Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain
Volcanic landscapes, jungle-like laurel forests, lava deserts and thick pinewood: La Palma is not only the greenest island of the Canaries, it’s also the most diverse.
… a hiker’s paradise. …
What’s the best hike there?
(perhaps) … the hikes in La Caldera de Taburiente National Park, a volcano crater with a diameter of about eight kilometres and one of the most fascinating regions on the Canary Islands.
The network of trails is about 70 kilometres through the park. One of the trails with the most beautiful panorama views snakes along the crater’s edge. It leads to Roque de Los Muchachos, rising 2,426 metres, the highest point on the island. The view from there trails off deep into the crater. …
larger size – flickr – untipografico
… The northern part of La Palma is dominated by the Caldera de Taburiente, with a width of 9 km and a depth of 1500 m. It is surrounded by a ring of mountains ranging from 1600 m to 2400 m in height. Only the deep Barranco de las Angustias (“Valley of Fear”) canyon leads into the inner area of the caldera which is a national park. It can be reached only by hiking. The outer slopes are cut by numerous gorges which run from 2000 m down to the sea. Today, only few of these carry water due to the many water tunnels that have been cut into the islands structure. …
related post: hiking the Canary Islands, Spain
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