The most beautiful drive on Lanzarote

Manrique's volcanic island in one day

Lanzarote is one great work of fire and black lava, shaped by the eruptions of 1730 to 1736 and by the hand of the artist César Manrique, who gave the island its low white houses and its famous sights. Since 1993 the whole island has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This drive strings the eight finest places together in one loop of about 175 kilometres, from the capital past the fire mountains to the southern beaches.

Unique to Touren.app: you need not start in Arrecife. Tap "Drive this route from your location" and we rotate the loop so it starts at the point nearest your hotel or villa and brings you back. Everyone drives the same beautiful route, but from their own front door.

The route on the map

A schematic overview by Touren.app, not a navigation map. The exact route opens under “Drive this route” or in Google Maps. Map orientation: north is up.

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The 8 places along the route

1. Arrecife (Charco de San Ginés)

Start · the lagoon in the capital

Arrecife, the capital, sits around the Charco de San Ginés, a saltwater lagoon where white fishermen's houses are mirrored in the still water. It is a relaxed start: a short walk around the lagoon, Manrique's Castillo de San José by the harbour, and then the road out onto the island.

Practical: park near the centre and walk a loop around the Charco de San Ginés; the old fishing quarter is low-traffic.

2. Teguise

the old capital · Teguise

Teguise was the capital of Lanzarote until 1852 and is still the island's finest town: white houses around a broad square, old churches and mansions. Above it, on the Guanapay volcano, stands the Castillo de Santa Bárbara. On Sundays it holds the big market, the busiest on the island.

Practical: park on the edge and walk into the car-free centre; drive up to the castle for the view.

3. Mirador del Río

the viewpoint · Mirador del Río

At the northern tip of the island lies the Mirador del Río, a viewpoint that César Manrique carved into the cliff edge at some 475 metres. From behind the glass you look down on the El Río strait and the neighbouring island of La Graciosa, with the salt pans far below. It is one of Manrique's finest works: almost invisible from outside, with a sweeping view from within.

Practical: there is a small entrance fee; park by the building and expect wind on the cliff.

4. Jameos del Agua

the lava cave · Jameos del Agua

Jameos del Agua is a cultural site Manrique built inside a collapsed lava tube from the La Corona volcano. Below lies a natural saltwater lake home to tiny blind albino crabs, the jameitos, found only here; higher up is a brilliant white pool among the palms. One of the finest examples of art and nature in one.

Practical: paid entry; you can combine it with the Cueva de los Verdes nearby in the same lava tube.

5. La Geria

the black vineyards · La Geria

La Geria is the most extraordinary wine region you will ever see: on a black field of lava grit each vine grows in its own funnel-shaped pit, sheltered by a low crescent wall against the wind. This is how they make the Malvasía wine here. Take the LZ-30 slowly and stop at a bodega for a tasting.

Practical: several bodegas line the LZ-30 with parking and views over the wine pits; go easy on the tasting if you still have to drive.

6. Timanfaya (Montañas del Fuego)

the fire mountains · Timanfaya

The Timanfaya National Park is the landscape of the eruptions of 1730 to 1736: a rolling sea of ochre-red and black fire mountains, with heat still just below the surface. At the Montañas del Fuego visitor centre they show how dry brush bursts into flame and water shoots up like a geyser.

Practical: you drive as far as the visitor centre; the park itself is seen only from the park bus (Ruta de los Volcanes, for a fee), not by private car or on foot. Come early, it is busy around midday.

7. El Golfo

the green lagoon · El Golfo

On the west coast, by the village of El Golfo, lies the Charco de los Clicos, a vivid green lagoon in a half-eroded volcanic crater, with a black beach in front and ochre-red cliffs behind. The green comes from algae in the water. A little further on, the waves boil in the lava caves of Los Hervideros.

Practical: park by the village and walk the short path to the viewpoint; the lagoon itself is fenced off as a protected area. Combine it with Los Hervideros right alongside.

8. Playa Blanca (Papagayo)

the finale · Playa Blanca and Papagayo

The drive ends in the sunny south, at the quiet Playa Blanca and the coves of Papagayo just east of it: a string of sheltered turquoise bays in a protected nature area, the Monumento Natural de los Ajaches. A fine close before you drive back along the LZ-2 to Arrecife.

Practical: the Papagayo coves are reached by an unpaved road with a small entrance fee; drive at walking pace, an ordinary car manages it fine.

Practical: for the rental car, convertible and motorbike

From which place: the route starts in Arrecife, but you need not start there. Tap "Drive this route from your location" and Touren.app rotates the loop to the point nearest your hotel or villa, so you set off from your own front door and return to it.

For which vehicle: Lanzarote has no motorways, only quiet LZ roads across an open, volcanic landscape: a delight in a convertible or on a motorbike, with plenty of space and little traffic. Mind the crosswind on the open stretches and sand on the road after a storm.

More of Manrique: the hand of César Manrique is on the whole island. If you want more, add the Fundación César Manrique in Tahíche (his house, built inside lava bubbles) and the Jardín de Cactus in Guatiza; both lie close to the route in the north-east.

Best time: Lanzarote is mild and dry all year. For Timanfaya and the Papagayo coves it pays to come early, before the coaches and the midday crowds. Bring water, shade is scarce on the island.

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