Isla de Lanzarote Things to Do Tips by BerniShand

THE TOP OF THE ISLAND

At the northern tip of the island is Mirador del Rio which was converted from an old military artillery by Cesar Marique into a superb viewpoint. At 480 metres above sea level it gives wonderful views over to the small island of La Graciosa which is accessable by ferry

the surreal designs of Manrique work very well here, the curved walls leading you from window to window each with a different view and up to the roof to the panoramic lookout

the Mirador is open from 10.00am to 17.45pm

there is a bar and cafeteria

Phone: 928173536

AND AGAIN....

the guide poured some water down a hole, for a few seconds nothing happened then as you can see WHOOSH , this is an artificial geyser made by sinking a pipe into the ground to show the effects of the temperature below the surface

if you choose to eat at the restaurant you can eat food cooked over a natural grill using no fuel other than the heat of the volcano

TIMAFAYA TOO

At the visitor centre there are many interesting things to see, this is a demonstration of how active the volcano still is, and how thin the crust of the earth is ! the guide used a stick to push a branch into a small hole in the ground, you can see for yourself just what happened

the temperature just 10 centimetres below ground is 140c and 6 metres below the surface is an amazing 400c, although the landscape appears barren and hostile it is home to lizards, birdlife and over 300 species of lichens, Timafaya is a base for many different studies and experiments in Botany, Zoology and Geology

TIMAFAYA NATIONAL PARK

Its almost like visiting the moon ! to get here you drive through the volcanic landscape, then after parking your car you travel round on a bus [ included in the admission price ] and the commentary gives you the history of the eruptions of the volcano

most of the eruptions took place between 1730 and 1736, and during that time more than 20 villages were lost, the last eruption on Lanzarotte was in 1824 and an area of 51square kilometres was formed into a National Park in 1974
the colours and formations of the lava are strangely beautiful, and the park is very clean and well planned
this without a doubt a real highlight of our visit, and the entrance fee [ which, apologies ,I cant remember,] was very reasonable

removing pieces of lava from the park area is forbidden

visitor hours are 9.00am to 17.45pm, the last guided tour leaves at 17.00pm

there is a restaurant open from 12.00 to 15.30, also a bar and snack bar

Phone: 928840056

TROPICAL PARK

We were suprised how much there was to see here, lots of varieties of birds and animals and lovely grounds
my husband [ camcorderman ] spent ages filming a parrot that took quite a fancy to him !
It was a really interesting visit and not very expensive either
there is a parrot show where the parrots do lots of tricks
well worth a visit

Address: very close to Guinate

Directions: in the north of the island, it is well signposted

GET THE WIND UP

Lanzarotte is very windy, great for sailing and boarding, but apparantly bad for riding,
We had booked a mornings ride but the wind was so strong that day the stables had to cancel, for the safety of the horses !

EL GOLFO

Put those clubs away, this has nothing to do with golf
it is a beautiful lake formed by the volcanic rock, and is the most stunning green colour, photographs dont do it justice, when it sparkles in the sunlight it is magnificent

there is a walkway you go along to get great views of it, it is well signposted from the road