El Paso is located at about 700 meters above sea level on the road Santa Cruz - Los Llanos, the important east-west connection of La Palma, three kilometers above Los Llanos and at the foot of Cumbre and Cumbrecita. Thanks to the construction boom of recent years and the constant renovation of the casas rurales with a growing range of holiday homes and fincas and an increasing number of mainly German residents the town has grown to almost 8,000 inhabitants. Even a German primary school was established. The houses are scattered to the right and left of the busy Carretera General and stretch down the slope over an altitude difference of around 300 meters. The village center is grouped around the church Nuestra Señora de Bonanza with its four crosses around the church tower.
Silk Museum
In El Paso's Silk Museum you can visit the traditional silk production and silkworm breeding like nowhere else in Europe. The threads of the silk cocoons are spun into shiny strands and woven into shirts, ties or scarves, which are often bought as souvenirs (Silk Museum Las Hilanderas).
Tobacco factory, information center, and bird park
A tobacco factory (brand "Winston") that has been shut down in the meantime can still be seen in El Paso. Below the park of El Paso, at the bus stop is the tourist information with handicraft sales. At the end of the village towards Los Llanos, there is the small bird park "Paraíso de las Aves".
Ermita de la Virgen del Pino
On a short walk, you can admire the rock paintings of La Fajana. On the large plain in front of El Paso, at the foot of the Cumbrecita, stands the chapel "Nuestra Señora de El Pino" (Ermita de la Virgen del Pino), which derives its name from the imposing Canary Island pine, which still stands here today and in which Maria is said to have appeared once. The statue of the Virgin Mary inside the church is carried every three years at the end of August to the center of El Paso in a solemn procession in traditional costume.
Lookout point "La Cumbrecita" and Caldera Visitor Centre
The viewpoint La Cumbrecita at El Paso offers a view into the Caldera de Taburiente in all its magnificence. At the crossroads in front of Cumbrecita, about 1.5 kilometres east of El Paso, is the CalderaVisitor Centre ("Centro de Visitantes de El Paso" - ugly concrete block), where up-to-date information about the National Park, the necessary permits for camping in the "Playa del Taburiente" and registrations can be made. The El Pilar recreation area near El Paso in an extensive forest area is an ideal place for a quiet holiday.
