Seven beaches and natural pools on La Palma between lava flows

There is no coastline in Spain as changeable and unique as the one that surrounds the Canary Island of La Palma, declared a biosphere reserve by Unesco in 1983. From its ocean shores we immediately notice its nature of lavas and pyroclasts, whose offer of Leisure for bathers is lavished on black sand beaches, pools, puddles and intertidal pools, a different possibility of enjoying the Atlantic, as well demonstrated by these seven baths on the so-called beautiful island.

Its sandbanks not only register constant mutations, but the sandy contribution is seasonal: what the sea currents steal in

winter, they return it throughout the spring.

One last link in this slow volcanological event ―and current objective of tourist desire― was the

sonorous

eruption, in September 2021, of Tajogaite (El Paso), a brand new cone to be added to the long list of volcanoes that line the Cumbre Vieja ridge.

The wide beach of Charco Verde, icon of Los Llanos de Aridane

The effects of the volcano came so close that the tourist enclave of Puerto Naos, just one kilometer from Charco Verde, still remains closed due to the high concentration of harmful gases.

This is the reason why the beach, one of the best valued on La Palma (it was inaccessible for a few months), does not register a hint of overcrowding.

The beauty and depth of this sandy area are measured in its sparsely urbanized beauty and its environment of banana trees, which is backed by the Cumbre Vieja mountain range, where groups of hikers travel the 17 kilometers of the Route of the Volcanoes.

Charco Verde continues to enjoy clean waters in its two stretches of beach ―the southern one is wider and less stony―, separated by a rock where an image of the Virgin of Carmen remains.

Wide enough to say enough and with a step at the entrance to the sea, which must be avoided as soon as the tidal waves unleash.

Since the black sand devilishly retains heat, on sunny days it is recommended to wear flip-flops —see, if not, the gasps that children give when they leave the umbrellas.

The toponymy of Charco Verde is linked to the reeds that bordered the medicinal water wells located at its rear.

In El Remo, three kilometers away, is the renowned Kiosko 7 Islas, which plans to reopen soon after a long season closed first by the covid and, later, by the eruption of the volcano.

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Then, in Las Manchas (Los Llanos de Aridane), the interpretation center of the Caños de Fuego Volcanic Cavities and Cueva de las Palomas awaits us, next to the solidified lava from the eruption of the San Juan volcano, which occurred in 1949. About two kilometers in a straight line we will scrutinize the back of the volcano that has made La Palma famous throughout the world.

On the beaches of Echentive and Malpique

One of the most modern beaches on La Palma is located in the town of Fuencaliente, in the southwest of the island, and is called Echentive, or Playa Nueva, framed within the natural monument of the Volcanoes of Teneguía.

It was the lava flows from the Teneguía volcano that, in 1971, extended this sandy area towards the ocean.

Long before, in 1667, it was the activation of the San Antonio volcano that buried the Holy Fountain, with supposed miraculous properties, which lent its name to the municipality and which in 2005 was rediscovered in Echentive through a gallery currently closed by a circular door. .

Las Cruces de Malpique, submerged in the year 2000 to commemorate the victims of a corsair attack, are one of the star diving spots on the island of La Palma.

Antonio Camacho (GETTY IMAGES)

Along a staircase with a wooden railing you reach these 300 wild meters of black sand, with little influx of public, somewhat sheltered from the trade winds, but where you should be wary of the waves.

The path on the right leads to two natural pools, an admirable expression of greenish and yellowish colors of sulphurous origin, which are not short of charm for photographers.

A group of tourists on the stairs leading to Echentive beach.

Carlos Alvarez (Getty)

Of the surroundings, the Malpique beach remains to be seen, perhaps the largest diving enclave on La Palma, due to the good visibility of its volcanic beds and, especially, because both sandbanks —Echentive and Malpique— are located in the integral protection zone ( Fishing prohibited!) of the Isla de La Palma marine reserve, whose interpretation center opens in the old houses of the Teneguía lighthouse.

In front of Malpique, 40 crosses are submerged at a depth of 15 meters, reminiscent of the cruel massacre of 1570, in which 40 Jesuit missionaries, on their way to Brazil, were assassinated at the hands of Huguenot corsairs. .

In addition to the crosses, Buceo Isla Bonita organizes outings to see spotted moray eels, mantle rays and the occasional angel shark, a small toothless shark.

After the self-guided tour of the Teneguía salt pans and their shop, the restaurant El Jardín de la Sal will satisfy us with succulent renewed Canarian cuisine based on kilometer 0 fish (or even less).

Its tasting menu costs 60 euros (with pairing).

A visual experience where the cliff becomes a beach

Surrounded by steep cliffs and connected by a well-surfaced road, Nogales beach has an unmissable wealth of scenery.

Going down, there is a viewpoint on the left (parking is difficult), where the green cloak of Caribbean air that blends perfectly with the black of the sand is evident, better at low tide.

The only toll on the beach is the 320 steps, rather well laid out, that cling to the cliff for 600 meters.

The visitor, helped by the new wooden railing, will not stop taking photos among cardonales and castor trees.

This descent was closed last summer due to the risk of landslides due to the tremors caused by the eruption of Tajogaite (not yet official name).

This is as far as the effects of its 8,652 earthquakes!

The cave of Hell is nothing but the exit of a volcanic cone.

With ebb tide, the black sand appears along almost a kilometer, and in some of its corners the nesting of turtles has been observed.

Its charm is completed by the cascades of vegetation accompanied by natural filtrations, if not by excess irrigation.

The ear registers with satisfaction the echo of the sea as it bounces off the cliffs.

A word of warning: as a beach exposed to the north, swimming is very risky, so it is best to soak up to your knees.

From July to September it has a lifeguard.

Nogales, after the closure of Los Guirres beach due to the last eruption, is one of the

most in demand by island surfers.

For one of the greatest experts in surfing on La Palma, Aarón Rodríguez, it is, due to its strong currents, only recommended for experts (except in summer it becomes a paradise for wave novices, who are taught by Aarón Rodríguez, one of the greatest surf connoisseurs on the island, with his company Barrel Surfhouse.

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For traditional La Palma cuisine, the Casa Asterio restaurant is very close, with sweet potato salad, La Palma cheeses and goat meat.

La Zamora, coves full of sunsets

There are those who only come to the beaches of the southwest of La Palma to enjoy their sunsets sitting at the Kiosco La Zamora, where Isabel Acosta, in addition to serving the best fresh fish (reserve a table! 618 85 72 73; closed Monday and Tuesday), reports on the state of the sea to, in case of strong waves, save travel.

Under this Fuencaliente cliff there are two coves accessible by steps recently secured with galvanized wire mesh.

La Zamora Grande, where there is almost always a place to hang out your towel, is accessed by negotiating 191 steps, while La Zamora Chica requires only 85 steps.

This is the favorite of bodyboarding fans when the Atlantic is in turmoil, despite the protection provided by seven small islets.

It has a shower and solarium.

You can go from one cove to the other at low tide, saving the very slippery rocky outcrop in which a huge cave opens.

Here the wave usually breaks, thus enjoying left and right wave athletes.

Swimmers should be wary of this ever treacherous ocean.

The natural pools of La Fajana, the closest thing to bathing in the middle of the sea

With the eruption of the volcano in the Cumbre Vieja mountain range, a fajana was formed, a term that refers to a lava flow that gains ground into the sea, very prone to the formation of tiny rock pools.

Such happened in Barlovento, northeast of La Palma, with the Riegos del Lino.

The cavities of his belt were used to tan the linen in salt water with which, after hammering it and making the thread, they made clothes and blankets while the kids splashed in the pools.

“Half a century ago, a clever farmer enclosed these pools with a concrete wall, thus allowing the pools to be completely emptied and filled twice a day, without the need for pumps or having to chlorinate the water, always to the beat of the force of the tides”, comments the mayor of Barlovento Jacob Anís Qadri.

It's like bathing in the ocean

Natural pools of La Fajana, formed with the eruption of the volcano of the Cumbre Vieja mountain range. Pau Venteo (Europa Press / Getty Images)

Perhaps the most attractive of the three La Fajana vessels is its equipment.

Access stairs equipped with railings, solariums decorated with tarajales, palm leaf umbrellas, changing rooms, fresh water showers, toilets, picnic area and the highly recommended La Gaviota restaurant, specializing in fresh fish.

What better advice to swimmers than to soak up the magnificence of the cliff, while the last rays of light fall on the sea horizon, beyond the point of La Gaviota.

After dark, the luminous pinwheel of the Punta Cumplida lighthouse begins to turn, its houses converted into a charming hotel.

The charming pools of Charco Azul

The world of intertidal pools is as much a Canarian element as dragon trees or gofio.

In Charco Azul, on the coast of the municipality of San Andrés y Sauces, not far from the great laurel forests of La Palma, they have put walls to the Atlantic, thus generating pools that the sea fills in at high tide and in which a line of piles prevents

(undertow) from sucking in swimmers.

Aerial view of the natural pools of Charco Azul, in La Palma.

kess16 / Alamy

Charco Azul stands out for the color and tranquility of the three pools linked by stone walkways dug into the basalt, as well as squares or solariums with furniture.

The glasses have facilities similar to those of the beach universe.

The salt water is pumped to the children's pool, and with the excess the small waterfall is formed that feeds the pool of El Charco, the one for the elderly.

A little further away, behind an island with an umbrella, is the Charco de las Damas,

A kind of natural spa due to the way in which the ocean currents boil and massage the users while they gaze towards Mount Teide.

Among the facilities it is worth mentioning palm leaf umbrellas, toilets, changing rooms, fresh water showers and La Cantina El Charco Azul, subscribed to kilometer 0 products prepared with regional recipes.

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Dizzying adventure on La Veta beach, in the municipality of Tijarafe

Under the heading "Adventure on La Palma" one could well enroll La Veta, a wild, cliffy cove of enveloping beauty and access not suitable for children or hikers with compromised mobility.

You have to be in good shape to face this beach excursion.

Going down the narrow and zigzagging road requires prudence, similar to that required in the descent to the Proís de Candelaria, a cave-dwelling port with a memorable visit.

From the car park, with capacity for around twenty cars, the kilometer-long trail with a 278-meter drop starts (you must wear good shoes), where you have the feeling of taking part in a landscape tailored to the hiker, without missing a manually lit tunnel.

It is necessary to calculate about 20 minutes before we are received by a seasonal black sand that surprises and shrinks the retina of those who venture to step on it.

It concentrates the heat like few others and lacks shadows to take shelter.

At 200 meters there is a minimalist pier, but it fulfills its function.

La Veta is not large, about 140 meters long, and it is worth enjoying it at low tide;

never with a tidal wave

In its rear part there are old fishermen's shacks, some converted into leisure residences, used today by vacationers with boats.

In fact, almost all the palmeros come by sea.

Excursions set sail from the port of Tazacorte to get to know this monumentally steep coast.

The small Nemo La Palma catamaran reserves 20 minutes during its journey to dive into La Veta beach (without disembarking), at a rate of 45 euros per adult.

La Muralla restaurant is a good option to recover your strength and, being at a high point on the cliff, offers the best views over the ocean.

And if we want to have a new panoramic view of the cone and the lava flows of the Tajogaite volcano, in Cumbre Vieja, we will find it at the end of the Tacande highway, in the El Paso City Hall.

It is required to walk 10 minutes to where the mountain of lava flows cuts the road, leaving perhaps the best postcard of the crater.

Only eight companies are authorized to approach the exclusion zone of the new volcano, along a five-kilometre trail with a 183-meter drop.

One of the most recommended firms is Isla Bonita Tours.

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