Swimming around La Palma

There is one thing about an island you can guarantee – there's always plenty of water around! And whilst La Palma is often known as a walking destination, it would be a real shame if it was overlooked as a beach destination as well.

Los Cancajos beach

If you are in the area of Los Cancajos near the capital, the beaches there would certainly get our vote. Here you will find three lovely inter-linking beaches with easy access in and out of the sea, the water is clear and the fish are usually in abundance which also makes it perfect for snorkeling.

Another nearby beach is just 1km south of the capital, the Playa Bajamar. And further up the coast is the Playa Espindola near San Andres - all good, sandy beaches with easy entry.
And of course let's not forget the main beach at Santa Cruz itself, right across the road from the historic mansions. It's not open to the public yet, but hopefully the grand opening is not too far away!

Santa Cruz beach

Over on the west side, a popular beach is at Tazacorte at what you might call Tazacorte village where there is also a great range of apartments and restaurants. It almost never gets crowed although in August it's pretty busy. Tazacorte is often cited as having the most sunshine hours year round in the whole of Europe!

Tazacorte beach, 31 December

Tazacorte beach - August

Not too far down the coast is Puerto Naos, also a popular place for its beach and apartments. Plus it's got a great new promenade now, very swish!

Beach at Puerto Naos

However, another favourite place to swim is La Fajana de Barlovento which is in the North West. It is not too far off the main road, parking is easy and the water is nearby. There is no actual beach but plenty of terraced areas to get laid out in the sun and the facilities are among the best on the island with free, scrupulously clean toilets and showers too.

La Fajana de Barlovento

 In summer, the sea is fantastic for swimming and great for snorkeling. But the sea pools are also surprisingly good. The three pools have something for everyone from small children to keen snorkelers as the main pool is quite large and just over 2 meters deep. The water is again crystal clear and they are all absolutely teeming with fish. And - it is quite an experience to swim in the calm water of the pool.

Sandy cove below Puntagorda

But there are many hidden coves around the island too and if you're a bit of an explorer, then get your map out and - discover! Take a look around Los Canarios in the far south, Puntagorda in the north west, Puntallana in the east, they all have little coves where you can lay on the beach and enjoy a swim in the clear waters of La Palma. Enjoy!

Secret coves, special times

When you are driving around in the car on a sizzling summer day, you have to wonder why on earth you are not outside enjoying the sun.
At least though, with the car, you have a chance to explore one of the many hidden coves around the island.
It happened on such a day while between Puntagorda and Santo Domingo that we got the map out. We noticed a couple of places where it looked like you could get down to the sea, first on a rough track and then by foot.
We found what we thought was the track leading off the main road although it wasn’t signposted in any way. We bumped our way along the track for 10 minutes until it opened out into a parking space big enough for a couple of cars. It was no surprise to see that there were no other cars.

The sea, still some 200 metres below us, looked enticing and we tried to decide how much we were prepared to carry down the narrow path. Swimsuits, mask and snorkel was a given.

It seems to us that really, no matter where you go on La Palma, no matter how difficult the access, no matter how remote, people will have been there before doing the seemingly impossible. After a shaky start trying to locate the exact route of the path, it narrowing and becoming increasingly difficult as limbs were forced to dangle over the edge, we came to a part with ‘proper’ concrete steps and a rail. To imagine the workers carrying the materials down did not bear thinking about.

After a good 20 minutes we arrived at the little rocky beach at the bottom. We were pretty pleased with our discovery of this seemingly deserted cove – even if there were 3 dwellings there. We can only think that the materials were brought in by boat. It really does defy belief.

Ready to get in the water now, we climbed over a huge rock, then a smaller one and then a smaller again until we could slide into the sea.

Ah, bliss!

The sun, glittering on the water like a million stars, the cool and refreshing sea, the sound of the water slapping against the rocks and …. just us.

It really is quite special. Why don't you try it sometime?