Lanzarote Gomera Teneriffa La Palma Caldera Hiking Tours Daylight Timetable

The Caldera:
Geology Hydrology Clima Fauna Flora

1. Natural Reserves on the Canarian Islands

The Canarian Islands are famous for the mild clima and the unique flora and fauna. There are many unique cases responsible for this. One is the close distance to africa and the main wind stream which is bringing mild and wet air from nord east as well as the sea with the canary stream, a cold sea stream from the south. Due to the different shape of the islands microclamata have been developed. Each of the 7 islands may be seen as an own continent.

1.1. Lanzarote: Timanfaya

This Park is situated on the island Lanzarote and shows very nice the vulcanic history of the canarian archipel. Timanfaya is made of stone, desert and an impressive game of diffenent colors. The flora in many parts of this island is microscopic and for non experts not easy to find.

1.2. La Gomera: Garajonay

In this reserve, there is an old, nice reserved forest of oleandre trees. The biggest preserved of the canarian archipelago.

1.3. Teneriffa: El Teide

The mountain Teide is not only the highest of spain, it is also a natural reserve which is showing the subalpine parts of this island. Teide is the largest spanish national reserve and one out of 4 such national reserves.

1.4. La Palma: Caldera

The Caldera represents in a very impressive way the character of the island La Palma. The very steep mountains are covered with trees. The caldera represents as well one out of the 4 spanish national reserves.

2. The national park
"Caldera de Taburiente"

La Caldera was been declared in 1954 to a national reserve. As already said it is one of the 4 in spain. La Caldera builds the heart of la Palma and is influencing the island very much. There is a steep crater from the roque de las muchachos at 2200 msl till puerto de tazacorte at sea level. The size of this national reserve is 4690 ha.

At the spanish conquest lead from Alonso Fernandez de Lugo in the 15th century, this big crater was the last part where the guanches flew.

2.1. Hiking in the Caldera

Today, the caldera is important for the tourism of the island. It is impressive for hikers. Due to its size, hiking tours must be carefully planned because many of the tours do last one day. There is a camping possibility in the caldera. Because it is a national reserve, campers must have a camping licence to stay overnight. This licence is free of charge and you can get it in the cabildo insular, the grey building on the street between El Paso and the tunnel approx. 2 km (1mile) from the shell gas station (direction Sta. Cruz) on the left side. After rainfall, you should not hike in the caldera for some days because of high risk of falling stones. Please be as well aware that the caldera hikers have to leave the caldera in the river between Dos Aquas and the parking lot. Rainfall can rise the water level quickly with risks associated.

If you plan to hike with your children, take special care because the ways are often not secured and it is incredibly steep. Also the needles from the pine trees on the ground are sometimes very slipery.

Always watch your steps while taking pictures. There are many also deadly accidents reported of hikers making a step backwards for a picture and falling into the caldera! Last recommendation, never hike alone. The caldera is so big that you even can die from hunger after breaking a leg.

2.1.1. Los Brecitos-Dos Aguas (>5.5 h, ca. 12 km [8 miles])

You should drive early in the morning close after sunrise into the caldera. The Street starts in Los Llanos close to the bus station and is indicated. After the information - a little house at the right side of the street where you can get maps - the street is getting bad. You should drive down to the bottom of the caldera where the river is. Appx. 200m before crossing the river, there is a parking. You can leave the car there and take a taxi which leaves there appx. 08:30h in the morning. The price is quite high wihth appx. € 20 per person. This cap will bring you up to los Brecitos in a 30 minutes drive.

From los Brecitos to the camping, there is a very nice and good hiking treck. Nevertheless, you should be an expirienced mountain hiker to not get fear about the steepness. After a nice 1.5h walk you reach the bottom of the Caldera. At the bottom of the caldera, you have to cross the river to reach the camping ground at the other side.

During the year 2001 a litte museum in a ranger house was constructed. The house made from wood and stone is very nice and the architecture impressive.

The treck crosses the camping ground, goes up some minutes and after changing the side of the hill, it goes down. From the camping, there is an 1.5 hour walk till you reach the holy stone of IDAFE which gave my homepage the name. 30 Minutes later you reach Dos Aquas where two rivers are meeting. Water is gained here for the banana plantations and the city of Llos Llanos. The treck continous at the right side of the new river. So you should cross the river which is coming from the right side.

From here till you are back at the parking lot, the treck mainly continous in the river and you have to cross the river a hundred times. Even if it is eating up your power, the different stones and geologic formations are very interesting to see. Take you time for an inspection. This last part takes you 2.5 hours.

Timetable:

From	To	Coordinates (to)	length
Los Brecitos	Camping	N 28°43'59'' W 17°52'33''	1.5 h
Camping	Idafe	N 28°42'47'' W 17°52'46''	1.5 h
Idafe	Dos Aquas	N 28°42'33'' W17°52'49''	0.5 h
Dos Aquas	Parking lot	N 28°41'06'' W17°54'44''	2.0 h

Sunset, Sunrise

Date	Rise	Set
21. December	07:58 a.m.	06:19 p.m.
21. March	07:13 a.m.	07:22 p.m.
21. June	06:14 a.m.	08:10 p.m.

 

2.2. Geology

Originally geologists ment the Caldera was made by a Vulcano. A German Geologist, Leopold von Buch, made studies in 1825 and used the word Caldera which is indicating a Vulcanic crater.

New investigations showed the Caldera was made by erosion which was done in many years by rainfall.

The diameter of the caldera is 8km (5miles) with a peak of 2400msl (7200 feet). Inside of the Caldera you can stay on 400msl (1200 feet) and have a look at more than 2km high walls; incredibly impressive.

The ground of the island is built with a network of rocks which are dating back to many vulcanic eruptions. Originally they have been under water. The first of those eruptions are dating back 25-30 Million years into the Miozän. The island was build on this material. The rest of the island is basaltic rock.

2.3. Hydrology

The island La Palma and specially the caldera is very special compared with the other canarian island. Water was not only important to form the Caldera but is today responsible for many flowers and the fauna. The water of all Caldera springs is meeting in dos Acquas where the river of Almendo amargo and the river Taburiente are meeting. This water is then building a new river which leaves the caldera through the Baranco de los Angustias - Puerto Tazacorte into the atlantic sea.

Only the water from the baranco Almendro amargo is orange due to Iron oxide. Otherwise it is cristal clear.

2.4. Clima

The highest mountain in the caldera is in nordeast direction. This is building a natural wall against the passat wind which is only able to flow into the caldera when it is reaching this hight. Due to the huge size of the caldera, during the day there is heavy termic building which is responsible for an air flow from the sea during the day. In the night, the air is flowing down from the mountains. Those winds often are very cold. Due to the incoming air, it is possible that there are clouds builded during the day which are disapearing later again.

During winter time, the cold air from north is often brining snow in the high mountains and is responsible for cold in the caldera as well. During summer, very hot winds from the sahara desert called Levante can heat up the caldera quite heavily.

Due to the water richeness, the humidity is apx. 60%. Rainfall is 900 - 1000 mm p.a.. Because it is so steep, there are many different Climata which are responsible for the high variety in vegetation.

2.5. Fauna

Rabbits an wild cats are met seldom. There are a lot of ECHSEN, a earth spider and a Frog (Hyla meridionalis). You see many birds. The Graja (black bird) is only found on la Palma but not on the other canarian islands.

Many other animals are existing for example a black round spider her stick could be painful. And in wet times you will find a lot of 1000leg animals.

2.6. Flora

The forests in the caldera are mainly build by the canarian pine tree (pinus canariensis). This tree is giving the island its special caracter. This tree is very resistant against fire and will survive forest fires.

There are also a lot of plants into the rocks. There are many different so called bejeques but also taginastes are showing the rich endemic flora.

Impressum