Unique volcanic landscape, beautiful black and white beaches, cute towns and amazing views anywhere you go. With very windy weather. This is Lanzarote – the northernmost and easternmost island of the Spanish Canary Islands. It really is an impressive place and I kept thinking what a beautiful island this is all the time we were driving around. And there is so much to see and do.
We spend a week on Lanzarote and were staying in a lovely apartment in Costa Teguise (send me an e-mail if you want more information about it). It is perfect location to do day trips all around the island, as it is centrally located, it is also full of restaurants and stores, it has a long promenade and nice beaches. In February we had from 20 to 24 degrees Celsius during the day and sunny weather. However, it was windy every day. Some days more and some less. In the end we had five days of exploring the island, as of course I had to eat something bad again and got food poisoning – luckily less sever that the one in Mexico or in Peru. This means we will have to go back one day and see more of its beauties.
Here however, I am sharing our must see and do list for Lanzarote. And all this was doable with a 4-month old baby.
Pro tip: you can buy combined ticket for the main attractions and save money.
Admire the view at Mirador del Río
I honestly had great hopes for Mirador del Río. And I was not disappointed by the magnificent view of La Graciosa island and the Atlantic Ocean. But unfortunately, the viewpoint was closed due to some renovations, so we could only see the view from the road next to the parking spot. This means we could not enjoy the unique architectural creation of the viewpoint by architect César Manrique. He was born on Lanzarote and influenced the architecture and art on the island with his extraordinary perspective of the relationship between man and nature.
Swim at Playa Caletón Blanco
Between black volcanic rocks on Caletón Blanco beach white sand emerges. Water here is shallow and not so cold. At the same time the rocks shelter the beach from high waves, so this is a perfect place for swimming while enjoying the views of Órzola village and volcanoes in the distance.
Walk through charming Punta Mujeres and dip in its natural pools
This charming village full of little white houses is a perfect place for a stroll. While walking around you can’t miss the most colourful house called Casa Carmelita, which has cactuses, succulents and other green plants on display. Next to it you will find Punta Mujeres’ natural pools, that are filled with fresh sea water at high tide.
Get mesmerized at Jameos del Agua
Another architectural gem of César Manrique is Jameos del Agua. It is Art, Culture and Tourism Centre situated in series of lava tunnels that were made by Corona volcano. You are surprised from the moment you step inside this unique complex. First you descend to a big cave with a lake in which endemic local species blind crabs live. On one side of the cave there is a restaurant and on the other café. You continue your way to beautiful pool, visit concert hall in another cave and also get a chance to see the complex from some height, which offers the view of the ocean in the distance. The whole site is a true reflection of the architect’s aesthetic ideals of harmony between nature and people.
Explore volcanoes at Timanfaya National Park
One of the most impressive places on Lanzarote is definitely Timanfaya National Park – a landscape that was made by volcanic eruptions in the 18th and 19th century. Here you can drive through this unique landscape and also visit Montañas del Fuego (fire mountains) and go on a short organized bus tour around volcanoes, craters, lava fields and volcanic desert. After the tour you can check out geothermal presentation and eat chicken baked on volcanic heat. We however preferred to eat in a restaurant in nearby village Yaiza. For more information about the park you can also visit free exhibition in the Visitor Center in Mancha Blanca.
See the green lake at El Golfo
Another natural wonder of the island is Lago Verde, also known as Charco Verde or Charco de los Clicos. This beautiful green lagoon is situated in the remaining’s of a volcanic crater on a black sandy beach. The water gets its colour due to the phytoplankton in it and the lake is filled with seawater through underground cracks. Adding some red from the rocks to the green, black and blue the place really offers an impressive pallet of colours that my photos do not do it justice. After admiring the lake you can visit little fishing village El Golfo and sit down for a drink or fresh seafood.
Stop at Hervideros cliffs and salt flats Salinas del Janubio
Hervideros are impressive volcanic cliffs and caves that ocean carved into lava from volcanos of the Timanfaya National Park that stretched out to the water. Their name is translated as “boiling pots” and the crashing big waves can be definitely seen as water boiling. Nearby you can also visit Salinas del Janubio salt flats, the only operating commercial salt works on the island with more than 100 years of tradition of collecting salt.
Go for lunch at Playa Blanca
Popular tourist resort of Playa Blanca is full of hotels. But it is also a perfect place to stop for a lunch, as here are many restaurants serving delicious food. You can’t go wrong choosing some fresh seafood. After lunch you can also take a walk around Marina Rubicon.
Enjoy Playa del Papagayo
Lanzarote is, as you already know by now, a volcanic island, but you can still find beautiful white sandy beaches here. And they say Papagayo beach is one of the most beautiful. It has crystal clear and emerald green water, which was unfortunately very cold in February. It really is beautiful beach and next to it there are a few other you can visit.
Relax in Costa Teguise
Costa Teguise is one of popular holiday resorts on the island. This means here you will find sandy beaches, lots of restaurants, bars, cafes, different types of accommodations. It is a perfect place for relaxing at the beach and enjoying some Spanish food. You can also visit town’s square Pueblo Marinero, which was co-designed by César Manrique. I liked that all the houses in the center were white with green shutters and doors.
Drink Lanzarote’s volcanic wine
Volcanic soil and constant wind didn’t stop people in Lanzarote from producing wine. They adapted and designed special vineyards, where the vines have small walls built around them for wind protection. The result is a unique wine region named La Geria with excellent volcanic wine. At least that’s what they say. I am still breastfeeding so we did not go for a wine tasting, but we did see interesting vineyards while driving around the island. I did however buy a bottle of malvasia volcanica from one of the ten oldest wine producer in Spain El Grifo and can’t wait to try it.
See surfers at Playa de Famara
Famara beach is more than five kilometers long and because of the wind and waves a perfect spot for water sports like surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing. Or, if you are not a surfer like me, just enjoying the sun and watching other surfers. You can also visit nearby village Caleta de Famara.
What more did we want to see?
- Wine museum El Grifo
- Caldera de los Cuevos
- Teguise village
- Cactus garden Jardín de Cactus
- The capital city on the island Arrecife
- Haría village with César Manrique house museum
- Viewpoint Mirador de el Risco de Famara
Visited: February 2022