Fire Beneath the Surface — La Palma’s Volcanic Reality 

Today our tour crossed the island of La Palma to visit the Caños de Fuego volcanic caves — a journey through the island’s dramatic geological story.  

The northern half of La Palma is between two and three million years old and has not experienced volcanic activity for more than 400,000 years. In contrast, the southern half remains geologically active, with significant eruptions recorded in 1949, 1971, and most recently in 2021.

This morning we explored the site of the 1949 eruption, walking through one of the large lava tubes formed as molten rock once flowed beneath a hardened crust. Standing inside that cavern — created entirely by moving lava — was a powerful reminder of the forces that shaped this island. The surrounding landscape still carries ash deposits from the nearby 2021 eruption, layering recent history atop ancient geology.

Helmets on - ready to go

Glad to wear a helmet. I only hit my head twice!

Lunch offered a striking contrast to the morning’s stark terrain. We gathered on the rooftop terrace at La Colonial 25 in Los Llanos for an extraordinary seven-course meal — at least five more courses than we needed, but delicious nonetheless. The views, the food, and the company made for a memorable interlude.

Local village life

Wall mural

In the afternoon, we drove to a vantage point overlooking the 2021 eruption site along the Cumbre Vieja ridge. The scale of devastation is difficult to comprehend. The eruption lasted 85 days, destroying more than 3,000 structures and displacing over 7,000 residents, effectively erasing an entire community.

The lava field we observed is now a vast expanse of hardened rubble, estimated to be 15 to 20 metres deep in places. Officials indicate it may take at least another decade before sections can be safely excavated to reconnect isolated southern communities with the rest of the island. Temperatures within parts of the lava flow reportedly remain as high as 400°C — far too hot for heavy equipment to operate safely.

Lava flows where it wants

All that black stuff is lava

All that black stuff is lava

To witness both the beauty and the destructive power of volcanic activity in a single day was deeply humbling. La Palma is a reminder that landscapes we admire as visitors are, in fact, living and changing — shaped by forces far beyond human control.