Walking On Top Of An Island - Roque De Los Muchachos In La Palma - Travel Photography

3 days ago
1 min read

I recently posted about our trip to Volcán de Tajogaite in La Palma. You can see that post here.

Another place we visited on the island was Roque De Los Muchachos. The drive up to the summit from the capital was long and winding, reaching an altitude of 2,426 meters. It was only 26 miles, and it took over an hour. We were told there were over 100 hairpin bends. I didn’t count them, but my stomach definitely felt it! It was raining when we left Santa Cruz, and as we climbed through the clouds, the visibility remained poor. All we could see was the steep drop down from the roads, which felt a little concerning. But as we approached the summit, we broke through the cloud, and the sun made an appearance. We were literally above the clouds.

Because of the altitude and clear skies above the clouds, Roque De Los Muchachos is home to many observatories watching the skies. It is also located within a UNESCO Starlight Reserve. It feels more like a scene from a science fiction movie.

After spending some time in the visitor centre, which is well worth the trip alone, we readied ourselves for the hike along the highest ridge on the island overlooking the Caldera Taburiente crater.

We set out on the trail with the sun on our faces and the wind on our backs. We only took a short hike, but the views across the clouds and down into the volcanic crater were stunning.

We’ll definitely return another day to take a longer hike.