-watering dishes and international cuisine, with lots of fish and meat options and always a couple of vegetarian alternatives. Local specialities include papas arrugudas (wrinkly potatoes), fresh goat cheese, lots of fish dishes, and copious amounts of mojo sauce.

Lunch options include ordering a packed lunch from the hotel, visiting a supermarket to buy provisions and enjoying lunch at a local bar. We recommend budgeting €25-€30 in total for lunches.

Wine is not included with dinner but the average price of a bottle is €12.

Weather

La Palma has a relatively balanced climate year-round due to the trade winds that affect all the Canary Islands. These winds from the northeast carry moisture and can mean that two sides of the island can be experiencing completely different weather patterns simultaneously. The winds provide a natural cooling system, which is perfect for hiking. However, you should be prepared for rain at any time – La Palma is a lush island and the weather systems can be quite unpredictable. We offer this trip year-round, but there can be significant increases in temperature in July and August and this may lead to cancellation of some walking days if the weather is too hot. The best time to trek is from October to May, when the island is a little cooler.

Is this trip for you?

This trip has been rated Activity Level 4 (Moderate/Challenging).

It is an eight-day walking adventure based out of two hotels with daily transfers to the walk start/end points. The transfers are not far in terms of distance but the roads are steep and windy in parts; the longest transfers are the return from Roque de Los Muchachos on Day 4 and the transfer to Los Brecitos on Day 6.

Average altitude is 2,625ft (800m), maximum is 7,959ft (2,426m) on Day 6 (the Caldera de Taburiente walk).

The walks vary between Moderate and Challenging levels and each day involves a fair amount of ascent and descent (for more details please see the daily itinerary). The trip requires a reasonable amount of fitness, ideally with previous trekking experience. The most challenging walks are on days 6 and 7.

The terrain and path type vary but many can be rocky and steep, especially on the gorge walks on days 4 and 6. Good walking boots and poles are highly recommended. All paths we take are approved and monitored by the Federación Española de Montañismo and are well signposted.

Due to the nature of some of the walks, we would not recommend this trip to anyone who suffers from severe vertigo. Some of the walks traverse steep-sided slopes on relatively narrow paths cut into the hillsides, particularly the morning of the Caldera de Taburiente National Park walk on Day 6. There is also a section of the walk around the caldera rim on Day 4 that may not be suitable for vertigo sufferers.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.