A small rock in the Atlantic: The Caldera Campsite

If you're very fit, you can see the Caldera national park on a one-day hike. But it's 27 km of rough going, (from the Los Brecitos viewpoint, via the campsite, to the Barranco de las Angustias) and I wouldn't dare try it myself these days.

The alternative is to spend a night or two at the campsite in the centre of the park, right by the river. This makes it much easier to get into the top end of the park. (Two nights is the maximum stay.) You need a permit in advance, which you get from the Visitor Centre in El Paso (Crta Gral. Padron, 47). They open from 9:00- 14:00 and from16:00- 18:30. You'll need to collect the permit in person, and they'll want to see either a passport or an ID card. Phone 922 497 277

The camp site provides water and picnic tables. There are toilets, but you have to bring your own toilet paper (these little things are important!).

All that water means beautiful, lush greenery, but it also means that mosquitoes can breed almost year-round. Be sure to remember insect repellent.

Pack carefully; it's about 30km to the nearest shop. You have to carry everything in yourself, and you have to take your rubbish away yourself. It's about 7 km from Los Brecitos to the campsite (almost all downhill), and 20km from where the road crosses the river bed in Barranco de las Angustias to the campsite, mostly uphill, and rough in places. In fact one stretch is called "el reventón" which roughly translates as "the killer".

On the other hand, in the middle of summer you don't need a tent. Isn't that nice?

Labels: Caldera de Taburiente, camping, Canaries, Canary islands, La Palma