Lanzarote - Mirador del Guinate

Part of the ‘Off the beaten track Lanzarote' series.

We are famous for loving looking out from good viewpoints and considering how flat Lanzarote is (except the randomly popping out volcanoes, of course) there aren’t many here to choose from. Mirador del Río seems to be THE mirador on the island but as we were in the vicinity of the one in Guinate we decided to watch the sunset from there.

On the North side of the island not far North of Haría there’s a tiny village called Máguez, that’s where the road to the mirador starts from. There are no signs to follow at all so it’s good to have a SatNav or a good, detailed map with you. Once you find the path you are sorted, all you have to do is follow it to the end. After a while it will become a dirt road.

You will see a few information boards around the area and the views on the side, feel free to get out and have a read, it’s always nice to know a bit about your surroundings.

After about 15 min of driving we finally arrived to the viewpoint just in time to see the sunset.

We vowed to come back here and have a look at the volcano we passed on the way. I will make sure to bring a picnic and have it right here at this spot staring out to the beach of Famara, the cliffs, the island of La Graciosa and the circling seagulls.  

Off the beaten track Lanzarote

I’ve decided to start an ‘off the beaten track’ series about Lanzarote as most people who come to visit this amazing island receive information about only a fraction of the sites worth visint. I do have to warn everybody though that these places are truly ‘off the beaten track’ meaning that most of them are difficult to get to, not signposted and there aren’t always refreshments available in a 5 minute radius. I do hope however this collection will help those who want to see behind the usual attractions offered by tourist resorts and tour buses.

I am going to start it off with my next blog and will continuously add places to it as we visit more and more of the island so keep checking back for more info.

- Mirador de Guinate

- Caletón Blanco

- Caldera Blanca

Lanzarote – El Mirador del Río

If you make the journey up to the North of the Island, make sure to stop by here as this is the most famous viewpoint in Lanzarote and for a good reason. The road that leads you through this part of the island is lovely so be ready to pop out for a few photos. There are plenty of road signs to guide you. You will drive through the tiny village of Yé which officially gets the medal for the shortest name in Spain.

It is located just under 500m above sea level on the cliffs of el Risco de Famara which would already be enough of an attraction considering that apart from the numerous volcanoes that pop up everywhere the island is rather flat. The feature that makes it even better is the fact that it overlooks the neighbouring island La Graciosa and the Río straight (hence the name) that runs between.

The viewpoint was designed and created by Lanzarote´s celebrity local artist, César Manrique who´s work can be spotted all over the island. From outside only a fraction of the building can be seen as it is camouflaged in the volcanic rock (in the top right of the photo). Inside it's quite spacious, it houses a viewing platform, a balustrade café and a souvenir shop. Apparently this is Manrique's ‘most representative architectural creation’.

Does the place seem familiar? Are you a Doctor Who fan? Not a coincidence then as some of the scenes from the Planet of Fire serial were shot here.

If you don´t feel like paying the £4.50 euro entry fee just do what we did which was to follow the road to the left a bit. From here you will get the same, unobstructed panoramic view.

Lanzarote – Montaña Roja

Another weekend, another volcano. After the Raven’s Volcano we chose to climb Montaña Roja or Red Mountain which towers over the town of Playa Blanca on the Southern most point of the island. This time we didn’t have a car so we used public transport instead, a ‘guagua’ which is the name of the local bus here in the Canary Islands. From the Bus Station we walked over to the Montaña Baja neighbourhood right in front of the volcano.

You will pick up the dirt path at sign painted on a rock. From here on the route is well-worn and easy to pick out. In fact it’s so easy that we wore our flip-flops and we didn’t have any problems on the way.

The path gets slightly steeper while it leads you to the top of the rim it only takes about 10 min to get there from the stone sign. From here on it’s a gentle walk as this volcano blew an almost perfect crater. You can start off in any direction.

As you look down into the crater you will notice how many people laid out stones to spell out their names. Quite an interesting sight!

You can walk around the rim or go across it following the path.

Don’t forget to look out as the island of Fuerteventura can be clearly seen from the highest point of the crater.

Further on you will see Playa Blanca and its lovely beach, Playa Flamenco.

If you look North the horizon is taken over by the numerous volcanoes of Timanfaya National Park.

After our traditional weekend volcano stroll we went to find the inviting-looking Playa Flamingo and had a dip in the sea. A lovely ending to a lovely weekend.

The walk is only about 3km long and took us about 45 min (including the 434 photo stops). It’s a nice family walk with impressive views around. Don’t forget to take sun cream with you as there’s no shelter and the sun can get quite harsh here! Also take plenty of water with you as there are no refreshment opportunities around however there will be plenty down by the beach after!

Lanzarote – Diving the Cathedral

Together with the Blue Hole the Cathedral dive site is also amongst the most popular dives from Playa Chica in Puerto del Carmen. During the briefing we looked at the map of the dive but the magic of the site still took us by surprise.

We started off with a short surface swim to the end of the bay then after descending we followed the sandy slope. Whilst we made our way to the Cathedral we took advantage of the slow current and let it gently push us along the seabed.

At about 16m we got to the reef wall. Keep an eye out for the moray eel hiding in the rocks and groupers who like to take shelter at the bottom!

After we skirted along it we finally arrived to the site, the Cathedral. This is actually a huge opening in the rock, like a cavern with its entrance down on 30m. Its wall is full of small alcoves where many interesting creatures live. It’s worth taking a torch to help you with your inspection. Our dive instructor lent me his and I discovered a long legged arrow crab at the back.

After we got out of the cave we started to make our way back on the top of it where a lovely sight was waiting for us. All the bubbles we had made inside the cave were slipping through the rocks and floated up to the surface creating a magical bubble garden. It was an amazing experience swimming through the bubble columns. Have a look at this short video that Paul took (I would turn down the volume if I were you).

Such a lovely dive! I would definitely recommend it to anybody who has the advanced qualification to jump in a wetsuit and take a look. We dived with Manta Diving Lanzarote and found their fuss-free and straight-to-the-point attitude refreshing. However there are many other dive shops around and due to the competition in the area it's always worth shopping around for the best price. Enjoy!

Lanzarote – Diving the Blue Hole

As we’re going to stay in Lanzarote for the next 9 months we were keen to see its secret, side which only a few can get a glimpse of. The unique volcanic appearance of the island does not end on the surface but continues under the sea, too, as the strangely shaped volcanic rocks lend an interesting underwater scenery. The island is fortunately surrounded by shallow seabed which makes it ideal to dive in, not to mention the crystal clear water where the visibility is 30+m most of the time. And I haven’t even touched on the affordability of this normally rather pricey hobby!

In Puerto del Carmen there are many dive sites that are easily accessible from the shore, mostly form Play Chica. After looking through the available dive sites we asked to visit the two most famous ones, the Blue Hole and the Cathedral.

The Blue Hole (Ajugero Azul)

Like most of the dives in this area, this one also started from Playa Chica, where we just simply walked into the sea by the stairs. Then we slowly made our way toward the dive site. On the way there we found some interesting sea creatures to take photos of.

Around 20m we came across a big area covered with garden eels. These small eels with their heads sticking out from the sand always make me smile.

There are quite a few sea horses here. I love them, they are so cute!

At around 23m you will swim along a small canyon that will take you to the dive site. The hole that the site got its name from is a remnant of a lava flow. It starts at 24m and ends at 32. It is a nice, wide swimthrough that can easily be tackled even by the less experience divers. The walls are often occupied by colourful nudibrancs and apparently the bottom is often favoured by huge groupers and stingrays.

We took a different route on our way back and there was lots to see here too.

As the angle of the seabed is so gentle here, you can enjoy the dives up to the last minute and just swim around during your safety stop.

We dived with Manta Diving Lanzarote and found their fuss-free and straight-to-the-point attitude refreshing. However there are many other dive shops around and due to the competition in the area it's always worth shopping around for the best price. Enjoy!

Lanzarote - El volcán del Cuervo/The Raven’s Volcano

As soon as we arrived to the island of Lanzarote we were up to see some of its numerous volcanoes up close. The first one we went to see was the Volcán del Cuervo which in a big part is responsible for the black sediments covering the area of La Geria wine region. This little volcano is very popular due to its easy accessibility and dramatic appearance. Even though its sides are very smooth, like somebody patted it down, the crater is jagged and gives it a striking look.

Another advantage here is that you don’t have to climb up to the crater, you can just walk in from the side. Just follow the path around.

If you’d like to visit this lovely place follow the road LZ56 from Tinajo to Timanfaya. You will find a small parking space on one side of the road and a dirt path leading to the volcano on the other.

Even though it’s called the Raven’s Volcano the ‘tenants’ here are a pair of Barbary Falcons. They are very rare and easily disturbed. Because of this the local authorities are asking everybody not to walk around the crater but be content by looking at the insides of the volcano. Lanzarote has so many other craters to see, let’s leave this one to the falcons.

Tenerife - The Paisaje Lunar or Lunar Landscape (Los Escurriales)

Our last walking route I had planned for us in Tenerife was to see the famous Paisaje Lunar or ‘Lunar Landscape’. I thought I have seen so many outlandish, strange landscapes around the Teide volcano that I couldn’t imagine what could be more lunar landscape-y! Well, seemed like I was in for a treat.

The route starts literally in the middle of nowhere. You have to drive a bit out of the small village of Vilaflor, situated on 1450m above sea level, on the TF-21 road. At about km 66, at the very end of a sharp turning point, you will notice a dirt road. It may or may not be closed. If you’re lucky and can drive through it will save you about 45 minutes of walking. Keep driving until you find a tiny lay-by and wooden sign posts uphill to the left.

Due to the highly eroding nature of the area it is not encouraged to walk amongst these slender shapes of white sand. They are environmentally protected in order to preserve them as long as it’s possible.

This is a very easy trail, suggested even for families. The 9km walk takes about 4 hours to complete (13km if you leave your car at the beginning of the dirt road). There’s only about 450m level difference on the whole walk.  

After a few minutes you will come to a T-junction where you have a choice to make. It is a circular route so you can do the walk in either direction. We turned left and followed the red-yellow-white coloured markings on the path edged with volcanic stones through the forest.

It was the perfect second day walk after climbing the Teide. We strolled under the bright green Canary pine trees (which can only be found on the Islands) breathing the fresh, clean air and enjoying the scenery around us. The mountains provided a perfect backdrop.

We finally arrived to the aim of our walk, the Lunar Landscape. From our vantage point we gazed down at the white turfs of pumice with wonder. This ‘moonscape’ was formed about 500 000 years ago when all the side products of the volcanic eruptions such as cinders, pumice and sediments fell in the ravine and got trapped in there. This thick layer all molded together while cooling down, just to be covered again with another layer of material which was harder and more resistant to erosion. Over hundreds of years the natural elements sculpted strange formations, similar to Los Roques de Garcia. What we had in front of us was unlike anything we’d ever seen. The Lunar Landscape seems like a striking contrast to the green forest and the blue sky.

Due to the highly eroding nature of the area it is not encouraged to walk amongst these slender shapes of white send. They are environmentally protected in order to preserve them as long as it’s possible.

This is a very easy trail, suggested even for families. The 9km walk takes about 4 hours to complete (13km if you leave your car at the beginning of the dirt road). There’s only about 450m level difference on the whole walk.

Enjoy. 

Tenerife - Sámara volcano

This cute little volcano is only a short drive away from the Parador de las Cañadas del Teide. Even though it´s relatively close to Teide it is completely different as its sides are smooth and its crater is an almost perfect circle. I´d never been on a crater before so I found the experience very special.

The walk up to its crater is very easy and only took about 15 minutes although there’s a well-marked walk of 2.5h if you feel up for it. I found the landscape very special as the whole area is covered with black volcanic sediment, cinders and lava rocks. The bright green of the pine trees scattered around the sides of Sámara looked very striking.

When you finally get to the top and look around the view will take your breath away. On one side we saw the sun slowly making its way down, giving long shadows over the pine trees and lighting up the top of the clouds. In the background the island of La Gomera looms thousands of feet below you.

On the other side we saw the other two volcanoes, Mount Teide and Pico Viejo. Standing on one and looking over another two mounds of rock and lava gives you the feeling of looking ‘behind the scenes’ of nature’s work. Priceless.

To get to the starting point just follow the TF-38, you will find it around the 8km mark.