Cubo de la Galga

A valuable natural treasure

The ancient forest of  Cubo de la Galga  in Puntallana is a valuable natural treasure that explains why La Palma is known as the Green Island.

If you are a lover of hiking or simply admire the beauty of nature, you can’t miss this route that takes you into the lush laurel forest , whose origin dates back to the Tertiary period. Its lushness will surprise you, considering that it is a type of forest that was born more than 20 million years ago.

The colour green is the protagonist of an environment made up of a wide variety of species such as laurels, lime trees, vinatigos, barbusanos and incredible large ferns that will make you encounter nature and feel part of it.

There are areas where the level of humidity is notably higher and there is hardly any sunlight, but this is not a problem when you have before your eyes a landscape that will be difficult to forget.

After diving into the  Cubo de La Galga we ascend to the  Mirador de Somada Alta, at 900 metres, from where, on clear days, we can see our neighbouring islands of Tenerife and La Gomera, as well as the town of San Andrés y Sauces.

In the final part of our hike, we visited the small corner of the Mirador de San Bartolomé  between the ravines of Nogales and La Galga and the Mirador de La Montaña or Salto del Enamorado , which has become one of the best places on the island, when night falls, to contemplate the infinite sky and its stars. Here it is possible to enjoy an unequalled panoramic view of this municipality of agricultural tradition and part of the eastern slopes of La Palma.

Mountains covered by a green mantle, imposing ravines that merge with the ocean, cliffs and an original statue that recalls the local legend of the  Salto del Enamorado,  describe our route through a valuable natural treasure.

There is no doubt about it.  La Palma is much more than a volcano.