Netflix's La Palma was filmed right on location, using real-life venues to emulate its on-screen disaster.
Here's Where La Palma Netflix Was Filmed
La Palma primarily used the real-life island for which the series takes its name as its primary filming location.
While the series itself is not based on a true story (read more about La Palma's real-life inspirations here), it does center itself on a region of the real world known for its volcanic activity.
The island of La Palma — where the four-episode limited series is set and where much of it was filmed —is located on the Northwest corner of the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa. It is a Spanish-owned territory and tourist hub known for its sprawling beaches and gorgeous mountain ranges.
Cumbre Vieja, La Palma
The volcano at the center of La Palma has a name — Cumbre Vieja (or Old Summit).
Cumbre Vieja is the volcano that shows signs of life in the streaming thriller, eventually leading to its eruption, which threatens the residents of the island, including the series' primary family of Norwegian tourists.
The volcano is really as active as the series says it is. It has seen three major eruptions in the last 75 years, including one that lasted for three months in late 2021 and destroyed thousands of structures on the island.
Isla Bonita, Tenerife
While much of the filming for La Palma took place on La Palma itself, some of the scenes were shot in nearby Tenerife — the most populous of the Canary Islands.
Tenerife is roughly 260 km East of La Palma in the Atlantic Ocean, and its Isla Bonita served as a primary filming location for the Netflix series. The island is the most visited of the Canary Islands archipelago and sees over five million tourists per year.
Isla Bonita is a luxury resort located on the tropical island whose main lobby can be seen in Episode 1 of the series as the family of tourists at the show's center checks in for their vacation away from home.
While Ilsa Bonita served as the interior for the resort where much of the series takes place, it is not the same building used for any exterior shots of the building.
H10 Taburiente Playa, La Palma
H10 Taburiente Playa on La Palma served as the main filming location for any exterior shots or sequences in the series' central resort.
Situated on the East coast of La Palma, H10 Taburiente Playa offers its visitors a seaside view, as well as being just a short walk down the hillside to the famous Los Cancajos.
Looking inland from the hotel, one can see the towering peaks of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, located a meager 23 km from its front door. This puts it right in the line of fire of a potential eruption, something that becomes a key plot point of the La Palma series.
Playa de la Arena, Tenerife
Playa de la Arena is another Tenerife location that was used for filming in La Palma.
The famous black sand beach can be seen in Episode 1 of the series as Alma Günther's Sara walks its shore, eventually finding her brother, Tobias (played by Bernard Storm Lager), there later in the episode.
Playa de la Arena (translated to "The Arena Beach") is one of the most-visited beaches on the island, offering mainly tourists easy access to the Atlantic Ocean.
La Palma Airport
The La Palma Airport is the only form of escape for its visitors, which becomes a key plot point in La Palma Episode 4.
The airport was used for shooting, showing the residents on the island attempting to leave as plumes of ash from the nearby volcanic eruption spewed up into the air.
Aside from taking a passenger boat, the La Palma Airport is the only way in or out of the island, making it vital in an emergency circumstance like a volcanic eruption.
The last real-life eruption on the island actually caused the airport to shut down as it was directly affected by the severe ash accumulation, making it even harder to evacuate than it already was.
Since then, the airport has recovered from the damage and is fully operational once again.
The Norwegian-language disaster thriller La Palma centers on the real-world island of La Palma as its residents (mostly made of vacationers) grapple with the dangers of an incoming volcanic eruption.
La Palma has been praised for its picturesque locales and visceral-feeling action that puts the viewers right at the heart of its explosive ecological disaster.
La Palma is now streaming on Netflix.
