La Palma in 3 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

If you're only planning a 3-day stay in La Palma, then you'd better hurry, because the Isla Bonita is one of the most attractive places in the Canary Islands and also the ideal destination for adventure and hiking excursions through the island's volcanoes and forests, especially if you choose Santa Cruz de La Palma as your accommodation.

Some of the best things to do in La Palma also include tours of the island's capital, a visit to Porís de Candelaria, dolphin watching from Puerto de Tazacorte and a guided tour of Roque de los Muchachos, the highest point on the island.

Santa Cruz is the capital of La Palma and also the ideal place to use as a base for your 3-day tour of the Isla Bonita, especially for excursions to the best natural attractions.

For the itinerary of the first day I suggest a visit to the forest of Los Tilos, the natural pools of Charco Azul and a tour through the old town of Santa Cruz.

Take a walking route through the Los Tilos forest

Located in the area close to the Caldera de Taburiente National Park, Los Tilos forest is one of the most beautiful natural settings on La Palma. This wooded area has lush vegetation of lime trees, strawberry trees, laurels and ferns with high paths and natural balconies and is an ideal route if you enjoy adventure excursions.

Los Tilos forest is free to enter and is open daily from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm, but I recommend that if you are planning a short stay on the island you visit it in the morning. If you opt for the simplest circuit (10 kilometres), it is a visit that will take you between 3 and 4 hours, depending on your pace.

For your information, if you fancy more, there are excursions that include a night tour, outside visiting hours, to explore the island's starry skies. These are either full-day tours or require an overnight stay in the north of the island.

From Santa Cruz de La Palma you can reach Los Tilos forest by car on the LP-1 road in 30 minutes. You can also opt to go on an excursion or hire a tourist bus, although there is no public transport to the forest. In any case, I recommend this visit to get to know the beauty of the north of the island, with its large green areas and marvellous waterfalls.

Take a dip in the natural pools of Charco Azul

After the hiking tour through the forest of Los Tilos you can reach the natural pools of Charco Azul, on the coast of San Andrés y Sauces, on the LP-105 road in little more than 15 minutes. There you will have time for lunch in the bars and canteens near the beach of Puerto Espindola and later you can enjoy a relaxing swim in Charco Azul.

These calm pools are nestled in the rocks off the coast of San Andrés y Sauces, even when the sea waves break hard against the natural stone walls.

Entrance to Charco Azul is free, as is the use of the showers and changing rooms, and from morning until 14.00 hours is usually the busiest time, so I recommend you visit after lunch.

Visit the viewpoints of Barlovento

Before returning to Santa Cruz you can make the most of your visit to San Andrés by stopping at the Barlovento viewpoints, where you can also visit the rum distilleries, which is one of the main productions of the island, along with the wine cellars of Teneguía.

Tour the old town of Santa Cruz de La Palma

You can return to Santa Cruz from San Andrés by car on the LP-01 route or on the city bus line 100. In the capital, the best option is to take a stroll through the old quarter of the city, where you will find the famous balconies of the Avenida Marítima, the Museo Insular de La Palma, the Plaza de España and the Real Castillo de Santa Catalina.

Dine in the old town and take a last stroll through the streets of the city

In the old town you can dine in some of Santa Cruz's top restaurants, although I recommend a visit to La Isla de Goya, a tapas bar with seafood and fish dishes and a summer red wine.

After dinner, if the weather is nice, you can continue walking along the cobbled streets to the old harbour or lose yourself in the narrow streets of the old town, marvelling at the colourful houses with balconies and gardens and the ever-present starry skies that are always present on La Palma.

If you felt that the first day was not adventurous enough, then get ready, because on the second day you will visit the Roque de los Muchachos, the highest point of La Palma, following a hiking route.

In the afternoon I propose you to visit the volcano of Tajogaite, on a route of medium difficulty that will take you just a few metres from the main crater.

These two excursions will not only take you to two of the most visited natural sites on the island, but will also give you some of the best panoramic views on La Palma.

Take a hiking tour of the Roque de los Muchachos

The Roque de los Muchachos, located at an altitude of over 2,400 metres, is the highest point on La Palma and the place where you can enjoy the best open views of the island. Its extraordinary location and the fact that it has one of the clearest skies on the planet led to the installation of the Astrophysical Observatory, with some of the most powerful telescopes in the world.

From the Roque de los Muchachos viewpoints you will be able to see the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro and also a panoramic view of the Caldera de Taburiente National Park, especially on clear days.

The name of this attraction derives from the three rocks, each about 3 metres high, which can be found at the top and which are shaped like three boys in a group.

From Santa Cruz de La Palma you can reach the Roque de los Muchachos by car along the winding LP-4 road in just over an hour's drive. Ideally you should visit the roque in the morning, as to enjoy it in its entirety you will need to take a walk along the hiking route , which could take between 2 and 3 hours.

Tour Tajogaite Volcano on a guided tour

The Cumbre Vieja volcano is the main attraction of La Palma and the Natural Park that covers a large part of the island, crossing 6 municipalities, also includes other smaller volcanoes that are inactive and can be visited without risk. One of them is the Tajogaite volcano, in the municipality of El Paso.

You can reach the La Caldera de Taburiente Visitor Centre from Roque de los Muchachos by car via the LP-1 route in a journey of just over an hour and a half, and once there you can have lunch and start a hiking route with the assistance of a local guide along a total distance of about 3 kilometres until you reach the crater of the Tajogaite volcano a few metres away.

During these hiking tours, the local guide will explain the process of volcanic formation on the island of La Palma, which is one of the newest among the Canary Islands, and you will walk at heights of approximately 1200 metres as you walk through the ash and lapilli from the eruptions.

On the way back to Santa Cruz from the Tajogaite volcano you can visit the Church of Las Nieves and the viewpoint of La Concepción, which will give you a beautiful view of Santa Cruz de La Palma, especially if you visit it at sunset.

The third and last day in La Palma will include a complete tour of the west coast of the island, which holds some of the Canary Islands' paradisiacal sites, such as the Porís de Candelaria, the Cueva Bonita and the Playa de Tazacorte.

Of course, for this day I also recommend you to take one of the fun dolphin watching tours from the marina of the port of Tazacorte, so be prepared for an intensive tour.

The dolphin watching excursions last approximately 2 to 3 hours and can be done in the morning or in the afternoon, but in this case I recommend that you do it in the afternoon so you can do the walking tour around the Porís de la Candelaria in peace and quiet.

Take a hiking tour of Porís de Candelaria

On the west coast of the island it is possible to do some of the best full-day tours from La Palma. Among them is the itinerary to Porís de Candelaria, a small village built inside a marine grotto in the municipality of Tijarafe, with buildings more than 100 years old and one of the most wonderful natural views in the Canary Islands.

You can get to Porís de Candelaria from Santa Cruz by car on a route that combines the LP-1 and LP-3 routes or by bus on lines 300 and 100 to Tijarafe. Once you get there , you can book a hiking excursion that includes a 7-kilometre walk from the Jurado ravine, a natural monument with walls over 600 metres high.

I recommend doing this route in the morning, as it is a 4-hour hike to Porís de Candelaria. There you will be able to contemplate the intense blue of the surrounding sea and the image of the Virgin of Candelaria.

Bear in mind that this excursion can be tiring and should ideally be done if you are planning a stay of a week or more on the island, but if you prefer an intensive tour, you can't leave it out of your itinerary. If you plan to visit La Palma in 7 days, here is a list of things to see and do during your visit.

Visit the beach of Tazacorte

After touring Porís de Candelaria and having lunch, you can visit Tazacorte beach, which is one of the most striking beaches on the west coast of La Palma because of its black sand, the result of volcanic eruptions, and its stony seabed, which combined with the crystalline blue of its waters creates one of the most beautiful landscapes on the island.

Tazacorte beach can be reached by car along the LP-1 road in about half an hour. If the weather is fine, you can swim and snorkel before opting for some of the best dolphin watching excursions on La Palma. If you're planning to tour the island in winter you can simply stroll along the beach.

Tazacorte beach is located in a bay very close to the harbour's marina, from where the dolphin watching tours depart along the west coast of La Palma. You can also make the most of your visit to this area by visiting the Mirador de Tazacorte viewpoint, the Casa Massieu Museum and the shops on Avenida de la Constitución.

Bear in mind that if you visit La Palma during the summer months or high season, there may be a large influx of tourists, which could lead to delays in excursions or price increases, so I recommend that you book tours in advance.

Go on a dolphin watching tour

One of the most popular activities on La Palma is dolphin watching, and the best option is to book one of the excursions that start at the marina in Puerto de Tazacorte, which also stands out for its design.

There you can opt for catamaran tours in boats for more than 100 people or in smaller boats, such as sailboats or private cruisers.

On these excursions you will be able to see dolphins and whales, as well as other cetaceans of the Canary Islands such as orcas, beaked whales and sperm whales, which are the stars of the marine fauna of La Palma.

On the glass-bottom boat trips you can also see other animals that do not come to the surface, such as sharks, rays and goldfish.

Visit Cueva Bonita and the Lava Delta

The Bonita Cave, a rock shelter created by the erosion of the ocean, is often visited during these tours.

Weather permitting, dolphin watching tours also often include a stop at a main beach on the west coast and a walk through the Lava Delta, the volcanic formation of the Cumbre Vieja eruptions.

Close your visit to La Palma with dinner in Los Llanos

After the dolphin watching excursion on the east coast and on the way back to Santa Cruz, you can't miss Los Llanos, which is the largest and most populated town on La Palma. It is home to some of the best restaurants on the island, so to round off your visit you could dine at one of your choice.

In the centre of Los Llanos I recommend a visit to El Duende del Fuego, which is often referred to as the best restaurant on La Palma, and is noted for its conceptual cuisine inspired by local flavours and produce.

If you prefer fish and continental Spanish food you can opt for El Búnker, although be aware that this restaurant recommends booking in advance to ensure you get a seat.

Other recommended options for the best beef dishes are Los Argentinos and tasca La Luna.