The Teneguia Volcano and Other La Palma Sites

June 9th, 2005: On our second full day in La Palma, we went on a drive through the southern part of the island. Because it was a fairly overcast day, we sometimes found ourselves above the clouds during our drive. Aviva is responsible for taking most of these photos so I can't take credit for many of these pictures, though I occassionally stole the camera from her so I could take a few pictures of her. In many of my other entries from the trip I've included a mixture of photos taken by both Aviva and Fred.

After a long drive that left me feeling pretty queazy, we arrived the site of the island's most recent volcanic eruption, which occurred in 1971 at Teneguia.

In this shot, you can see the "pillows" of lava that remain around the site. Although it's obviously more abundant close to the eruption sites, lava rock can be found throughout the island. Just outside of the town of Las Manchas, there is a veritable lava river cutting a swath from high up the mountain down to the water's edge.

Teneguia is also now home to a winery that produces some very fine white and red wines. It's quite amazing to see the vineyards growing in the midst of black lava rock.

Here, we are searching for pockets of heat within the rocks. In some places, you can stick your hands into crevices and feel the heat from deep inside the volcano.

Teneguia is also known for its salt works. Sea salt is traditionally used to cook the papas arugadas that we ate at most La Palma restaurants. The salt pans used to process the salt had to be re-made after the 1971 volcanic eruption covered them. Unfortunately, the salt works aren't open to the public--though I did buy a big bag of the stuff to take home with me. In this shot you can see piles of sea salt in the distance.

Just past the salt works is a small fishing community, home to a fish restaurant of considerable repute. Unfortunately, it was closed. Although we didn't get to taste the fish, we did get to enjoy the lovely view.