Marcos y Cordero Hike La Palma12 Tunnels and 14 km, 7 Hours

Name: Marcos y Cordero Hike La Palma, 12 Tunnels and 14 km, 7 Hours
Brand: CanaryVIP
SKU: CV-MARCOSCORDERO
Price: 55.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Duration

7 hours

Route

14 km

Difficulty

Moderate to hard

Departs

Thursday, 9:30

Tour highlights

Twelve tunnels, the longest 400 mThe path runs along the lip of a water channel cut a century ago and goes straight through the rock twelve times.

Up by 4x4 taxiForty-five minutes of mountain track from Las Cancelas to the Casa del Monte, the house built for the men who cut the channel.

The springs of CorderoThe turning point of the walk is the best known water source on the island, at the far end of the tunnels.

Laurel forest the whole wayThe channel never runs dry, so the laurisilva along it grows thick, and the last three kilometres come down through it.

Through the dikesThe route cuts through several dikes, the walls of volcanic rock left where magma forced its way up through the cracks.

Helmet, head torch and ponchoAll three are handed out at the start of the walk, and you will use all three before the day is out.

What's included

Included

Guide
4x4 transfer from Las Cancelas up to the Casa del Monte
Helmet
Head torch
Poncho

Full description

Twelve tunnels and a water channel

Seven hours and fourteen kilometres above San Andrés y Sauces, on the green side of La Palma. The walk follows the lip of a channel cut into the mountain about a hundred years ago to bring water down to the villages, and where the rock got in the way the men who built it went through it. Twelve of those tunnels are on this route, and the longest is four hundred metres.

How the day runs

The group meets at Las Cancelas, next to the Aula de la Naturaleza, at 9:30 on a Thursday. From there a 4x4 taxi climbs forty-five minutes of mountain track to the Casa del Monte, the house built for the men who cut the channel, and the walking starts at the door.

Then it is about four and three quarter hours and eleven kilometres beside the water, in and out of the rock. A helmet, a head torch and a poncho are handed out before you set off, and all three get used: the tunnels are unlit, several of them drip, and the twelfth soaks your shoes through. Bring sandals that strap to your foot to change into, or at least spare socks.

The turn is at the Naciente de Cordero, the best known spring on the island. From the Casa del Monte the last stretch is an hour and a half on a forest path, three kilometres down through laurisilva, back to the car park where you left the car.

What the route crosses

The channel runs along the side of a ravine system, so the drop beside the path is real and the far walls are a long way up. On the way the route cuts through several dikes, the sheets of volcanic rock left standing where magma forced its way up through a crack and cooled harder than everything around it. Because the water never stops, the laurel forest along the channel grows thick the whole way.

Worth knowing

It is graded moderate to hard: 800 m of climb and 1,050 m of descent over the day. Four people is the minimum for the 4x4 to run. Take at least a litre and a half of water each, something to eat, a jacket and something for rain. Works on the path mean the route is walked out and back as far as the Naciente de Cordero for now, just before the thirteenth tunnel. Dogs cannot come on this one.

Pickup & meeting point

Where to meet

Aula de la Naturaleza de Las Cancelas, San Andrés y Sauces.

Leave the car at Las Cancelas: the 4x4 takes the group up and the walk comes back down on foot to the same place.

Good to know

The last of the twelve tunnels is flooded: bring sandals that strap to your foot or a spare pair of socks. Helmet, head torch and poncho are provided, and the 4x4 ride up to the start of the walk is included in the price.

What to bring

Sandals that strap to the foot, or spare socks: the twelfth tunnel soaks your shoes through
Comfortable clothes and proper walking shoes
A jacket and something for rain
Sun protection and a hat
At least 1.5 litres of water per person, and a sandwich or a snack

RestrictionsNo pets on this route.

Frequently asked questions

A walk along the lip of a water channel cut into the mountain above San Andrés y Sauces about a hundred years ago. The path goes through twelve tunnels, the longest of them 400 m, and reaches the springs that give the route its name.

Seven hours and around 14 km, graded moderate to hard: 45 minutes in the 4x4, about 4 hours 45 minutes along the channel and an hour and a half coming down through the forest, with 800 m of climb and 1,050 m of descent.

Thursdays, leaving at 9:30 from Las Cancelas in San Andrés y Sauces.

You get yourself to Las Cancelas. From there the 4x4 taxi up to the Casa del Monte is part of what you book, and the walk comes back down on foot to the same car park.

Yes, in the twelfth tunnel. Bring sandals that strap to the foot to change into, or at least a spare pair of socks.

A helmet, a head torch and a poncho, handed out at the start of the walk, plus the guide and the 4x4 transfer.

Twelve on the route as it stands. Works on the path mean the walk currently turns around at the Naciente de Cordero, just before the thirteenth.

Four. Below that the 4x4 transfer cannot run.

Not on this route.