We’ve been on La Palma for more than two weeks, and the duration entirely, we have spent in an unprecedented heatwave.
Temperatures here in Tazacorte have averaged 30 during the days, at the beginning, it was as hot at night! Now, nights drop down to 25! There was night early on, where the winds were so incredibly hot. It has been quite hard to take. Our air bnb host has been more than accommodating. By the fourth night we had a small portable air conditioner to manage this heat with. We have heard from many, that La Palma has never reached such high temps, and more incredibly, how many days it’s been like this. The air quality is very poor also, apparently this has been caused by hot winds off the African continent. Fine dust particles in the air, so, that, with the heat, means no big hikes to try.
For us, it hasn’t been easy. By 10:00 am, it’s too hot to do anything. We can’t walk around the town during the day; and the few walks we’ve tried close by it’s just too hot. High heart rate, headache. Not worth it.
What we have found, is going up into the forests at elevation. We’re at 120 metres at our location in Tazacorte; the hike we have been to a couple of times, at Recreation El Pilar, is at 1800 metres, and some of that is forested. So, that’s been a bit of a help, but everything is a bit of work. We won’t know til we get there, if the temps are tolerable for us.
Tomorrow, the temps are meant to start dropping, albeit slowly. 28 degrees, then to normals of low 20s by the end of the coming week. Can’t come too soon!
Here are some pics of stuff we’ve been doing this week. The recently erupted Tajogaite volcano, and the impact it’s had on this place, deserves a lot more attention than I have given here. Once we get out and about, I intend on creating a post on the topic. For now…
fajersson.org 