Caldera de Taburiente

The Caldera de Taburiente National Park is situated in the interior of the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. This enormous depression, of volcanic origin, is surrounded by incredible height differences and resembles a volcanic crater or caldera. The diameter of this depression, which is surrounded by peaks the highest of which is Roque de los Muchachos at 2,426 MASL, is 7 kilometres, and the height differences are over 1,500m. It was declared a National Park on 6th October 1954, making it the second protected area in the Canary Islands to receive this distinction, and the fourth in Spain. In 2002 it was, together with the rest of the island, declared a World Biosphere Reserve. The ravines and peaks of the park, which are cut by numerous waterfalls, are home to extraordinary vegetation, with many examples of plants that are endemic to the Canaries. Of special interest are the rupicolous plants clinging to the almost vertical surfaces, which are only found on these peaks, as well as the willow groves and Canary Island pine. In the animal realm, many birds and reptiles have subspecies which are unique to this island. The Roque de los Muchachos is home to an observatory belonging to the Canary Astrophysical Institute, whose stellar telescopes observe and investigate the night sky and solar physics. Caldera de Taburiente is one of the world’s least light contaminated places. The observatory, situated on the peaks close to the border of the park, enjoys one of the best places in the world to observe the night sky. The many paths that run through the park enables the visitor to enter into an environment where the Taburiente gorge, the waterfalls, and the tall peaks present a unique landscape and biological combination and diversity. In the interior of the Caldera de Taburiente there is a wealth of archeologic remains, especially rock carvings, the so-called petroglyphs, and the rock monoliths that have been created by the erosion of certain volcanic materials or avalanches. The petroglyphs are part of the magical and religious legacy left by the aborigines that inhabited the island in pre-Hispanic times. They are pre-historic carvings, geometrical inscriptions found in Caldera de Taburiente and other places on La Palma. They consist of a series of different signs such as spirals, circles, or concentric semicircles. They were probably related to pastoral activities, a sun cult, and certain rituals to ask the gods for rain – drought was a serious problem for the ancient populations. The island of La Palma rose from the bottom of the sea after a series of eruptions an estimated 2 million years ago, which makes it the youngest of the Canary Islands. Caldera de Taburiente was formed from a large volcanic cone of some 4,000 metres in height on the centre of the island. After some massive landslides, the formation of the present-day Caldera started; together with some minor slides and constant erosion this formed the landscape we know today

The dominant material in the area is basalt, and one of the most noticeable geological formations is the rock monoliths (named los Roques) which have been resistant to the erosion that otherwise dominates the environment. Some of them were places of worship for ancient settlers and today they are the only standing witnesses to the history of the park. The Canary Island pine can be found in abundance in Caldera de Taburiente. These conifers, which are only found in some spots on the Canaries, can live to be 500 years old and grow to be more than 50 metres tall. They are resistant to erosion in that they can thrive in poor soil on steep slopes, and are able to survive long drought periods. Their extensive and deep roots allow them to fi nd subterranean water and anchors them to the unstable cliff sides. The Canary Island pine lives both in forests and individually in Caldera de Taburiente. The most outstanding quality of these conifers is that they are fi re resistant! Thanks to their thick bark, new shoots appear soon after a fi re, and in a few days they cover the trunk and the main branches. The fi rst historic details of La Palma stem from the 15th century. Before that, Caldera del Taburiente was ruled by an aboriginal king, and it was one of the 12 cantons that the island was divided into. The canton was called Aceró, which meant a strong and invulnerable place. The aborigines of the island formed a pastoral society and gathered fruit and roots. They had tools made from stone, bone, leather, and wood.

In 1492, almost a thousand men from the Kingdom of Castile subdued the island’s cantons. Aceró was the last to keep up resistance, but after countless confrontations the king agreed to negotiate and sign a peace treaty; but he was deceived and captured. Once the island had been conquered, people from the Spanish mainland, Portugal, the Balearics, and Italy started arriving, and they, together with the aborigines, were the forefathers to the present-day population of the island. The most important natural resource of the Caldera is its water. Its history has always been tied to the water and how it has been used by the inhabitants. The administrators of the area have more than 70 springs and tunnels at their disposal as well as the run-off water that enters the park from the outside. Some of the underground water caption tunnels were constructed at the beginning of the last century. Logging has been scarce in the area since the 16th century, and grazing was prohibited in the 1960s; this has allowed the landscape and its flora and fauna to enter the 21st century almost unspoiled. Caldera de Taburiente has only one natural opening to the Atlantic Ocean: Barranco de las Angustias (the Gorge of Anguish). All surface water which comes from the many rivers and streams of the park, runs through this gorge.

Pillow lavas line out the course of the gorge, and they are especially visible when the level of the water is low. They are situated at between 245 and 375 MASL. The pillow lavas are geological remains from the past, brought to light when the island surged from the seabed and La Palma’s oldest lava streams eroded the gorge. At the bottom of Caldera de Taburiente is the Cascada de Colores (Waterfall of Colours), whose rusty waters fl ow towards the natural opening of the park towards the ocean. Where the waterfall drops, the iron content of the water has coloured the cliff s to a rich orange colour that contrasts beautifully with the green vegetation clinging to the rock.