The road winds through a landscape of black lava fields and volcanic cones, the deep blue Atlantic glinting on the horizon, while palm trees and white-washed villages offer sudden splashes of green and white against the dark earth.
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The Timanfaya National Park Route
The drive through Timanfaya National Park is the most spectacular and otherworldly journey on Lanzarote, taking visitors through a landscape that was shaped by catastrophic volcanic eruptions between 1730 and 1736. The road through the park is strictly controlled, with visitors driving in a guided convoy or taking a bus tour, but the experience is worth any restriction. The landscape is a vast expanse of solidified lava flows, volcanic cones, and craters, with colors ranging from deep black and charcoal through rust red and ochre to pale grey and white. The silence is profound, broken only by the wind and the crunch of tyres on the volcanic road.
The route passes through the Montanas del Fuego (Fire Mountains), where the ground is still hot just below the surface. Park rangers demonstrate the geothermal heat by pouring water into boreholes, which immediately erupts into geysers of steam. The Echadero de los Camellos, a viewpoint at the heart of the park, offers panoramic views across the lava fields to the Atlantic, with the neighboring islands of Fuerteventura and Los Lobos visible on clear days. The restaurant at the viewpoint, El Diablo, is designed by the legendary Lanzarote architect and artist Cesar Manrique, and features a circular glass-walled dining room with spectacular views.
The drive continues through the vineyards of La Geria, where the landscape transforms into something equally unusual but entirely different. Here, thousands of semi-circular stone walls protect individual grape vines from the wind, creating a surreal geometric pattern across the valley. The volcanic soil, known as picn, retains moisture from the morning dew, allowing vines to thrive in this arid landscape. Several bodegas along the route offer tastings of the distinctive Malvasia wines produced in this unique terroir. The contrast between the black volcanic landscape and the green vines, punctuated by the white walls of the wineries, makes for unforgettable driving views.
The Northern Coastal Drive: Famara to Haria
The drive along Lanzarote’s rugged northern coast, from the surf beach of Famara up to the scenic viewpoint at Mirador del Rio, is one of the most dramatic coastal routes in the Canary Islands. The road hugs the cliffs of the Famara Massif, a 600-meter-high escarpment that forms the northern spine of the island. The views down to the long sweep of Famara Beach, where Atlantic rollers crash onto golden sand, are breathtaking. The beach is a mecca for surfers, and the sight of tiny figures riding the waves far below gives a sense of the scale of this landscape. The road is narrow and winding, requiring careful driving, but every corner reveals a new vista that rewards the effort.
The destination is the Mirador del Rio, a viewpoint designed by Cesar Manrique that is perched on the edge of a 500-meter cliff. The viewpoint is built into the rock, with a white-walled, glass-floored platform that extends over the void, giving the sensation of floating above the ocean. The view takes in the entire northern coast of Lanzarote, the smaller island of La Graciosa, and the azure waters of the Rio Strait. On clear days, the view extends to the other islands of the Chinijo Archipelago, a protected marine reserve. The cafe at the viewpoint serves refreshments, and the gift shop offers books and prints about Manrique’s work and the island’s natural heritage.
The return drive passes through the town of Haria, known as the “Valley of a Thousand Palms” for the thousands of date palms that fill the valley floor. Haria is a picturesque white-washed town with a beautiful church square, artisan shops, and excellent restaurants serving Canarian cuisine. The drive down through the palm groves, with the green canopy filtering the sunlight and the wind rustling through the fronds, is a complete contrast to the barren volcanic landscape of Timanfaya. The Mirador de Haria, a lookout point on the approach to the town, offers a classic view of the valley and its thousands of palms, a scene that has inspired artists and photographers for generations.
The Southern Wine and Coast Route
The southern part of Lanzarote offers a gentler driving experience, combining coastal scenery with the island’s most productive wine-growing regions. The drive from the capital Arrecife south toward the resort of Playa Blanca passes through the wine regions of San Bartolome and Yaiza, where the same distinctive method of grape cultivation is practiced. The roadside is lined with the characteristic stone semicircles protecting individual vines, and the views across the vineyards to the sea are beautiful. The villages along this route, including Tias, Puerto Calero, and Femes, offer opportunities to stop for coffee, lunch, or wine tasting.
The coastal section of this route passes through the El Golfo area, home to one of Lanzarote’s most photographed natural wonders: the Green Lagoon. This vivid green lake sits in the crater of an extinct volcano, its color created by algae that thrive in the mineral-rich water. The black sand beach of El Golfo, with its dramatic cliffs and crashing waves, is just a short walk from the lagoon, and the combination of black sand, green water, and blue sea creates a color palette that seems almost unreal. The village of El Golfo has several seafood restaurants that serve fresh fish caught that morning, making it an excellent lunch stop.
The route culminates in the Los Ajaches area, a volcanic massif that forms the southern tip of the island. The drive through this protected landscape offers views of volcanic cones, fossilized sand dunes, and the empty coastline of the southern shore. The road ends at the lighthouse at Punta del Papagayo, where a network of tracks leads to some of the island’s most beautiful beaches, including the popular Papagayo beaches. These coves, with their golden sand and turquoise water, are a fitting destination for a southern driving tour, offering the opportunity to swim, sunbathe, or simply enjoy the coastal scenery before heading back.
The Central Mountain Route: From the Coast to the Summit
For those who want to experience Lanzarote’s vertical dimension, the drive up the slopes of the Monte Corona volcano offers spectacular views of the entire island. The road climbs through pine forests and past volcanic cones, with the views expanding at every turn. The drive ends at the crater of the Monte Corona, where a short walk leads to the rim and a 360-degree view of the island. On clear days, the view extends from the northern cliffs of Famara to the southern tip at Papagayo, taking in the entire sweep of the island’s varied landscapes.
The Cueva de los Verdes, a lava tube formed by the eruption of Monte Corona, is a highlight of this route. The lava tube runs six kilometers from the volcano to the sea, with a section open to the public that is illuminated to show the extraordinary formations of the solidified lava. The guided tour takes visitors through chambers with names like the “Theatre” and the “Dairy,” where the lava has formed strange and beautiful shapes. The experience of standing in the darkness of the lava tube, with only the guide’s torch illuminating the twisted rock, is a powerful reminder of the volcanic forces that shaped this island.
The Jameos del Agua, another creation of Cesar Manrique, lies at the end of this lava tube where it meets the sea. Manrique transformed a collapsed section of the tube, known as a jameo, into a stunning cultural venue that includes a concert hall, a restaurant, and a natural swimming pool filled with crystal-clear seawater. The venue is famous for its albino crabs, a unique species that lives only in the waters of this particular lava tube. The combination of volcanic geology, architectural genius, and natural beauty makes Jameos del Agua a fitting conclusion to a driving tour of Lanzarote, encapsulating everything that makes this island unique.
Which of Lanzarote’s landscapes would you most like to explore by car: the volcanic moonscape, the coastal cliffs, or the vine-covered valleys?
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