La Palma Carnival Cruise

Join us in a cruise from Tenerife to La Palma and back to join in Los Indianos, one of Spain's most exotic and spectacular Carnival street parties!

In bygone years of sail-powered travel, Santa Cruz de La Palma was an important commercial port in the Spanish world, and was a stepping off point for transatlantic passages, particularly to the island of Cuba. Carnival parties are frequently spectacular and take on a local flavour as islands and cities on the Spanish mainland compete for renown. Los Indianos, the headlining street party of Santa Cruz's Carnival, celebrates (and parodies) the return of the "Indianos", La Palma emigrés who went to Cuba looking for fortune when times were hard in the Canaries. The Indianos came back to their home island to show off their newly found wealth dressed in ostentatious creole fashions from the Caribbean, smoking grand Cuban cigars and often bringing their servants as status symbols.

The tradition of the party is to join in the revelry in the streets dressed in white, throwing talcum powder into the air: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2572943/Powder-people-Revellers-throw-talcum-powder-annual-Los-Indianos-carnival-Canary-Islands.html.

The cruise will also give us the opportunity to visit the west side of La Palma, taking in many different aspects of the island's dramatic volcanic landscape. If conditions allow, we will make the return passage via an overnight anchorage on La Gomera a short distance to the west of Tenerife. As we approach our home port of Marina San Miguel we will enjoy spectactular views of El Teide, Tenerife's central volcano and, at 3800m, Spain's highest mountain.