Cruise Destinations in focus La Palma

La Palma is one of the Canary Islands, around 200 km west of Morocco. It’s largely considered to be one of the most unspoilt of the five major holiday islands in the group and doesn’t even have a McDonalds! It’s only thirty km by fifty, but its volcanic scenery makes it one of the most impressive touring port calls in the region.

Moving from the lush green of the port area through to the mountains and the spectacle of the volcanoes is easy, and if your cruise ship makes an overnight stay you can try out the Ruta de los Volcanes – aka the Volcanoes Hiking Trail – which takes in some of the oldest volcanoes on the island and traverses the Cumbre Vieja Nature Park, a beautiful region to explore. The hike takes six to eight hours. If that seems too strenuous, you may be lucky enough to find that your port call combines with one of the days of the year when the Roque de los Muchachos Astrophysics Observatory is open to the public – because La Palma is one of the finest locations for night sky observation, you can see better views of the hidden wonders of space here than almost anywhere else in the western hemisphere.

Alternatively you can chill on one of the many beaches, try out the local cuisine which is fish based and delicious with the local wines or visit Santa Cruz with its narrow alleys and winding pavements. The most popular tourist area is Los Cancajos on the east coast, which near the airport rather than the port and is generally considered cheaper than the west coast tourist attractions which are easier to reach from the port.