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Things to do on La Palma
Museums and educational activities on La Palma There are two interesting museums in the capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma. There is the Museo de Historia situated in an ancient monastery within the beautiful and recently restored square of San Francisco. It contains an eclectic mixture of art treasures and artefacts, aborigine culture and anything anyone has thought worth collecting over the years. A truly amazing sight is to see a huge concrete replica of Christopher Columbus' boat, the Santa Maria, sailing down the middle of a street in Santa Cruz. This houses a maritime museum and is well worth a visit. Going from Santa Cruz and through the mountain to the other side of the island will take you through the small town of El Paso. En route there is the official Visitors' Centre which gives information about the national park, the Caldera de Taburiente, and about the history, geology, flora and fauna of the region. They will also issue permits for groups who wish to camp in the Caldera. At the southern tip of the island is the area of volcanoes at Fuencaliente, recently renamed on all signposts as Los Canarios which was its original name. It is not often that we get the chance to see the site of a volcano that last erupted as recently as in 1971, creating the Volcán de Teneguía. La Palma is attractive to those young people and adults who enjoy outdoor pursuits, and the wonderful climate encourages this. It must, however, be remembered that the island has a very precipitous terrain and some trails are not suitable for those who are inexperienced hikers. The beautiful national park of the Caldera de Taburiente can be dangerous and you are generally advised to go in with a guide, who can be found through one of the local travel agencies. The guides will gear the length and difficulty of the walk to the age group and previous experience of their charges. Geology students and volcanologists are fascinated by the fact that La Palma still has the capability of erupting from time to time. The last eruption took place at the Volcano of Teneguía in 1971. Those scuba-diving aficionados will find that the island is surrounded by huge numbers of different types of fish. Many swim not far below the surface and can be seen with a simple snorkel and mask. All kinds of watersports are available as well as trips and mini-cruises around the islands of the archipelago. Speleology, spelunking or plain pot-holing. This volcanic island is a paradise for those who enjoy the arduous sport of caving. It's a sport that also attracts those students involved in geology, physics, chemistry and biology, technical drawing and mathematics, geography and history. All these activities and more can be combined with a trip to see the telescopes and, incidentally, have a thoroughly enjoyable time. Other Activities (See range of brochures in English, Spanish and German at the Tourist Office, Palacio Salazar, Calle O'Daly, Santa Cruz) Names and addresses of companies offering activities Mountainbiking: Bike 'n' Fun, Bicitour La Palma, Hiking: Senderos Canarios, s.l., La Palma Trekking: Scuba-Diving: Atlantic 28, La Palma, Diving Center Cancajos, Tauchpartner La Palma, s.l. Paragliding: Club Parapente Balayo, Palma Club, Speleology: Grupo de Espeleología Junonia, |
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