La Palma Cumbre Vieja volcano began erupting at 3.12pm on Sunday 19th September and, at time of writing, is still expelling lava, clouds and gases high into the air. The video above was filmed on Thursday 23rd September while the volcano was still at its most active – although, in truth, it remains to be seen how the eruptions will develop so who knows how active it might eventually become.
It’s clearly not advisable to stay on La Palma at present but skip past the Tenerife holiday deals below for more info on the La Palma Cumbre Vieja volcano.
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Getting to the volcano
I really didn’t stay long enough to spend any time exploring Santa Cruz, however it was very clear this is a very small city. After checking in and taking care of the obligatory work details, I headed out to see if I could find any tour guides. After checking online and making a few calls it became clear most of the more established tour companies were taking an (understandably) sympathetic view of the plight of those affected by the eruptions and were refusing to take people anywhere close. As a last option, I walked to the taxi rank near the harbour and managed to agreed a deal with a driver.
We headed out of town on a coastal route I’d outlined on Google Maps that would take me past the most impressive viewpoints on the island, including the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano. Unfortunately, due to the volcanic activity, it wasn’t possible to get near the observatories on the summit of Roque de los Muchachos – or the summit itself which I’ve been told is super impressive. Nonetheless, the driver did his best to take me past other scenic spots.
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Nearing the volcano
The driver took us as close as was possible to the volcano – much closer than it appears due to the widescreen nature of the action cameras I use. As we travelled closer (and despite being in a car) the air became noticeably hotter and heavy with the smell of sulphur.
There was a high police presence on the island which meant getting any closer was prevented with most roads patrolled and closed. The most impressive views were on the road north of Cumbre Vieja which naturally took us back in the direction of Santa Cruz de la Palma.
Travel details to get to La Palma from Tenerife
I took the Fred Olson ferry from Tenerife to Santa Cruz de la Palma (booked via Direct Ferries as I’ve used them before) a journey that takes around 2.5 hours. Under more normal circumstances, ferries leave early morning and early evening. The return ferry costs just over 100€ (around a quarter that if you have Spanish residencia).
I stayed at a small pension called La Cubana, reserved over the popular Booking.com site. While the accommodation wasn’t exactly what many would consider luxurious, I’ve always taken the policy that you just need a bed and a pillow so it matters little where you spend the night. The small pension was centrally located in Santa Cruz, on what I think was the ‘city’s’ main street (I wasn’t there long enough to find out). For a single room the cost was just short of 24€ for one night. Rooms feature a bed and sink with a shared shower outside in the hallway. In other words, all you need.
As for the tour of the island, that wasn’t cheap (around 130€) but still pretty good value considering it lasted over four hours and went up to around 2200m on winding roads. Remember to check our other summer guide videos to find out more about sports and trips on Tenerife and in Turkey.
