Marcos y Cordero Hike La Palma13 Tunnels and 12 km, 7 Hours

Name: Marcos y Cordero Hike La Palma, 13 Tunnels and 12 km, 7 Hours
Brand: CanaryVIP
SKU: CV-MARCOSCORDERO
Price: 65.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

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Duration

7 hours

Route

12 km

Difficulty

Hard

Departs

Thursday, 9:30

Tour highlights

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

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

The springs of Marcos y CorderoAt the far end of the tunnels are the best known water sources on the island, where the walk turns downhill.

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

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 Los Tilos up to the Casa del Monte
Helmet
Head torch
Poncho

Full description

Thirteen tunnels and a water channel

Seven hours and twelve 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 to turn it into electricity, and where the rock got in the way the men who built it went through it. Thirteen of those tunnels are on this route, and the longest is four hundred metres.

How the day runs

The group meets by the wooden hut in the Los Tilos car park at 9:30 on a Thursday. From there a 4x4 taxi climbs fifty-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 two and a half hours and five 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 tunnels end at the Marcos y Cordero springs, the best known water sources on the island. From there it is downhill on foot, about three and a half hours and seven kilometres through laurisilva, back to the car park at Los Tilos 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 hard: only 200 m of climb, but 1,100 m of descent over the day, so trekking poles help. 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. Sections of the path close now and then after bad weather or rockfalls. Dogs cannot come on this one.

Meeting point

Where to meet

Wooden hut, Los Tilos car park, San Andrés y Sauces.

Leave the car at Los Tilos: the 4x4 takes the group up and the walk comes back down on foot to the same car park.

Good to know

Tunnel twelve of the thirteen has water in it: 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
Trekking poles, for the long descent
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 thirteen tunnels, the longest of them 400 m, reaches the springs that give the route its name and then comes down through laurel forest to Los Tilos.

Seven hours and 12 km, graded hard: 55 minutes in the 4x4, about two and a half hours through the tunnels and three and a half coming down to Los Tilos, with 200 m of climb and 1,100 m of descent.

Thursdays, leaving at 9:30 from the Los Tilos car park in San Andrés y Sauces.

You get yourself to the Los Tilos car park. From there the 4x4 taxi up to the Casa del Monte is part of what you book, and the walk ends back at 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.

Thirteen. The longest is 400 m, and the twelfth is the one that gets your shoes wet.

Four. Below that the 4x4 transfer cannot run.

Not on this route.