La Palma

The Island of La Palma

La Palma is located at the northwestern Canaries archipelago and belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.La Palma is one of the smaller of the Canary islands, with a surface area of  708 square kilometers and a population of over 85,000 inhabitants. Divided into 14 municipalities, it has a wide landscape and climatic diversity. Abrupt, beautiful, high, steep, surprising, wonderful ... would be some of the adjectives that justify the nickname "beautiful island" (isla bonita). 

It is unusual in that it rises exceptionally steeply from the ocean, the entire central mountain range exceeding 2000 m in altitude. The highest point on the island is the Roque de los Muchachos (2426m), the location of the astronomical observatory.

Weather

La Palma enjoys a sunny climate with year-round moderate temperatures. Average sea-level temperatures in Santa Cruz vary from 22º C in August to 15º C in January. There is a substantial seasonal variation in rainfall, with almost no rain from June to August, and a peak in November.

Temperatures drop substantially with altitude; average temperatures at the observatory (El Roque de los Muchachos) vary from 18º C in summer to 3º C in winter.