Mirador del Roque de los Muchachos
Viewpoint at the top of La Palma, next to the astrophysics observatory.
The Mirador del Roque de los Muchachos occupies the highest point of La Palma, at 2,426 metres above sea level, in the municipality of Garafía and on the rim of the Caldera de Taburiente. From here the view takes in the caldera and, on clear days, other islands outlined above the sea of clouds. Beside the viewpoint stands the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, inaugurated in 1985, one of the largest arrays of telescopes in the world and considered the second best site in the northern hemisphere for optical astronomy, behind only Mauna Kea in Hawaii. It is reached by car along the road climbing up from Santa Cruz de la Palma.
Did you know? This observatory is home to the Gran Telescopio Canarias, the world's largest single-aperture optical telescope, whose 10.4-metre mirror is made of 36 hexagonal segments that work together as one.
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Mirador de Izcagua
Mirador de Izcagua stands in the El Pinar area of Puntagorda, in the north-west of La Palma, right beside the Mercadillo del Agricultor farmers' market. The website of the La Palma Biosphere Reserve presents it as a set of floating viewpoints: walkways edged with glass railings that reach out over the ravine and give a sensation of flight. It is reached by car from the village centre heading north, along the camino del Pinar.
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