The green island under dark skies

La Palma climbs from black-sand coves to a summit of 2,426 metres, and almost everything about the island follows from that slope. Banana terraces line the coast, Canary pine takes over above them, and the highest ridge stands clear of the sea of cloud that settles against the eastern flank most afternoons. The whole island has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2002, and its people call it La Isla Bonita without irony.

This is an island for walking rather than for lying still. More than 1,000 kilometres of waymarked trails cross it, from the pine-filled crater of the Caldera de Taburiente to the laurel forest of Los Tilos and the lava fields of the Cumbre Vieja ridge, the youngest of them laid down in 2021. Santa Cruz de La Palma, the capital, is small and handsome: cobbled Calle O’Daly, a Renaissance town hall and a seafront row of painted wooden balconies.

After dark the island turns its attention upwards. Outdoor lighting has been regulated by law since 1988 to protect the observatory on the Roque de los Muchachos, and on a clear night the Milky Way is plain to the naked eye. Evenings are for grilled fish in Puerto de Tazacorte, wrinkled potatoes with red and green mojo, smoked goat’s cheese and a glass of Malvasía from Fuencaliente.