La Palma is the canary islands’ calm and green oasis.
From the moment you arrive at the small airport (airport code SPC) you will see one or two charters and a single runway - no comparison with the larger airports of Tenerife or Gran Canaria.
The 80.000 inhabitants, most of them concentrated on the east coast around the capital Santa Cruz de la Palma, and in the west in the valley, have a laid back attitude, are easy with tourists, but will not be able to help you in english or german. In the main touristic areas however this changes.
As most western of the archipel, it is covered with trees and with coasts characterized by steep cliffs of volcanic rock formations, small bays with black sand, huge cacti and many, many banana plantations. In the north east you will even find a small tropical rain forest.
All this is of course not possible without rain, lots of it, but as if thinking of the visitor it will fall all at once in a few days in winter or early spring, and then give way to the spring again. Thanks to these weather conditions, more Atlantic than Mediterranean, the economy doesn’t depend on tourism, so La Palma doesn’t know the mass tourism of the larger Canary Islands.
The contrary is true, this Isla Bonita as the locals call it, or “The Beautifull Island”, is for those who like to enjoy calm, nature and a traditional atmosphere; for the individual tourist that does not want to be taken by the hand.
There are not many beaches, but the ones there are are golden and wide, with a perfect calm sea. If it is busy on the beaches it is probably a national holiday, and all other days of the year these beaches are of an attractive calm.
La Palma is on GMT, the electricity is 220V and the currency the EUR (€). |
