Poris de Candelaria

Poris de Candelaria

Poris de Candelaria is located on the west coast of La Palma near Tijarafe. It is a fishing village but it is actually much more than a fishing village. It is a unique place on La Palma where you imagine yourself in a fairytale. Poris de Candelaria is a huge water cave under an impressive cliff where there are also houses where a few people still live. Read this blog about our hike to and visits to Poris de Candelaria. And we immediately take you to a similar place, Puerto de Puntagorda, where we were a few days earlier.

The fishing village of Poris de Candelaria was created when fishermen used the gigantic cave under the cliff in the seventeenth century as an escape route for pirates who attacked the coast. Poris actually means "natural harbor", so this is the natural harbor of Candelaria. In the cave there are today about 20 houses that are inhabited and used either by fishermen or by islanders. There are cottages that are over 80 years old, as well as more modern ones, mostly used by their owners to escape the heat and enjoy it during times of vacation, but some do live there. The people bring their fishing rod and spend the whole weekend fishing and enjoying life, enjoying the relaxation and the sea.

Houses in the cave

The houses at Poris de Candelaria are built inside the gigantic water cave

A number of these houses are literally built into the rock, a number also have provisional electricity and / or running water. A number of these houses were also being built or renovated when we were there.

Poris de Candelaria can be reached in three ways, by car, on foot and by boat. We went twice, once on foot and once by car. If you go by car, take the exit from the LP-1 in Tijarafe, and prepare for a sometimes steep and curvy road. There are two parking spaces, one a few hundred meters before Poris de Candelaria and one nearby a little lower towards the coast. But then you are not there yet because then it is still about 300 meters via a fairly steep rocky path to scramble down before you reach the cave. If you are going for the hike, take, as we have done, the trail LP-12.2 which is best started from Tijarafe. And you can take the boat to Poris de Candelaria. The best thing is of course if you have your own boat or know or can arrange someone who has a boat. But you can also just book an excursion from the port of Tazacorte, a few kilometers away.

Take the Hike

We recommend to take the hike to Poris de Candelaria

So we opted for the hike on the first visit and that was a beautiful but also tough hike. You start this trail in Tijarafe and from there you hike to the coast, which is 650 meters descending in more than 5 kilometers, so a steep descent percentage. But the trail is beautiful through the Barranco de Jurado, through overgrown vulcanic landscape. In the beginning you come across some houses, incidentally with a beautiful location. But soon it is rock and vegetation and steep descents towards the coast. But the closer you get to the coast, the more beautiful the view along the raw coast with clear blue water.

Whether you come by car or on foot, the last part on a fairly steep rocky path is the same trail. You slowly descend to sea level until you arrive at the impressive cave on the right. At first you will not believe your eyes, the cave is a large geological cavity about 50 meters high and certainly the same depth from the sea mouth. The cave is on the right side so you enter the cave from the left side of the cave. And there are a number of houses built in the cave right on that side. You can walk around the cave and admire the houses up close. At the end of the path through the cave you can climb up the rock a bit, but that is where it really ends.

Waves into the cave

The sea is mostly rough so the waves roll and splash into the water cave

In the cave you are actually short of eyes. From every position, the view into the cave and to the sea is wonderful. And usually the waves are rough so they roll and crash into the cave. There are certainly also opportunities for swimming and diving, so bring gear if you feel like it. At high tide there are a few small pools where you can paddle in. If you really want to swim there are steps to get into the sea. Only do this if the sea is not too rough, there is really no lifeguard or rescue team.

On our first visit, the hike back turned out to be a really tough one, because in 5km we had to overcome 650 vertical meters, so keep that in mind. We went back a second time when our friend Thomas was there, we thought it would be nice to show him this special place.

Eyes short

You will be short of eyes and you can even admire large crabs

Besides Poris de Candelaria, the west coast of La Palma has another similar special place and that is the Puerto de Puntagorda or the Poris de Puntagorda. It is less visited than Poris de Candelaria but is also definitely worth a visit. It is a bit more to the north and it is actually the harbor of the village of Puntagorda. To get there by car as we did, take the Camino del Puerto from Puntagorda which is on the LP-1. You can park the car at the end of the Camino del Puerto and then walk the last part. This is also a path that descends steeply and rocky, mostly zigzagging. On the way along the path you will already come across a number of houses that are built into the rock or against the rock. And down on the coast is a natural swimming pool and there are also a few houses in the cave. This cave is smaller than Poris de Candelaria but it still makes a magical impression. You are almost with your feet in the ocean in a cave and a number of fishermen live in the houses that you see around you.

We drove to Puerto Puntagorda, but this location can also be reached on foot or by boat. There is no official hiking trail to Puerto de Puntagorda but you can walk along the road very well, which is safe because there is not much car traffic.

Puerto de Puntagorda

Puerto de Puntagorda is like Poris de Candelaria definitely worth the visit

Poris de Candelaria is in our experience one of the must visits when you are on La Palma, but if you have the time, visit both. If you are by car you could even do that in one day, you visit one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. If you are only going to visit Poris de Candelaria, then really consider the hike. Bring food and drinks and your swimming gear and make it a day out. And as with so many activities, choose a day when the weather is nice and the skies are blue, then the cave makes the most beautiful impression.

Look for more photo material and information about Poris de Candelaria and Puerto de Puntagorda on our Instagram posts and on our Polarsteps page!

Ella & Geert.