La Palma - The Breathtaking Botanic Isle

La Palma is the most north westerly of the Canary Islands. Historically the island was named San Miguel de La Palma, which refers to Michael the Archangel since the island was conquered for Castillo on Michaelmas of 1492. La Palma has an area of 708 km² making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands.

La Palma, like the other islands of the Canary archipelago, is a volcanic ocean island. The volcano rises almost 7 km above the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Proportional to its size, it is alleged to be the steepest island in the world. There is road access from sea level to the very summit at 2,423 m, which is marked by an outcrop of rocks called Los Muchachos (“The Lads“).

The Island’s geography is a result of the volcanic formation of the island. The highest peaks reach over 2,400 m above sea level, and the base of the island is located almost 4,000 m below sea level. The northern part of La Palma is dominated by the Caldera de Taburiente, with a width of 9 km and a depth of 1,500 m. It is surrounded by a ring of mountains ranging from 1,600 m to 2,400 m in height. Only the deep Barranco de las Angustias (“Valley of Fear“) canyon leads into the inner area of the caldera that is a national park. The outer slopes are cut by numerous gorges that run from 2,000 m down to the sea. From the Caldera de Taburiente to the south runs the ridge Cumbre Nueva. The Cumbre Vieja, a volcanic ridge formed by numerous volcanic cones built of lava and scoria, dominates the southern part of La Palma.

The colours blue, green and black dominate La Palma. Blue represent the surrounding ocean, Green represents the abundant plant life (which is the most diverse in the Canary Islands) and Black comes from the volcanic rocks that form the landscape and the numerous playas (beaches) of black sand. The islands capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma (the island‘s main port) retains many elegant 17th and 18th century houses.

Climate

As each of the Canary Islands, La Palma remains a favourite due to its continuous warm climate and approving sunshine record. The island of La Palma takes pleasure in year round even-tempered climates, thanks to fresh Atlantic coastal breezes that are present at all times of the year. As the island is situated in the middle on the cool Canary current and the North East trade wind is present all year round, the island features two diverse climatic systems. The southern region of the island is typically hot and dry whereas in the north features some rainfall showing its beauty throughout unique plant life and vegetation.

Climate Table