For people interested in experiencing La Palma on foot, there are now easy, safe footpaths.

The Island Council of La Palma has designed a network of footpaths that comply with the regulations of the ERA (European Ramblers Association) and are authorized by the FEDME (Spanish Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing). Hikers will now find the same sort of track and signposting system as is used the rest of the world.

The different footpaths are assigned a set of initials and a number. There are there main types of paths:

GR, or long distance footpaths, take more than a day to walk. Here, the Gr 130 circles the entire island, passing through the principal towns, and avoiding substantial differences in elevation. The GR 131 joins two major routes: "La Ruta de los Volcanes" (route of the volcanoes) and "La Ruta de la Crestería" (ridge route).

PR, or short distance footpaths, can be walked from end to end in one day. La Palma has 19 principal and 23 secondary PRs.

SL, or local footpaths, are less than 10 km long. They either llink up more major footpaths, or are short, local loops. The numbers assigned to these paths show the municipalities in which they are located.

For greater comfort and security, the different footpaths are marked with arrows and the name of the path; informative panels, providing interesting information on the surrounding area; and painted markers. The markers follow an easy to read colour-code system.