The La Palma International Hiking and Walking Festival returns this year for it's much anticipated 10th edition taking place from 12-14 October. Known as the 'pretty island' for its impressive volcanic landscapes, lush green laurel forests and its starry night skies, the island is an undisturbed haven for walkers.  

Renowned for its impressive landscapes, offering 706 square kilometres of lush scenery with a network of more than 1,000 kilometres of marked trails, La Palma is the ideal hotspot for hikers and thrill seekers alike in search of an off-the-beaten-track destination that caters to all level. The La Palma Walking Festival will focus on 18 routes, each of which has been chosen for its spectacular views, unique characteristics and authentic Palmeran charm that depicts the history and culture of the island. Each day, participants will be guided by island experts on individually chosen routes, with departures in the morning, afternoon and evening accommodating walkers of all levels.

One of the festival's stand out nocturnal trails takes place on the first night and is fittingly titled "The Route of the Honest Woman, the Broken Leg and the Home: Feminist Stories", is a walk that takes hikers through women's history in Santa Cruz de La Palma, exploring some of the capital city's most iconic streets and shrines. The route uncovers the lives of Palmeran women who have left a mark on the island including intellectuals such as Leocricia Pestana Fierro. A poet and free thinker known as the White Lady, she is remembered in La Palma's literature as one of the earliest Spanish women to pioneer Freemasonary. Hikers on this distinctive route will be able to visit the local lodge, Abora (which means 'supreme being' in Guanche mythology), which she built in 1873 in the centre of the island. This route will also journey to the islands beloved hermitage of Santo Cristo del Planto, which was founded by Águeda Gómez in 1611 and has become a religious focal point. 

The story of merchants and agriculturalists in La Palma is told on the final evening of the festival through 'The Honey Route: A Journey through Apicultural history'. The circular route is one of the few circuits featuring sections of the Insular Trails Network, and was one used by the islands ancestors to connect the centre of the island with rural areas and the coastal zone. Considered one of the most important routes out of Santa Cruz de La Palma to the North and Northwest of the island, this type of trail was used for transporting cattle, goats and honey produce to the mountainside. The route journeys through Barranco del Dorador, where visitors will visit an apicultural farm, to gain an understanding into why the subspecies of bee in La Palma has become so popular and why the insect and its sweet product has become such a staple in not only Canarian life but also its economy, agriculture, eco-system and gastronomy.  

Each route has been carefully chosen and designed to explore the natural, cultural and historical gems of the unspoiled island of La Palma. The walking trails explore the characteristics unique to the island which make it a treasure trove for adventure enthusiasts and avid naturists.  

List of Routes·        

• Water Route
• Observatories and the Stars Route
• Volcano Route
• Route of the National Park of the Caldera de Taburiente
• The Water Crater: The North and its Cheese route (Visit to Livestock Farm)
• The Honey Route: A Journey through Apicultural history
• Touching the Stars Route
• Path Under Earth (Route of Speleology)
• Route of the Sistine Chapel of the Atlantic
• Route of the Descent of Barranco la Zarza
• Landscapes of the Tablado Route
• Route "Drinking Water: The Water Roads"
• The Route of the Honest Woman, the Broken Leg and the Home: Feminist Stories
• Route of the Sources
• Route of traces of the past
• Source of the Summit and Flora route
• White Sands Route
• Route of the stars between volcanoes  

Canarias Viaja are offering participants packages including flights departing from Tenerife and three nights' accommodation at the four-star H10 Taburiente Playa on a bed and breakfast basis from £134 per person.

For more information and details of all the routes available please visit: www.walkingfestivallapalma.com 

Return flights to La Palma are available with EasyJet from London Gatwick from £66.66. Return flights to La Palma are available with TUI from Manchester Airport from £132.