Lanzarote is the island which geographically has the least distance to the Moroccan border. A few years ago I spent there one week and liked it a lot. The mountainous area of the island was really impressing. My best friend and I enjoyed one day in the Timanfaya National Park. It was a pleasure to get lunch in the restaurant El Diablo where the barbecue was heated by the volcano. We also took the chance for a camel ride through the park which was a real adventure.

Another day we went on a round trip by bus and saw a few more places of interest. We took some pictures of ourselves in front of the lagoon El Golfo, went to the salt evaporation pond Salinas de Janubio, had a fantastic forecast from the viewpoint Mirador del Río and inspected the lava tube Jameos del Agua.

Mirador del Río and Jameos del Agua belong to the works of art of César Manrique, an artist and architect who had great influence on the visual appearance of the island. He was the one who avoided the construction of high-rise buildings there.

Unfortunately we could not realize a boat trip to the Papagayo beaches due to weather turbulences. However, it was wonderful to relax on the beach in front of our hotel in Puerto del Carmen where we also enjoyed night life and got in touch with many nice people from all over the world, especially the English tourists in discos and pubs.

General facts
Everybody of us loves sun, fun and recreation. And we all love holidays of a very beautiful island. My last trip went to Lanzarote. It was my first time on a canary island. I have not missed Germany. It was a beautiful time of one of the biggest canary island. Beautiful weather, people and a beautyful enviroment.

Time, weather and tour
Also in November I had beautiful weather in comparison to Germany. On the first day I had done a sightseeing tour. I have seen the “Hacha Granade”. The mountain is about 560 meters high. But not only the culture is beautiful also the mentality. You can buy beautiful things.

The water
And the water is very blue and very warm. You can make a diving tour and it is very interessting if you see the coral and the rare fish where you only know from the aquarium. If you dive you forget the time very fast and you will be fascinated like me I think.

Hiking tour into the country
I also recommend a hiking tour into the mountains and the country. There you can learn a lot of the culture. Everybody can go there and will not back to home. I know you can’t imaging what I tell you but try it and you will not be disappointed.
Love

Lanzarote is the fourth largest of the Canary Islands and is located in the north-east of Fuerteventura. The island has a dramatic landscape: no trees, no bushes, less water. What’s interesting about Lanzarote is its volcanic origin, its volcanic lakes and caves.

I’ seen a lot during the fourteen days and all the time I seemed to be on the moon and sometimes was surprised to see the ocean next to me. But nevertheless the meagre island has vegetation: Cactuses! Cactuses in all shapes you can imagine! Some of them were in full bloom!

Once I made a tour through the famous winegrowing area La Geria. There were deep semi-circular cones made of black volcanic ash with lush green grape-vines in it. I tasted the wine at the vineyard and it was really good, so I bought some bottles for my next relaxing evening in the hotel.

From the Timanfaya National Park, which is the mountainous area of the island, I drove straight up to the north to see the “Mirador del Rio”. In the hotel they told me, that this is a must, a highlight, I should see it. And they were right! The immensity of the Atlantic Ocean is impressive, I could also see the island La Graciosa in the distance.

Back to the south I visited “La Cueva de los Verdes” near the volcano Monte de la Corona. The area has created a spectacular system of underground grotto. Its volcanic gallery is the longest in the world, about 6 km long!

A must is also the “Jardin de Cactus”, a cactus garden which shelters about 10,000 types of cactus.

To me Lanzarote is the islands of the group that holds most attraction. Just as the other islands, it is of volcanic origin. But on Lanzarote there was important volcanic activity during the 18th and 19th century. The arid climate and almost complete lack of erosion has left the traces of the volcanic eruptions intact and the landscape of the island has a touch of a lunar landscape.

During my last vacation I had the opportunity to visit the Atlantida Cave system which was formed due to volcanic activity aproximately 3,000 years ago. It consists of one of the largest volcanic tunnels in the world and an impressive cave. In former times the area was used by the inhabitants to shelter from the frequent pirate attacks.

Contrasting with the volcanic scenary of the island we find quite a few lovely sandbeaches, where sunshine and a mild seabreeze invite the visitor to enjoy a bath in the deep blue ocean.

Several resorts have developed in Lanzarote over the years. Playa del Carmen, Puerto Blanco and Famara offer good acommodations and all the amenities a modern tourist expects. However everything seems to be a bit more laid back that on the neighbouring islands of Tenerife and Gran Canary. An island ideal for a relaxing vacation.

For some hustle and bustle we like to visit Arrecife. The island´s capital also has a very beautiful beach that is lined with palm trees and reminds us of the tropics.

There are many bars and places that offer night entertainment in this area. I always enjoy stopping at one of the street cafes for a cortado, the traditional coffee and then continue on to the town center for shopping. The Canary Islands have a preferential tax status which allows the visitor to bring home tax free items like cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and perfume.

We stayed in Arrecife in a beautiful hotel very close to the town, where you can get souvenirs and really nice food.

Allthough our hotel was “All-Inclusive” we enjoyed going out for meal, which was not too expensive in the restaurants.
In some of the hotels nearby it was possible to go to bars and have a great night dancing and drinking.

But as we love adventures, we rented a car which was also very cheap and the gas prices were not as high as back home.

Lanzarote is a relatively small Island and so we were able to go by car all around it as there is only one main road around the whole isle.
Most of it was inactive vulcanos and dry land which was quite boring.

What we enjoyed most was the Cactus Park “Jardin de Cactus” and Jameos del Agua which was one of the island´s artist´s work.

Cèsar Manrique made an artificial pool and a museum all about vulcanos inside magma caves.

Once a week this area was opened as a club and we could enjoy drinks in a very unique area. I would really recommend this sight.

The Island´s vegetation is very dry and rough. It´s significance is distinct in the vulcanos of which some are still active.
It is possible to visit the vulcano that is still active in the “Parque Nacional de Timanfaya”.

Staying in one place on that island is almost a waste of time. You should get a car and see all of the island!

In the north of the island is the mountain Penas del Cache, there are no sandy beaches. In the south of the island is another mountain Los Ajaches. The sandy and long beaches are in the south or southwest.

At the Blaya Blanca in the south there are hotels, restaurants and bars.

Puerto del Carmen is even in the south and there are hotels, restaurants and some nightlife. Costa Teguise in the southwest is quiet and ideal for families.

In the backland of the isle there are still some old typical villages. I like to visit them. The climate of the island is soft-gloved all over the year, sometimes windy. If the wind comes from the Sahara it can be very hot in summer.

The artist Cesar Manrique born on this island, now his house is a museum after his death. Wonderful to see his art. In his art you see the bond between the island and the vulcano. The beauty of the island, the climate and the sun make your holiday a unforgottable adventure.

One finds two mountain ranges, on which you can have an impressing view on a cruise. On an island stop during the cruise you have the possibility to explore a little.

To emigrate to Lanzarote is an idea for sure many people have and still are having. If somebody thought about building up a new life on Lanzarote, it would be recommendable to first know the isle a little bit – for example through a holiday.

Lanzarote is also frequently named as the island of the volcanos. The many volcanic eruptions along the times formed a very special and bizarre volcanic landscape on Lanzarote, which is giving its unique character to the island.

The natives have a very happy character and they love celebrations. Many times celebrations, in Spanish called fiesta, are taking place in honor of a patron saint. The canarians benefit this instance to live out their sunny character. If you have the possibility to take part of such a lively “fiesta” you should do so and have a nice time.

Some sources even claim that its name descended from Lanzelot, the famous knight of the company at table.

It actually owes his name to the genoese merchant and seafarer Lanceloto Malocetto. The facts have been proofed historically.

Lava-Landscape of the fire-mountains of Lanzarote

Most of the charming landscape on Lanzarote has been conserved because the builidings do never count a lot of storeys. An interesting contrast to the black lava-rocks are the white houses and the palms and cactuses.

Who spends a holiday on the isle of Lanzarot,e for example in Puerto del Carmen, has the well developed infrastructure at his disposal and can easily explore the island by his own.

Around the beatiful viewout point “Mirador del Rio” in the north of the isle there is much to discover:
The valley of the thousand palms, the cactus park or the cave system “Los Jameos Del Agua“.

“Los Jameos de Agua” represent a natural phenomenon of a very special type:
After the big volcanic eruptions the lava has cooled off fastly and flow in channels down to the sea, partly through the underground. Long corridors and caves, which found a different use, like for example for agriculture cultivation or even concert halls or domicils. The artist and architect Cesar Manrique established himself domestically in such a tunnel, where today we find a museum, which it is worth to visit.

Lanzarote is situated only 130 kilometers from the coast of Africa and 1.000 kilometers from the Spanish mainland. , and it is the one of the Canary islands group most located on the north-east in the Atlantic Ocean.

There are ideal possibilities for individual holiday makers on Lanzarote to explore the island or to learn about its history.

For any budget you can find accomodations on this wonderful island. For example a country house in exclusive surroundings would be a good alternative to stay in Lanzarote and to get to know the life of the locals.

The most remarkable sights are protected and sponsored by the patronage of the islands government.

Some of greatest attractions were created by the world-famous architect and artist César Manrique, they form a single symbiosis between art on high standard, tradition and the volcanic landscape of Lanzarote.

Long time the economic base of the island has been fishing and agriculture. More and more tourism gained on economical importance and developed an excellent infrastructure and exemplary tourist services for a balance between nature and tourism.

The new free video game ‘Timanfaya – Verschollen in den Feuerbergen’ enables you to visit Lanzarote once again.

The story about the missing daughter of a bussinessman on Lanzarote brings the players around many of the most beautiful places around the island and gives a lot of detailed informtion about Lanzarote. The game was made with real photos of the island combined with handmade 2D-animations.

The game was made by a single person and is now available for free download on

http://www.timanfaya-game.de/downloads.php

Voices and screentext in german.

Lanzarote also offers a golf course for visitors and locals, it is situated at the Costa Teguise in the south. Tennis courts form part of most of the big hotel complexes, however, courts and courses for all holiday-makers are also available in holiday centres.

Who would like to discover the island by walking, can join guided groups or take his own initiative. In any case adequate shoes and sufficient water reserves should be part of the basic equipment. On a guided walk in the national park of Timanfaya one learns about the history of origins of the island and the volcanic activities.

Night life in Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise is very eventful and you can find quite a lot of bars, pubs and restaurants in which you can let die away the day.

Holiday-makers have the choice between charming little restaurants at the port promenade and numerous discos and bars in Puerto del Carmen in the south of the capital Arrecife. The shopping centre Atlanticò is particularly popular for teenagers.

In Arrecife starts evey evening a hustle and bustle round the pubs and little bars in the streets around the lagoon Charco de of San Ginés. Not before midnight anyone goes for the first discotheques, before everybody gets in mood at the Playa del Reducto.