Walking on the islands the last couple of years, I have seen a lot of campsites marked on the maps. I realize you need a permit from the NP offices or relevant organisation, but is there a website for online bookings? I met a Spanish mountain biker on La Gomera who said you book online. Tenerife has lots of campsites, with only one or two private camps open to the public. La Palma seems to have a number as well.
I'd be interested to hear if it's possible to book online. You can certainly make enquiries online, going through the labyrinthine Spanish local government structure. To actually get hold of the permit, however, it's still necessary to turn up at the local office in person, with your passport, to fill in the paperwork. Then, more annoyingly, you have to go again a few days later to pick up the actual permit, which leads to a break in any itinerary you might have planned. I avoid the whole issue simply by wild camping. I asked at the site in the middle of the Caldeira de Taburiente on La Palma if it was possible simply to turn up and pitch a tent there. They said it was... provided you went and got a permit first! I don't think they have any idea how impracticable the system is, especially to a foreigner.
I would like to walk the route of the volcanoes starting in the southern tip and traversing the ridge to the west coast. I hoped you could reserve online then simply pick the permit up. With a seven-day half term, it isn't long enough to return to the capital.
David
ps El Cedro camp is great! I walked from there to Valle Gran Rey via Garajonay and Guerian (sp?) - what a great route - thanks for the route idea.
I also rather liked Las Toscas to San Sebastian via Benchijigua, Roque Anando, La Laja, Magro and Playa Guancha. Naked Germans on the beach were more of a shock than Maspalomas!
I've just found an email address for the visitor centre for Caldera de Taburiente NP. caldera@mma.essource website If they don't do English, send me a private message and I can translate a request for you.
Is it Tenerife or La Palma you will be visting or both? If it is Tenerife I will see what I can find out for you about campsites as I live in Los Cristianos. When will you be visiting?
Thanks for the replies. I was thinking La Palma for half term. The booking system I had heard about (like getting a permit for Teide), although not particularly difficult, doesn't hold itself well to a walking holiday.
We did bits of GR131 along the crest of La Palma. There is one hut you can stay in, the Refugio Punta de Los Roques. It is free and basic, but with a table and alpine style sleeping platforms.
We found no water anywhere along the route and we had to carry all we needed. There is a water tank at the refugio that collects runoff from the roof, but there was used toilet paper in it when we were there!
We dropped off the ridge and camped in the forest., but again without water. You're not meant to, but as long as you're discrete, who will know?
Beware that the weather can be bad on the ridge with high winds.
Buenos días, en el interior del Parque Nacional existe una zona de acampada, tiene usted que llevar todo su equipo es al aire libre, y necesita solicitar un permiso en el Centro de Visitantes de El Paso (922 497277).
Hi there,
Thanks for the responses. I E-mailed the park Steve and got this back. Great news that you can just turn up at the refuge, although Jim's comments on the refugio's water supply make it sound less than appealing!
También existe un refugio en la cumbre, en la Punta de los Roques, si usted va a caminar por la crestería puede utilizarlo, está abierto y no necesita ningún permiso.
Tenemos un Aula de la Naturaleza pero es para grupos organizados y necesita pagar una fianza y elaborar un programa de actividades.
Los permisos sólo pueden tramitarse en el Centro de Visitantes de el Paso (carretera General de Padrón, nº 47)
i'm planning to Go camping in la palma, does anyone know which is the easiest campsite to get to from santa cruz (the port)? has anyone tried free camping there or is it not a good idea? also does the permit i can collect in las palmas (gran canaria) include la palma and how long does it last?
I don't know anything about camping on Tenerife but live on La Palma where we have B & B accommodation and a self-catering cottage (both on a finca by the GR130). But we are always happy to make suggestions for other accommodation including camping so here is some info which I hope might help -
Best/cheapest place to stay near the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma for a first night is La Cubana pension/hostel www.la-fuente.com It's cheap (21 per single, 27 per double) and 2 minutes from the port. Then for a campsite, it depends where you want to go next.
You can now book online for various National Parks in the Canary Islands including the Caldera campsite. I haven't tested this system myself yet - but hope to soon! National Park Reservations
Regarding the campsite at Barlovento, it has an on-site warden and you can just tip up with your tent and get the permit there and then. Alternatively if you are a group or just don't mind paying a bit more, you can hire a cabin. Either way, if the warden isn't in his office which is located at the entrance to site, just hang around or ring him on the phone number in the window. He's usually on site somewhere. It's a good place to camp with decent toilet blocks with solar-powered showers and bbq's provided with wood (you'll need firelighters and matches). There is also a bar/restaurant on site but this recently closed. (Although we only live a 25 minute bus trip away or 5.5 hour walk from Barlovento, it doesn't stop us from camping there from time to time It's a fairly good place to stay if walking the GR130 although a couple of km out of your way.
The campsite at La Rosa in Puntagorda also has the same system. Just turn up, no problems with getting permits in advance. You can walk to the Puntagorda shops but I don't think there are bbq's. It's all very eco and right on the GR130. I don't recommend you stay there during fiesta time because you won't get much sleep. http://www.airelibrelapalma.org/centro.htm
Re El Pilar, we've camped there quite a lot (handy for the GR131 volcano route, bbq's, etc) and not had a permit in advance once. If you arrive before 5pm they might try and encourage you to go back to El Paso to get a permit but after that the office is closed so you can't get one anyway. Then the wardens have no alternative but to issue you with a permit - they have the paperwork there so it's not really a problem but the office in El Paso is 'supposed to be' the first port of call.
Re walking the GR131, around the Roque de Muchachos there are a couple of shelters (apart from the Refugio Punta de los Roques mentioned). You don't exactly walk past them and they are not very obvious.
I'm thinking off a hiking/stargazing holiday and have to say this island seems perfect. I'm fairly new to the hiking game and was just wondering if the camp sites had a shop to sell water, sausages, eggs etc..
There is a water tap at the Roque de Muchachos just by the information hut which usually works OK – but just like life, no promises!
Exactly... it was frozen solid when I was up there before sunrise one morning!
Anthony... La Palma has a 'dark sky' policy, so it's a great place for stargazing. However, you'd still want to be away from towns and villages, or illuminated areas of any sort. The observatories on the highest part of the island have the added advantage of being above the clouds almost all the time. At lower elevations, you might find cloud cover, so no stars.
As for what the campsites sell... the national park administered ones sell nothing... but places such as the ones at Barlovento and La Rosa are only a few minutes walk from the shops in town, where you can get almost everything you need.
For anyone with even a passing interest in the stars and/or hiking, then La Palma is surely an island from heaven. Many people are not even aware about the astronomy on the island but it is in fact home to the third most important observatories in the world, after Chile and Hawai. And reputedly being the most mountainous island in the world for its size with 1000km of marked walks mainly along ancient donkey paths - the hiking isn't bad either! With regard to observing the skies, just to mention that driving right to the top of the island during hours of darkness is not permitted as car headlights interfere with the observing. Not to say that you can't go part way up of course. However, the north of the island is the next best option with minimum air pollution from traffic and negligible light pollution. We are located at 500m asl and we often have keen astronomers staying, some of whom bring their own telescope, and others who actually work at the observatories but still want to observe on their time off. Camping is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. There is no mass tourism here of any type so no big, organised camp sites such as you might find in France. Whilst the campsites only offer the basic facilities (and some a little shakey on those - the wardens at the El Pilar campsite have a habit of locking the toilets/showers for the night at 8pm!), if you love camping regardless, then you will still enjoy it!
i've just got back, didn't, make it to la palma but i will soon!
something they don't tell you until you get there is that the permits only last for one week! we were lucky enough to find out from other travelers, vitualy upon arrival, but most people we met said they had come out like us only to find out about the permits once there. so too clear this up for anyone who is researching a trip to the canaries:
THERE IS NO FREE CAMPING! 'FREE' CAMPSITES DEMAND A PERMIT WHICH ONLY LASTS FOR ONE WEEK! AND THE PROCESS FOR OBTAINING THEM CAN BE QUITE EXPENSIVE!
there are plenty of good campsites throughout the islands though, but its a different type of 'camping trip' than what most of us go out there expecting!
theres a great campsite on grand canaria, near the airport (5k south) called las vargas. its only 10 min by taxi. (don't try to walk it, the area around the airport is all motorway and the satellite images are VERY MISSLEADING, there is no 'coastal route', most of the coast is just steep cliff between private property and the sea!)
its 200m from playa de vargas (beach) and about 3k from a couple of small towns in each direction.
its not the cheapest or the most natural, but out of hundreds of campsites i've been to over the years its one of the most memorable!
the family that run it are great, and their bar serves the best cold beer you could ever hope for! they also both rent and sell equipment and the bbq pits are the best of any site i've seen and there are about 30 of them with dividing walls and surfaces/sinks etc...
they also do bike hire so you can explore the surrounding towns and beaches.
weather warning! its very windy on some parts of the coast, you need to take this into account! esp when choosing what shelter to take... it's no joke!
Glad you had a good time! Sounds like you discovered a lot, not least where to find a good, cold beer and that's worth noting! Seems as if the permit situation is a little different to La Palma though. Places here are either free or a couple of euros. The free campsites such as El Pilar also give you use of free bbq kitchens/cabins (not for sleeping in) along with free firewood. Other campsites charge a couple of euros for the use of them. I've never tried staying longer than a couple of nights but I could easily imagine there is a time limit as they don't want people semi-living there. Having said that, at La Laguna campsite near Barlovento in the north east, there was a chap camping who was definitely there for longer than a week. I guess they are a bit more tolerant in certain places and because La Palma doesn't have so much tourism, they can be a bit more flexible on occasions. Really good to hear about your trip anyway and it makes me think about getting the tent out again ...
yeah its true, you can have up to 4 one-week permits, but we thought (as did several others we met out there) that a permit would last indefinately and that you could use it anywhere, but of course they don't for the reasons that you have pointed out.
also we thought we could free camp anywhere (exept beaches) with these permits.
i am still looking for somewhere i can free camp legaly, where there is the possibillity to improve my skills beyond short trips and into long term survival. i don't think this will be possible in europe without money and/or wheels if at all.
still its fun to go out and try, see some different things and get moved on by different people!
It's a fairly good place to stay if walking the GR130 although a couple of km out of your way. 
