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(Santa Cruz de) La Palma has airport code SPC, and should not be confused with either Las Palmas (de Gran Canaria - on another Canary Island), Palma (de Mallorca - on the Baleares in the Mediterranean) or Santa Cruz (possibly more than one in the Americas).
Charter flights. There are a large number of charter flights direct to La Palma from several cities in Germany, and from Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK. Some of these flights can be booked as scheduled flights, in connection with intercontinental flights. Check out Lufthansa for the flights to La Palma from Germany with their daughter Condor, or KLM from the Netherlands on Transavia. The one weekly flight from the UK is operated as a charter only by JMC and can be booked through travel agents (including some on the web) in the UK.
There are many scheduled and charter flights to Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Most charter flights to Tenerife operate from the south airport (TFS) and a transfer to the north airport will take at least one hour driving time, so at least about 3 hours must be accounted for. You can travel between airports by taxi (cost maybe around 60 Euros), by bus (direct or via Santa Cruz de Tenerife) or by rental car (ask for one-way to the north airport, there are often cars available at a cheap rate).
A ferry service is also operated daily between Santa Cruz de La Palma and Tenerife by Fred Olsen. This leaves Los Cristianos in the touristic South of Tenerife in the evening, and returns from La Palma during the night. Trasmediterranea operates one or two ferries a week between La Palma and Tenerife.
You should NOT travel up to the mountain top in anything except the official transport or the ING taxi which would meet you at the airport. The roads can be impassable or dangerous at any time of year. The worst months are November to April.
NEVER hire a taxi or car without clearance from the ING office. Book the ING Taxi to the top well in advance. The cost of the ING taxi from sea level to site is 34 Euros one way.
Official transport leaves the ING offices at 0745 (weekdays only) It returns at 1600 from the site (except Fridays 1530). There is frequently transport at weekends but it is NOT guaranteed and you should check well in advance. The journey takes about one hour (Mirca).
Observers bringing visitor instruments are reminded to ensure that you allow enough time after your run to supervise the packing of your equipment. The ING will allocate a contact person who will verify the contents and address to which the equipment is to be sent. A Contents Verification Form should be attached to each package/box being shipped from the ING (Contents Verification Form).
Note that sea freight, in particular, can take much longer than you think. Even material which is air-freighted will often take longer than advertised, particularly if it has to clear customs at an intermediate destination. Allow as large a margin of error as possible !
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