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Playa Los Cancajos

Los Cancajos Beach — beach is on the east side of the island, located just 2 km. north of the airport and 2 km south of the island capital (Santa Cruz de La Palma). The beach is a bay, protected by breakwaters of volcanic rock which guarantees tranquil waters throughout the year and a rich selection of marine life. For these reasons it’s perfect for first-time scuba divers.

With warm, black sands and gentle waves, the semi-urban La Cancajos beach is perfect for cave diving and snorkeling. There are toilets, showers and sunbeds and parasols for hire, parking, bus connections and access for those with limited mobility. There are also a number of restaurants nearby where you can enjoy delicious fresh fish dishes beside the sea, as well as apartments and two “H10” hotels.

Parque Cultural La Zarza y ​​La Zarcita

La Zarza & La Zarcita Cultural Park (La Mata, Garafia) – located 1 ½ hours (51 km) northwest of Santa Cruz, the rock art sites of La Zarza and La Zarcita are one of the most important archaeological assets of the Canary Island archipelago. La Zarza occupies a spacious caboco (circular depression in the bottom of a ravine), between the La Mata and Llano Negro districts, while the latter is located on the left side of the La Zarcita ravine, a short distance away. Both sites are situated at an altitude of around 1,000 meters and are immersed in mixed vegetation of myrtle-heather woods and pine forest.

The rock engravings are the most spectacular element at La Zarza, both for the extent of the engraved surface (29 panels), as for the complexity and ample chronology they exhibit. La Zarcita is less extensive (18 panels), but also shows a great diversity of patterns. The combination of circular, meandering, and lineal motifs is extraordinarily varied. The Park also has an interpretation center providing a general picture of the auarita culture, with numerous explanatory panels about the natural characteristics of the surroundings. Admission: €2 per person (free parking). Hours: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm (winter), 11:00 am – 7:00 pm (summer) daily except for Monday.

Centro de buceo La Palma

La Palma Diving Center (Centro Comercial Los Cancajos, Local 227, 38712 Breña Baja) – while La Palma island is beautiful above the surface, some, especially divers, insists that the island’s real beauty is under water – off its shores. La Palma offers an ideal year-round water temperature for diving with excellent visibility and an underwater volcanic landscape that is well worth a look. Dive spots feature caves, canyons and tunnels and a whole host of underwater species. You won’t find a mass of vibrant color in the Atlantic Ocean but the volcanic landscape offers an underwater wonder which both novices and experts should enjoy.

This diving outfit organizes excursions for all classes of divers – from beginners to those gearing up for their PADI course, as well as those who are already certified. Highly-rated on TripAdvisor.com, visitors can get more info (including rates) from its website: http://en.la-palma-diving.com/

Parque Nacional La Caldera de Taburiente

La Caldera de Taburiente National Park – located 1 ½ hours (45 km) northwest of Santa Cruz, La Caldera de Taburiente National Park, due to its impressive landscape beauty, is one of the most emblematic and important touristic resources of La Palma Island. It is a 1,500 meter enormous slope depression with a diameter of almost 8 km, opening to the southwestern area through the deep Barranco de Las Angustias. It was declared National Park in the year 1954 for being a place of unique geological conditions and it also exhibits a high percentage of exclusive flora and fauna on the island.

The water coming from La Caldera has undoubtedly been its most valuable wealth, and more than 400 years ago, logging was prohibited through the Heritage of Argual and Tazacorte Farms, aware of the role of trees therein existing and their good conservation condition. Free admission.

Salinas de Fuencaliente

Fuencaliente Salt Pans (Calle Maldonado 10, Fuencaliente de la Palma) — the salt pans on the southernmost point of La Palma are a small commercial operation extracting salt from the sea water. The salt is packaged and sent to supermarkets and shops on the island. There is nothing added to the salt in the whole process so the taste is very strong. The water is pumped up from the sea into large shallow basins where the water evaporates. When the salt reaches a certain density, it is transferred to lower lying basins to further evaporate and lastly into the square basins where the salt crystals form. These crystals are then harvested, dried, packaged and sold. Free tours are provided to visitors.

Ecofinca Platanológico / Banana Plantation

Ecofinca Platanológico / Banana Plantation (Carretera Charco Verde, 257B – Puerto Naos, Los Llanos de Aridane) – located near Puerto Naos beach, this a small farming estate dedicated primarily to organic banana production and the development of ecological agriculture-related projects. This farm is adapted and equipped for events and visits, with walkways and a school garden.

Ecofinca Platanológico interprets farming as ecologically sustainable agriculture, the value of which is propagated by various projects accordingly. All this on your way through a subtropical botanical garden whose sustainable ecosystem centers around banana cultivation in agricultural production. Here you can really smell, feel, know, discover, and taste for yourself. Walking along the farm’s footpaths under the shade of the banana trees, you can observe a vast variety of fruit trees such as papayas, mangoes, cherimoyas, chayote squash, passion fruit… as well as a diversity of medicinal and beautifully ornamental plants. Admission: €15 (adult), €7.50 (children above 7 years), free for children ages 7 and under. See the Ecofinca website for more details: www.platanologico.es

Charco Verde (playa)

Charco Verde (beach) – located within the Puerto de Naos area (at the west side of the island), this black sand beach is surrounded by nature, and is great to take the children to without giving up the benefits of a rural setting. This pleasant cove, surrounded by cliffs and banana plantations, benefits from a calm sea — allowing the whole family to enjoy the water and sand. As well as being easily accessible by road, Charco Verde also offers parking.

Piscinas de agua de mar Charco Azul

Charco Azul Seawater Swimming Pools (Camino del Melonar, San Andrés y Sauces) — Charco Azul is a set of saltwater swimming pools along the promenade at El Melonar, between the village of San Andres and Puerto Espindola, located in a semi-urban area. The natural coastline is rocky, and the sea is frequently very rough, but inside the fenced pools, the water is always calm and safe. There are three pools: a large one, a small one for children, and a rock pool known as the “Charca de las Damas”. Since this is one of the most popular bathing areas in the north of the island, it has plenty of amenities: a Red Cross station, showers, toilets, changing rooms, and sunshades. It also has a bus service and a big car park. Free admission. Hours vary.

Carnaval

Carnival (Santa Cruz de La Palma) – this major event begins on the Friday before Ash Wednesday and lasts until Saturday and into the small hours of Sunday, known as Domingo de Piñata. Its varied program never lacks the opening with a children’s parade, the traditional street parties (verbenas), the evening dances (in the Royal Yacht Club, the Casino, or the Recreational Society “La Investigadora”), the fancy dress competition, the Ambassadors’ Procession, and the Burial of the Sardine. But there is no doubt that the fame and originality of the Carnival of Santa Cruz de La Palma has spread beyond the island’s frontiers thanks to the Carnival Monday celebrations. On that day, the city relives on a grand scale the arrival of the Indianos, the name given on the Canary Islands to the islanders who emigrated to America, and later returned to the islands.

Observatorio Astrofísico

Astrophysics Observatory (Los Cancajos, Santa Cruz de Tenerife) — the Astrophysical Observatory of Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM), located just south of Santa Cruz de la Palma (at an altitude of 2,420 meters in the municipality of Garafía), is one of the most complete array of telescopes in the world. Thanks to its dark, clear skies almost all year round, La Palma has become one of the most privileged locations on the planet for astronomical observation.

Opened in 1985 and managed by the Canary Islands Astrophysical Institute (IAC), the atmosphere at the Observatory is remarkably stable due to its position on the very edge of the Caldera de Taburiente, facing the prevailing north wind. Both aspects enable the telescope facilities to take sharp, stable images of the night sky. In summer, the sky remains clear 90% of the nights, which, combined with remoteness from inhabited areas, and the island’s limited urban development, guarantees a diaphanous, pollution-free atmosphere.

Important note: The observatory opens for only a few days in the year its gates for visitors. During guided tours, scientists provide you with insights in their research work. In the summer months July and August, sometimes even into the month of September, it is possible on 3-4 days after application and registration to visit the observatory. The dates are annually announced at the IAC (Instituto de Astrofisicas de Canarias) from May – in English and Spanish. The application can be undertaken by telephone, fax or e-mail. For those granted a tour, admission is free.

A further possibility is to inquire at the administration of the ORM (Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos) in Santa Cruz de La Palma. This inquiry is then referred to the corresponding telescope. Since the observatory is no planetarium, but an institution for basic research, generally only groups of visitors are admitted (students, school classes, hobbyist astronomers, groups from politics, economics, television, etc.). Individual visits are not possible.