We’ve recently added a number of new tours and trips to our selection of Lanzarote excursions. Including new in depth tours of specific attractions – enabling visitors to take in key locations such as The Cesar Manrique Foundation and the Timanfaya National Park without having to sign up for longer full or half day excursions that take in a number of sights.
Volcano Express Tour
The number one attraction is the Timanfaya National Park, home to many of Lanzarote’s three hundred volcanoes. It is one of the tourist centres that really shouldn’t be missed by anyone visiting the island, as it helps to put the history and geography of Lanzarote in context.
This tour focuses exclusively on visiting the park and the price includes admission, as well as transport to and from the park with an English-speaking guide onboard. Once inside the park, there are several geothermal experiments for you to see, including a geyser simulation which usually gets the cameras flashing.
The heart of the park is also where the stylish El Diablo restaurant is located. This was designed by César Manrique to give optimum views of the surrounding lavascapes. The most memorable feature of the restaurant has to be its huge barbecue grill, which uses the heat that emanates from just below the earth’s surface to cook the fish and meat dishes served here.
Also included in a visit to the park is the coach tour that wends its way through the numerous cones and craters to give you a close up view of the volcanoes. In places, there are sections of rock that look like melted wax, demonstrating the extreme temperatures that accompanied the terrifying eruptions of 1730 to 1736.
The tour costs €20 for adults and €10 for children and is offered on various days of the week.
Caves Express
This excursion allows visitors to take in one or other of the two Cave Tours in the north of the island. The Jameos del Agua and the Cueva de los Verdes are both part of the world’s longest subterranean lava tunnel, created by the eruption of the volcano La Corona. Whilst the Cueva de los Verdes is still very much as it looked when it was formed, the Jameos del Agua has been transformed into a highly unique space.
Cueva de los Verdes
The cave system here extends for approximately two kilometres and has been customised to make walking through the tunnels much easier.
The whole stretch that is open to the public has been dramatically lit with a lighting schema devised by Jésus Soto, a Canarian architect who worked alongside Manrique on a number of projects.
An auditorium space has also been created and on occasion, music concerts are held in the Cueva de los Verdes, taking advantage of the incredible natural acoustics that exist here. There is also a closely guarded secret to be discovered by visitors to the cave.
Jameos del Agua
Created from the final length of the Atlantida tunnel, the Jameos del Agua is like nowhere you will have seen before. It combines a restaurant, café, hanging gardens, underground lake, lagoon style swimming pool, museum and auditorium to splendid effect.
The idea for this project came about when Manrique was exploring the area, which was little more than a large cavity in the ground leading to a subterranean lake. In the lake, which is fed by the sea, a unique species of crab lives, only found on Lanzarote. The tiny creatures are both albino and blind, due to the fact that they live in almost complete darkness. The logo for the Jameos del Agua is a replica of the crab.
When the Jameos was opened to great acclaim visitors from all over the world flocked to Lanzarote to see this amazing place. Including Rita Hayworth, who said it was ‘the eighth wonder of the world’.
This excursion is for entrance to one of the above caves, with prices at €20 for adults and €10 for children. Its available on various days of the week.
César Manrique Foundation Express
This excursion will visit the César Manrique Foundation exclusively. Located in the town of Tahiche, this is a must for any visitors who get the Manrique bug, having visited some of the other attractions he created.
The Foundation was set up to turn Manrique’s former home into a visitor centre. Not only does it have permanent exhibition of both Manrique’s canvases and architectural designs but it also displays works of art by other prominent artists, such as Picasso and Miro.
But most visitors to the Foundation are there to see the extraordinary living space the artist created for himself. Formed from five underground volcanic bubbles, the lower part of the house is beautifully decorated, with each bubble having a distinctly individual feel.
The sunken garden forms part of the interconnected network of subterranean rooms and is home to a miniature version of the pool at Jameos del Agua. On the upper floor a more conventional house is laid out, with a large salon and studio forming part of the structure.
The cost of this excursion is €15 for adults staying in Costa Teguise and €18 for those staying in Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca.
