The Cabildo de La Palma, through the public company Sodepal, celebrates the sixteenth edition of the Festival de Senderismo y Montaña Isla de La Palma, which this year will have a total of 369 participants and will take place from the 12th to the 15th of September.

The president of the Cabildo, Sergio Rodríguez, points out that in this new edition, almost all the places on offer have been filled and there will be hikers from all the islands. This consolidates a unique event in the archipelago, which highlights the landscape and hiking routes as fundamental resources for the development of tourism on the island.

Miriam Perestelo, the CEO of Sodepal, points out that this will be the second year in which, in addition to the 15 traditional routes, the Travesía will be added, with a distance of 74.2 kilometres. It will take place over three routes, one per day, with overnight stays in accommodation located in the urban centres of El Paso, Fuencaliente and Santa Cruz de La Palma, and will allow the 18 participants to discover not only the natural beauty of La Palma but also the gastronomy and the singularities of each municipality.

The three routes will run from Tijarafe to El Paso; El Paso to Fuencaliente and from Fuencaliente to Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Miriam Perestelo highlights that this edition has five more routes than those offered in 2023, increasing from 10 to 15 and maintaining the Crossing, in addition to the fact that there has been an increase in the number of registrations of around one hundred people. "We continue to take steps to consolidate this event, which is so important for the island and which broadens the range of leisure activities on offer to residents and visitors," said the councillor.

The island's Head of Sports, Yurguen Hernández, emphasises the importance of this event, which is already consolidated on the island, linking the values of active life with the nature of La Palma and with tourism, as it allows the island to continue to position itself as the best destination for outdoor activities, such as hiking.

The 15 routes that will be held this year have official guides, all of them starting and finishing in the Plaza de España in Santa Cruz de La Palma. The routes have different durations and levels of difficulty with the aim of reaching all audiences, and during the event there will be medical staff on hand to guarantee the rapid attention of people in case they need it.

The Hiking Festival has four routes in its programme that link hiking with the primary sector, with visits to farms and product tasting. In this case, the focus will be on coffee, cheese, wine and honey, with products produced in different municipalities of La Palma, which will allow hikers to have direct contact with the producers.