La Palma 2015
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I had wanted to go to La Palma for some years and Thomson’s had renewed direct flights from Manchester; they were (are?) the only carrier. I looked into booking a flight and accommodation independently but a Thomson’s package was so much cheaper (it was a late deal) that we thought we would give it a try.
We stayed for two weeks at Puerto Naos on the western side of the Island; the climate is generally very much better on the west side than the east and this was certainly the case while we were there; the ‘rep’ said “..don’t tell the others that you have had 14 days of sun; they have had 14 days of rain!”
The hotel, Hotel Sol, was fine; don’t take any notice of Trip Adviser. Food was good, room comfortable and in particular it was very convenient for getting around the island – by bus. Buses are excellent value, regular and get you to most parts of the island. You can buy a bono travel card on the bus (guagua) that can be used by more than one person, and is valid for one year; you top up the credit on the card as you need and there is a considerable saving over paying separate fares. Puerto Naos is also a very pleasant village for an evening beer in a cafe and watching the sun go down.
The island is geared up to hikers with numerous way-marked long and short trails; there is even a statue to the ‘Hiker’ at Los Canarios. And the geology, of course, amazing. Birding though was disappointing.
We visited a lot of the towns and villages around the island, the coffee is always excellent, and we would recommend a trip to the top of Caldera de Taburiente.
We intend to go back and next time I will definitely take my walking boots; the trainers were just not up to it.
A recent cinder cone colonised by Canarian Pine trees (Pinus Canariensis) that are resistant to the
regular forest fires and most trees show scorched bark.
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Bananas
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Bananas
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..and more bananas
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Almond blossom
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Trees growing on a
recent lava flow.
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North from Caldera de Taburiente
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Caldera de Taburiente
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Caldera de Taburiente
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Observatory
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Dykes and lava flows
- confusing!
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Pillow lava
-up here?
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Pyroclastics
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...and a boulder
through the roof.
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Porta de Naos
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Saw this and
thought of Matt Park!
Note Jean - for scale!
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A friendly raven.
It did land, alarmingly, on Jean's head!
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Choughs _
by the hundred
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..and a friendly dove.
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Sub-tropical forest to the north-east
(and Jean!)
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Pueto Tazacorte
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Waymarks
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