La Zarza and Zarcita Cultural Park

Things to do in La Palma

Take a charming forest hike in the north of the island and go back in time to explore rock art that was created hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years ago.

The intriguing swirls carved into stone are found in a rainforest cultural park in Garafia. You first get to see 29 panels at La Zarza and then 18 more at La Zarcita. The walk takes about an hour.

There is a small fee to enter the park (2 euros at the time of writing) which also has a museum where visitors can learn more about the mysterious origins of the carvings and the theories behind them. They were only discovered in 1941 but they date back to the island’s original inhabitants.

There are about 200 examples of ancient rock art on the island, but most are high in the mountains. They are often found near water or pasture so some archaeologists think they could be linked to the water cults and fertility rites of the Benahoare people, who were there for many hundreds of years before the 15th century Spanish invasion.

The park’s car park is signposted on the main road that goes around the north of the island, between La Mata and Llano Negro.