Island Attractions
There's a beach to suit every taste: from the busy resorts of Puerto Del Carmen and Costa Tequise, the wild surfing beach at Famara in the west or the golden sandy coves of the southern peninsular of Papagayo. Pleasure boats from Puerto Del Carmen harbour explore the coast and ferries connect with neighbouring Fuerteventura from Playa Blanca.
Inland there's the spectacular "Mountains of Fire" trail through the lunar volcanic landscape which culminates in a visit to the restaurant where steaks are grilled over the natural heat. Many of the leading attractions have been designed by Manrique -including the beautiful Jameos Del Agua lagoon and caverns, the Jardin de Cactus at Guatiza, or the Monumento El Campesino (museum of rural life) with its outstanding restaurant which specialises in traditional Canarian food and wine.
On Sundays there's a craft and souvenir market which fills the streets of the ancient town of Tequise. Few people among the crowds that throng the square in front of San Miguel Church notice that the beautifuly restored Palacio Del Spinola is open to the public.
Closer to Africa than Spain ; drier than parts of the Sahara, ecologically friendly, and a visitors delight. These are just some of the assets of Lanzarote, the archipelago's most easterly island.
Another title, Land of 100 Volcanoes, understates the influence nature has had in sculpting this fascinating island. There are actually 300 volcanoes, some still bubbling quietly, some snuffed out. The largest and most visible, Fire Mountain, lies at the heart of the island. Its historical fury, though terrifying at the time of its major eruption back in 1730, has left a legacy of landscapes sublimely tinted red and shadowed by eerie basalt formations .
Lanzarote has over 80 beaches, where you will find turquoise clear waters, wide sandy beaches, popular with families, naturists, windsurfers, barbeques, and divers. Some of the island's beaches are covered with black volcanic sand but many are clothed in the golden glory of the nearby Sahara . This geographical proximity to Africa is often overlooked by visitors dining on Spanish-style tapas, paella and creative Canarian cuisine at the island's vast array of excellent restaurants. The capital, Arrecife, has more than its fair share of quality dining venues, many affording quayside views of dusk horizons you'd swear had been painted by hand. For dinner with a difference, the volcano-fuelled barbecue at El Diablo restaurant at the top of Timanfaya National Park is hard to beat. Fish and meat are cooked utilising 300°C of heat emanating from deep within the volcano.
You'll be pleased to hear it's not quite that warm up top. Average daytime temperatures loiter around the 20°C mark and rain is rarely part of the vocabulary used by Lanzaroteños. In fact, the island receives less rainfall than parts of the Sahara desert, falling on an average of only 16 days per year, usually between December and February.
Most of the 65,000 inhabitants of this island live on the south-facing coasts, half of them in the capital. Arrecife hasn't always been the seat of local power. Before 1852, Teguise held the mantle of island control. This small town (barely a village) is still regarded by some locals as the 'real' capital, to them Arrecife is merely the main harbour. For elegant architecture and pretty plazas, Teguise definitely rules the roost. Costa Teguise was developed within the municipality to cater for the influx of visitors keen to share a lifestyle vision of white alleyways, piercing blue skies and transparent waters.
Equally popular with visitors is Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote's main resort area.
Playa Blanca is the island's other coastal centre of appeal, and the most southern. From the sandy beach you can look across the narrow channel to the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura just 11 kilometres away.
However, the combined attractions of Lanzarote, both man-made and natural, may make you decide to put off leaving the island till another time, even if it is just for a daytrip.
