La Palma Nature Trail

Island of La Palma

La Palma is one of the seven islands that form the Canary archipelago. It is known as "Isla Bonita" (the beautiful island) both for its spectacular natural landscape, of which laurel and Canary pine forests are a highlight, and for its old colonial style villages and towns.

The early inhabitants of the La Palma called their island “Benahoare" (“My land”), and divided it into 12 cantons or dominions, each of which was ruled by a lord or “mencey”. The aboriginal population lived mostly off grazing (goats, sheep and pigs). Currently, livestock farming is a marginal activity and tourism has become the main economic engine of the island.

The island of La Palma was named a Biosphere Reserve in 2002, since it has two Natural Parks, as well as the National Park Caldera de Taburiente. These natural areas have been exceptionally well preserved thanks to the implementation of an economic model that combines sustainable tourism and traditional agriculture.

National Park of La Caldera de Taburiente

Caldera de Taburiente, with an area of 4,690 ha, was named a National Park on October 6, 1954. It is formed by a huge caldera-shaped cirque with a diameter of 8 km created by volcanic eruptions, massive landslides and the erosive action of wind and, specially, water.

The Caldera has elevation changes of up to 2,000 m, as well as an important network of brooks and streams that remains practically unspoiled thanks to the good preservation of the vegetation cover.

Among the many plant species this area is home to, the most important ones can be found in laurel forests: Canary Island fire tree (Myrica faya), tree heath (Erica arborea), and Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis), main plant formation in the Park, and remarkable for its adaptation to fires.