"It's not a cloud, it's volcanic gases." The beauty of the island of La Palma, which was covered in hot lava in 2021, is stark and surprising
The unjustly neglected La Palma
When it comes to the Canary Islands, Gran Canaria is probably the one that immediately springs to mind for most classic "holiday makers". Tenerife. Lanzarote... However, only a minimum of people "at first sight" think of La Palma. True, this island is smaller and transport to it can be more complicated (outside the tourist season it is necessary to fly from the Czech Republic with a transfer, or to get to La Palma from one of the larger islands by boat), but this effort is definitely worth it. At least, if you love nature, fantastic scenery and long for some adventure rather than lounging on a hotel lounger (no, we're not talking about a volcanic eruption...). We found it at practically every turn.
Volcano here, volcano there?
Before arriving on the island (which we visited in October), we of course did an information probe. And if we focus on volcanic activity, it is true that the island, which like the rest of the Canary Islands is of volcanic origin, is the one that boasts the highest volcanic activity. Indeed, the entire southern third of the island is made up of the vast stratovolcano Cumbre Vieja, which has countless craters, domes and other parasitic cones, including one that has claimed the floor in 2021. Whether this event was the inspiration for the show's creators is hard to say, but while this relatively recent natural disaster displaced nearly 7,000 people, destroying their homes and infrastructure (and causing material damage estimated at 22 billion crowns), fortunately no one lost their lives during the nearly 86 days the eruptions lasted. However, even four years later, the consequences cannot be said to have magically disappeared... And to see them with your own eyes? That will give you a completely different picture from the one you can see on the TV screen.
Probably few people can (and want to) imagine what a volcanic eruption looks like in real life - and how the glowing lava rolls across the landscape, taking everything in its path with it. We couldn't imagine it either. Until our guide and I were driving along a road that suddenly went nowhere. It was covered in - of course, already cooled - lava. At that moment, one only realises the power of nature, which has no regard for anything or anyone. As good tourists we also tried to subject the place to a thorough photo documentation, the horizon was dominated by a symmetrical hill covered in light clouds. We were truly captivated by the idyllic scenery. However, the chilliness of the scene increased significantly after the guide calmly informed us that the "light clouds" were actually the fumes of the volcano responsible for the whole disaster. We were only reassured that today's technology has advanced to the point where scientists are able to predict the dangers of eruptions well in advance. A puff - not a puff.
The mighty nature of the Canaries
The sight of a landscape literally covered in a flow of solidified black lava is impressive in any case - not least because it shows how nature can cope in any situation. The "special" Canary Island pines (they are really called that) are proof of this, as they are de facto resistant to fires thanks to their thick bark - the black colour of the trunk and the absolutely unique "bristle shape" are proof of their "burning". In the end, however, humans had to cope. The lava practically split the island "in half" by flooding tens of kilometres of roads, including the backbone road connecting the western and southern parts of the island. Today, the new road is already standing. And it runs right through the lava field. Driving along it is an experience in itself - it is built on lava and surrounded by lava.
In this context, it is also worth mentioning the Caños de Fuego visitor centre, where you can really get to know the volcanic history of the island in detail. Don't you like tourist attractions like this? We don't really like them either, not least because the guides usually just recite dry facts that don't tell the layman anything anyway. However, the guide on our tour was absolutely fantastic, from the first moment it was obvious how much she enjoys and is interested in everything she tells us. Her explanations were not only clear, illustrative, but also funny. At times it was close to stand-up. So this "educational visit" will certainly not be forgotten.
Dust to dust...
Although the impacts of the 2021 eruptions were enormous, those we spoke to about these events proved that they are truly in touch with nature - regardless of the destructiveness of the eruptions, they said that in time new life will be created on the island thanks to the lava. The lava even made the island itself bigger - it flowed into the Atlantic Ocean and solidified there. And even though the local inhabitants lost their property and often their livelihoods (the banana plantations in particular were devastated), they surprised us by the fact that, in retrospect and with the necessary distance, they do not evaluate these events with too much bitterness. After all, what nature has swallowed up, it can itself bring back to life.
We were finally convinced of this on our way to the very south of the island, where, among other things, there is a very photogenic lighthouse and the Fuencaliente salt flats (a tip for souvenir hunters: in local supermarkets you can buy this salt for a few crowns, even in a beautiful box on which the lighthouse is depicted). The island was shrouded in clouds (or part of it was in clouds - it turned out that you only need to drive a few meters, drive through a cloud and the weather will change immediately), real clouds, not vapors from a volcano :-), and only a few rays of the afternoon sun penetrated them. The view of the surrounding landscape, which was the scene of the 1971 eruptions (the source of which was the Teneguía volcanic cone, which spewed lava for three weeks), was thus quite dramatic. The dark volcanic rock that completely covers the base of the Teneguía and San Antonio volcanoes gave full play to the unique local flora, which seemed to come with all its might from the very heart of the island.
Incidentally, the lava flow stopped just before the salt flats in 1971 - and the salt, named Sal Marina Teneguía, refers to these events, or rather to the volcano that was the source of the eruption, in its name.
But whether you take the salt (which, as we know, is better than gold) or "just" the experiences (which are far from limited to exploring the volcanic landscape, La Palma offers much more, but more on that next time), you can be sure that you won't forget this "Canarian holiday". Just like the warning clouds dancing playfully around the still active volcanoes...
Final "editor's tip": 10 out of 10 travellers recommend watching the volcanic eruption itself only from the comfort of home and on a TV screen.
In collaboration with www.spain.info and www.visitlapalma.es
