Route: Cuevas de Buracas
Area: La Palma
Date of walk: 25th January 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 4.0 miles
Weather: Some cloud but mostly bright and sunny
We parked in the sleepy village of Las Tricias and walked downhill towards the sea following the well named ‘Dream Paths’ which took us through almond orchards, gardens and idyllic farmland. Along the way we passed by some magnificent dragon trees, which are amongst the finest on the island
Eventually we arrived at the barranco and crossed this via some narrow and rocky paths, passing by the caves, some of which are inhabited, known as the Cuevas de Buracas
We followed a natural rock staircase up the side of the barranco, crossing the roof of one of the caves along the way, before emerging onto a quiet road. We then linked up with our original descent route and retraced our steps back up to the start
It was a magical walk, full of interest and beauty all the way, and for much of the time we imagined ourselves in a bygone era – time seemed to have stopped still in this place
Having finished the walk by lunchtime we decided to drive to the Port of Tazacorte, about 30 minutes away and, as luck would have it, a whale watching boat was about to depart. Click here to see whether our mission was successful
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
A dragon tree in Las Tricias - these trees would be a highlight of the walk
An old shed, typifying the nature of this place
Our route will take us along the right hand side of the barranco
The little chapel in Las Tricias
The plaza
We head down the valley
Dragon tree
A small farmstead in an almond grove
Almond blossom, which has a wonderful honeyed scent
More almomd trees
We continue down the valley and will be returning via the same path
Old buildings along the way…
We turn off the track at the signpost
There are some superb specimens of dragon tree along this part of the walk…
Looking across the Barranco del Corchete - our path will take us across to the other side in due course
More dragon trees framing this view of the Atlantic
The Cuevas (caves) de Buracas, some of which are inhabited
We enter into the barranco, passing by the old caves
We climb out of the barranco up some rocky steps
This part of the path is the roof of an occupied cave with a well maintained terrace
A remote farm, seemingly inaccessible by road…
Pine tree - this marks the far point of the walk, and it’s all uphill back to the start from here
A last look back to the sea
Looking across the barranco to the path we’d followed earlier
Having completed a small circuit, we rejoin our original path
A small lizard, one of many we saw scuttling about
Although we’d walked this way before, the return leg was just as enjoyable
The plaza in Las Tricias and the end of a very special walk, but not the end of the day - click here for the rest of the day’s activities
