Centro de Interpretación de la Reserva Marina de la Isla de La Palma

About the museum

The marine reserve of the island of La Palma was created in 2001 on the island's south-western coast. It covers around 3,455 hectares between the Caleta de los Pájaros and Punta Gruesa and reaches depths of 1,000 metres. Its purpose is to regulate local artisanal fishing so that populations of commercially valuable species can recover. It is managed by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), which also has an information office in the fishing port of Tazacorte.

The visitor centre occupies the former lighthouse of Fuencaliente, at the southern tip of the island beside the salt pans. The old stone tower, built at the beginning of the 20th century, was replaced in the 1980s by the new lighthouse with red and white stripes that stands beside it. The old lighthouse was rebuilt to house the centre, which opened on 29 June 2006 as the first centre of its kind created by the Ministry for outreach purposes. In 2025 the use of the building for this purpose was extended by ten years.

The exhibition aims to make the marine environment and fishing known and to encourage respect for them. In the entrance hall there is a panel about the reserve, three visual displays on waste and pollution in the sea, and a sculpture of an abadejo (pollack), one of the reserve's representative species. The main room recreates a volcanic cave with a glass floor, beneath which waste thrown into the sea can be seen, and walls with bronze fish and reliefs imitating the reserve's seabed. Hanging from the ceiling is a life-size bronze dolphin caught in a net, and a screen projects images of the marine environment.

Highlights

• Former lighthouse of Fuencaliente, beside the new lighthouse and the salt pans
• Recreation of a volcanic cave with a glass floor
• Bronze dolphin trapped in a fishing net
• Displays on pollution of the sea
• Information on the marine reserve and sustainable fishing

Permanent exhibition

• Exposición de la reserva marina – Displays on sea pollution and a recreation of a volcanic cave with a glass floor, bronze fish and a dolphin trapped in a net, explaining the reserve's seabed and sustainable fishing.

Founded

2006

Operated by

Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

By car, take the LP-2 road to the centre of Fuencaliente, then the LP-207 to the lighthouse, beside the Salinas de Fuencaliente.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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Plan your visit