Cumbre Vieja Natural Park, Natural park and volcanic area in La Palma, Spain.
Cumbre Vieja is a natural park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province on La Palma, covering the central and southern parts of the island. It spans six municipalities, including Breña Alta, Breña Baja, Mazo, El Paso and Fuencaliente. The landscape shows red and black volcanic cones, hardened lava streams, and forests of Canary Island pines.
The park was created by Law 12/1987 as two separate spaces, the Cumbre Vieja and Teneguía natural park and the Coladas del Volcán de Martín site; Law 12/1994 joined them, while the Teneguía volcanoes became an independent protected area. The 2021 eruption, from 19 September to 13 December, caused biodiversity and economic losses and forced nearby residents to evacuate.
The park's name comes from the Cumbre Vieja, the ridge of an old volcano that hikers follow along the Ruta de los Volcanes, a long-distance trail crossing the park from north to south. The route passes all the main volcanic cones and offers views of the island and neighbouring islands.
Many hiking trails cross the park with different difficulty levels, including the Ruta de los Volcanes that runs from north to south. Weather conditions and wind strength change quickly, so visitors should check forecasts before starting.
On clear days, visitors from higher points can see other Canary Islands lying on the horizon. Laurel trees growing here date from a time when this species still covered the entire Mediterranean.
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