Timanfaya Fire Mountains

The National Park of Timanfaya is the clearest exponent of the volcanic origins of the island. Its reds, ocres and blacks form a lunar landscape that will not leave visitors indifferent.
The volcanic eruptions produced in 1730 (which lasted six years) and those in 1824 created new craters, they entombed whole villages and buried the most fertile terrain on the island.
Following the road towards the park, one arrives at the Islote de Hilario , where one can see the tourist attraction of the artificial geysers, provoked by pouring cold water into a magma chamber that is located at a depth of three kilometres.
In El Islote, one finds the restaurant, El Diablo, famously created by the international artist, Cesar Manrique, where one can taste typical Canarian food cooked on a natural oven.Amongst the options for the tourist, one can choose between visiting the park on camel-back; covering a 14 kilometre bus tour, during which one reaches some of the most famous places in the park and can listen to the narration by the priest of Yaiza about the volcanic eruptions; or taking on foot one of the two guided routes - the Tremesana route or the Litoral route. These last are for groups of up to a maximum of 7, and have to be previously arranged either by telephone or by visiting the administration offices (Address: C/ Laguneta, 64. Telephone: 928 84 02 38/ 928 84 23 40) .

Los Jameos del Agua

Los Jameos del Agua, is the number one tourist centre on the island. It was built by Jesus Soto and Luis Morales in 1968 from an idea by Cesar Manrique, and completed in 1987 with the construction of the auditorium.
Los Jameos del Agua - like La Cueva de Los Verdes - was formed by the lava flow from the eruption of the volcano, La Corona, which advanced while the surface solidified. Due to the action of the gas trapped beneath the surface, part of the surface collapsed.
The entrance is the so-called 'jameo chico'. It has been turned into a bar-restaurant, access to which is gained by a stone stairway. It communicates with the 'jameo grande' by a pathway of 100 metres in length and 13 metres wide that crosses the small lake that is home to the 'jameito', tiny blind albino crabs that are unique to Lanzarote.
The 'jameo grande' has been turned into a beautiful garden of tropical plants species centred around a vibrant, turquoise-coloured pool. At the end of this 'jameo', an auditorium of 600 seats has been built which possesses excellent acoustics. It is the venue for concerts and spectacles like the prestigious Festival of Visual Music of Lanzarote.
If you wish to know a little more about the volcanoes and their formation, the processes that formed the island are demonstrated in the museum of volcanism, 'Casa de Los Volcanes', through the use of displays, videos, monitors, etc. Every day from 11am to 6pm.

La Cueva de Los Verdes

In the 18th Century, these caves served as a refuge for the natives, the Majoreros, when they suffered attacks from slavers or pirates.
La Cueva de los Verdes forms part of the lava flow which originated from the eruption of the volcano of La Corona, and which advanced underground while the surface solidified. At the entrance of La Cueva de los Verdes, there occurs a phenomena known as jameo, the collapse of the surface due to weight or a gas explosion.
In 1964, Jesus Soto transformed almost two kilometres of caves, respecting to the utmost its structure and limiting the changes to the installation of a magnificent system of lighting that enhances this natural phenomena, highlighting in all its splendour the hues of the cave walls. Gentle ambient music accompanies this spectacle, converting this tourist centre into one of the most beautiful. Inside the cave an auditorium has been installed, the second venue of the Visual Music Festival of Lanzarote.

Mirador del Río

From the windows of its domes, one can contemplate the views that are offered to the visitor at this height: the Atlantic Ocean and the Chinijo archipelago - La Graciosa, Alegranza, Montaña Clara, Roque del Este, Roque del Oeste and Roque del Infierno - a marine reserve area.
El Mirador is built into a place where previously a battery of canons was installed for use in the war between Spain and the U.S.A. over Cuba in the C19. It was built in 1973, at a height of 479 metres above sea level. It is not simply an excavation in the cliff, but rather a building with two enormous buried domes, so as to hide the construction. It was conceived by the artist, Cesar Manrique, with the collaboration of Jesus Soto and the architect, Eduardo Caceres.
From this beautiful place, one can contemplate the beach at Risco, which can be reached by boat or on foot following the cliff path - one should not forget that returning to the cliff top is a steep climb and one must go prepared to spend the day.
From the Mirador one can also see Las Salinas del Río; the oldest salt plains of the archipelago, which have been used since Roman times. Lastly, and to satisfy the most curious, the name of Rio, or river, comes from the thin stretch of sea of approximately two kilometres which separates La Graciosa and Lanzarote.

Jardín de Cactus

The Jardín de Cactus was the last work of Cesar Manrique, a symbol of the island's history where one can see more than 10,000 cacti in the setting of a converted quarry, which has the form of an amphitheatre.
The Jardín de Cactus is found on the outskirts of Guatiza, on the road to Mala. It is in this area where during more than a century the cochineal beetle has been cultivated - an insect which lives in the cactus and whose larva are used to produce the valuable natural colorant, cochineal.
From the road, one can easily recognise the entrance to the cactus garden, as there rises up an 8 metre sculpture of a cactus.
In this tourist centre, an abandoned 'rofe' (volcanic ash) quarry in the shape of an amphitheatre has been used, in whose terraces one can admire more than 10,000 different kinds of cacti from the Canary Islands, America and Madagascar.
In the centre, stick up stone monoliths that complement the design of the garden. On one side, rises up an old windmill, restored in 1973 by Manrique, in which is produced 'gofio' (corn flour), consumed by the islanders' ancestors. The garden offers visitors various services and a bar-restaurant..