La Palma

Sole Occupancy Supplement

The sole occupancy supplement of £28 per night is already included in the cost of this holiday. – as shown at the top of the page.

Getting there

You buy your own flights.

We believe that you should have the choice of UK airports to fly from – the nearest and most convenient to you is likely also to be the most cost effective. We can advise you prior to your booking flights. Direct flights top La Palma are from Manchester and London.

Transfers to hotel from airport

We will transfer you to the hotel from the airport. We will accumulate everyone on the trip together – so you may a have a short wait for all planes to arrive before our transfer can begin. Transfer from the airport to the hotel is 15 mins in a luxury mini bus or local taxi.

Should you want an individual transfer to avoid any waiting time, then there will be an additional charge for this.

The following are a selection of walks that we may use. It is important to understand that we work with NATOURS our La Palma guided company and may choose walks not shown here, especially of the weather and your own abilities demand it. We never have a programme that is fixed because of the above reasons and we structure the week to fit the capabilities of the group.

Walk 1

Caldera de Taburiente linear ridge walk ( 8 miles/ 800m ascent/400m descent)

Starting at 2450 metres altitude at Roque to Muchachos we walk the simply stunning linear ridge line taking in Pico de la Cruz and Pico de la Nieve which gives us simply stunning views down into the impressive Caldera and of the cloud formations. 

You certainly feel you are on top of the world. 

Walk 2

South Island linear walk ( 9 miles/ 1000m descent/ 400m ascent)

The morning is spent walking through a delightful pine wood and open fields with lovely flora and vast vineyards and views out to the West. We stop in the village of Los Canarios to sample the local coffee and or wine before descending all the way to the South Coast to Fuencaliente through the lava and volcanic fields. 

Its a walk of two contrasts and we get to see the latest volcano that erupted in 1971

Walk 3

Caldera de Taburiente from below ( 11.5 miles/1000m descent/ 300 m ascent)

The Caldera de Taburiente is one of the largest erosion craters in the world. Its located right in the centre of the island and made up of circle mountains nearly 2,500 m high above. 

We are transported by 4×4 deep inside the crater where we then descend within it crossing waterfalls, barranacos, streams, we traverse through pine woods with towering mountains above. Once we get deep within the crater we then return by walking out along the Barranco de Las Angustias gorge to then be transported out of the crater by 4×4. Today is a real mountain adventure….

Walk 4

Ruta de las Volcanoes ( 10 miles/ 600 m ascent/ 900m )

Starting at El Pilar @1500 m we take the GR 131 and hike a very beautiful linear walk from North to South. The day starts ascending up through the pine woods before reaching the numerous volcanoes and lava and ash fields and giving us the opportunity to look deep into the craters. We reach the high point of Peak Deseada @1949 m before making our descent through the pine woods and passing more volcanoes. 

Walk 5

La Cumbrecita ( 10 miles/ 300m descent/ 700m ascent)

We start todays hike by visiting the very informative National Park visitors Centre to gain an insight of La Palma. We then ascend through the pine wooded barranco to reach the balcony of the Caldera National Park. From the balcony we then do a circular loop which offers us fantastic views into the crater .

• the sun in our winter
• superb hotel in super location, super food and services
• fantastic sunrises and sun sets – rooms designed to take these in.
• walking in superb scenery in the a variety of terrains in La Palma
• visit the high points where the worlds most powerful telescope is located
• a different view at every turn
• local  cuisine and international foods in our hotel
• our knowledgeable and social Secret Hills guides
• our relaxed, social approach

La Palma has a balanced climate year-round due to the trade winds that affect the island.

These winds from the northeast carry moisture and which means that two sides of the island can be experiencing completely different weather patterns at the same time, and we organise our walks to take this difference into consideration. However, you should be prepared for rain at any time – La Palma is a lush island and the weather systems can be quite unpredictable.

Great care has been taken selecting our routes to ensure our guests enjoyment and safety. However, due to the challenging nature of the mountainous terrain there will be some steep climbs and descents so a good level of walking fitness is strongly recommended, this will greatly enhance the enjoyment of this walking holiday (a suggested kit list will be issued).

Overall we rate the walking as moderate with some challenging steep ascents and descents.

Paths are good and the ground is hard, dusty and very dry, the terrain and path type vary but many can be rocky and steep,

We stop often – taking on water is obligatory, and not every day will be the same – we may take transport higher up and walk quite a bit of the walk on a reasonably level terrain, then descend.

Each day involves a fair amount of ascent and descent . This holiday trip requires a good level of fitness, ideally with previous hiking experience in similar hiking conditions.

The terrain and path type vary but as many can be rocky and steep, good walking boots are obligatory and walking  poles are highly recommended. All paths we take are well signposted and checked regularly by our leaders.

Due to the nature of some of the walks, we would not recommend this trip to anyone who suffers from severe vertigo. Some of the walks traverse steep-sided slopes on relatively narrow paths cut into the hillsides, particularly the  Caldera de Taburiente National Park walk .

Exclusions

Although our leaders are well trained and experienced in dealing with different capabilities of our walking clients, if they have any concerns about any clients ability or suitability to undertake safely any walking activity we plan or they feel that participation of an individual may affect the groups safety and cohesion, then they have full permission to exclude that client from an activity.

They will try at all times to provide an alternative suggested activity, though this may involve the client in additional local cost.

We rarely have to enforce this above recommendation, but it is a sensible and necessary protection for the individual client, the group and the leaders.

It’s all about meeting new friends. Each holiday is designed to be a friendly, relaxed and stress-free occasion. Talking is as important as walking on Secret Hills Walking Holidays. We don’t go in for discos, we may use an event that is taking place in the area we are in to boost the weekend’s activities – but it’s good, old fashioned chat that makes our short breaks successful.

“Make new friends that turn into old friends” – that’s our motto.

You might be surprised by what fun you’ll have with people who are older or younger than you during a holiday with us, and that’s exactly the sort of atmosphere we encourage; people find it very rewarding. It doesn’t matter what your reasons for travelling with us are, we’ve had people who are single, divorced or widowed, people who have partners that are unable to travel, and people who can’t holiday with their friends anymore as they’ve all got married themselves. There are people who want to make friends, see sights, and experience something completely new. Whatever your reason, we’ll welcome you with open arms and our friendly hosts will help you to get the most out of your holiday.

Don’t worry if this is the first time you have ventured to join a group holiday – its always a bit daunting – but we will look after you and ensure that you get used to being amongst friends again. Trust us to to get you back into the swing of things.

Oh – by the way – it’s not a dating agency – over the years we have had people meet and fall in love – but that’s just chance. Our aim is that you make like-minded friends – just relax and enjoy.

Just arrive and enjoy.

There are other walking holiday companies that cover Europe but we believe we offer the best value for many reasons….

• We specialise in organising guided walking holidays for singles and solo travellers
• We are a small friendly company
• We have a loyal customer base who return again and again (so we must be doing something right) – read our testimonials page on the website
• We offer a lot of flexibility – you can stay extra nights which we are happy to organise for you. We are also very flexible on the walks we provide, adapting to suit walkers and weather conditions
• Our walk leading is second to none. Unlike some other large Walking Companies, we use LOCAL leaders who live in the area and who love their surroundings. They have expert knowledge of everything you need to know to make an area come alive.
• You are safe in our hands – our guides are experts, fully qualified in first aid. Also, because of their local knowledge of the hills, they can respond to any situation that might for example demand cutting short a route. They don’t need to consult maps – they know the hills intimately.
• Our leaders are all easy-going, genuinely sociable people who want to ensure that you have the best time you can with the rest of the group. They make the weekend fun by engaging with all members of a group, and ensuring that everyone feels part of the group experience.
• We give great value for money. Because we recognise that lots of walkers holiday on their own, we have negotiated no single supplement deals with all our hotels to ensure the best possible deal.
• We always use good hotels, selected and constantly reviewed.
• We have smaller groups than some of the larger walking companies because we believe the social experience is much better in a smaller group. People can talk to everyone, especially at dinner where you can all sit at one table in a small group. Our numbers vary from holiday to holiday but an average group size would be 8-12.

You may book online.

Payment is in two parts – you pay a deposit of 25%, payable when reserving your holiday place. You will receive an invoice for the holiday showing the deposit paid, and full amount to pay for the holiday. This acts as your confirmation.

The balance is due 8 weeks prior to the holiday start date. You will be sent a reminder.

About three weeks prior to departure, we will send you holiday joining details, and details of the transfer from the airport to the appointed hotel we have arranged for you.

Once you arrive at your holiday destination

Secret Hills Walking Holidays organise all aspects of your holiday– including guiding, transport to walks start and provide you with an experienced tour guide. You make your own arrangements to get to the airport in the UK, we meet you at the airport you are flying to, and help you with your transfer to the appointed hotel.

It is important to read Secret Hills Walking Holidays Terms and Conditions – click on the tab on our web site – before you complete the booking form.

Insurance – you need to be fully covered

It is a condition of joining any of our holidays that you must be fully insured against travel, medical and personal accident risks (to include repatriation costs and air ambulance or helicopter rescue services where appropriate).

We will ask you to provide us with the details of your insurance prior to the holidays start date and it is a condition of reserving a place.

If you are a UK citizen and travelling in Europe you should obtain the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which is available only online from the UK Government website. This gives you medical care at a reduced cost, and some cases for free, in many European countries, but should not be considered a substitute for adequate travel insurance.