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SPAIN | Lanzarote, Spain Travel Guide
Friday, April 19, 2024
Exploring Lanzarote
Arrecife
The capital and main tourist resort of Lanzarote is Arrecife, on the southeastern coast of the island. More than likely you’ll need to pass through this unspectacular city before venturing out into the island. With a quick stop, check out the Castillo de San Gabriel and the Castillo de San José. The revered local architect Cesar Manrique was responsible for converting the 18th-century Castillo de San José into the home of the island’s Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (Puerto Naos). Puerto del Carmen, 10 km (six miles) south of Arrecife, is the only other major tourist center of the island.
Haría
In driving around the island, take note of the many structures designed by the late architect and island native César Manrique. On a drive to arguably the island’s most attractive village, Haría, make a detour to reach the weird volcanic caves of the Jameos del Agua, flooded with sea water and retrofitted by Manrique as a concert auditorium with a restaurant, pool and disco; nearby is the Cueva de Los Verdes, with an entrance designed by Manrique and tour guides on hand to lead through its lit caverns. In the south of the island, the emerald waters of the El Golfo lagoon sided by sheer cliffs warrant a visit.
Beaches of Lanzarote
The best beaches of Lanzarote (though they’re all quite nice) are near the Playa Blanca at the southern tip of the island. Of these, the stark white sands of the Punta de Papagayo are off the beaten path and usually empty. The beaches around Puerto del Carmen and Arrecife, including Guacimeta, El Reducto and Las Cucharas, are more lively and only by Lanzarote standards very crowded. In the west, the Playa de Famara outside of Teguise is a popular picture-taking spot with tall cliffs wrapped around it.
Parque Nacional de Timanfaya
Spain’s most forbidding national park is of keen interest to volcanologists, but less so to the average tourist. The volcanic landscape is all but devoid of vegetation, smells of sulfur and has as its symbol, rather appropriately, the image of the devil. Unlike the surrounding islands, Timanfaya has experienced comparatively recent volcanic activity, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. All told there are 36 volcanoes within the park and probably the best way to see them all is on one of the tour buses operated out of Islote de Hilario, where the park center is located. The park is signposted from the village of Yaiza. Hungry tourists will appreciate the meals cooked on natural geothermal barbecues. While it encompasses the most awesome of the island’s volcanoes, Timanfaya’s are just a few of over 300 cones, a feature that has earned the whole of the island protection under UNESCO. After a visit, it should come as no surprise that the island has frequently been used as a setting for science fiction movies.
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