Fuencaliente Salt Pans, La Palma,

The Teneguia Salinas Marinas, Salt Pans, of Fuencaliente are well worth a visit if you are in the south of La Palma. Located beyond the small town of Los Canarios, the sight of the salt pans is certainly impressive. It's a place where the white salt is ordered by black lava in a layout almost akin to a chess board. But here, it's the sun and warm wind that do all the moving to turn sea water from the Atlantic Ocean into sought-after salt.

It was in 1967 that the idea was born to create the salt pans, following the concept of salt pans in Lanzarote. Maybe there would be a market for the salt, maybe not. However, only 4 years later in 1971, it seemed that the Teneguia volcano would wipe out the
fledgling business. But in the end, the salt pans were spared although with a coating of volcanic ash and closure for a year.

From then onward, the production of salt has literally solidified into a successful business. Many say that the old ways are best and in this case it seems to be so with all the work done by hand and using traditional tools.

Salt farming at Fuencaliente Salt Pans

Harvesting from the Atlantic Ocean

 There's an additional bonus to the sea pools with the flora and fauna that it brings and in 1994 the Canarian Government declared the Fuencaliente Salt Pans an Area of Scientific Interest. The basins with their salt concentration higher than the sea support special vegetable and animal species that thrive on a saline environment and migratory birds use the area as a vital stopover and feeding point. You might spot plovers, dunlins, sandpipers, turnover and even some rare species to La Palma such as flamencos or shell ducks. For bird-watching on La Palma, this is doubtless the place for sightings. 

For all of this and more, you can follow a marked trail around the various stages of salt pans along with information boards. The self-guided tour takes around 30 minutes - at first, I thought we would probably only take about 20 minutes but no, there is quite a lot to take in!

And you even get to walk on a little road of salt - salted roads are not something we associated with the Canary Islands :)

Apart from the salt pans, there are also the two lighthouses at the start in the car park area and plenty of information boards plus great views!

There is an excellent thematic restaurant, Restaurante Jardin de la Sal, where you can either enjoy a meal of even just coffee and cake. Plus a little shop where you can purchase salt products and interesting gifts and keepsakes to remind you of your holiday on La Palma.