Lanzarote, the easternmost of the Canary Islands,
scores high for sand, sea and sun. But thanks to one
man and a volcano, the island offers far more than
that, with visual impact like nowhere else.
great
scapes
By Andrew Sanger
16 INTERVAL WORLD ■ Autumn 2014
IntervalWorld.com
Tuul/Robert Harding; Image Broker/Robert Harding; Stuart Black/Robert Harding
El Diablo (The Devil) at the
entrance to Timanfaya
National Park numbers
amongst César Manrique’s
laudable artistic creations.
FACING PAGE: Well-suited to
rocky ground and arid
conditions, camels provide
a unique way to explore
Timanfaya National Park.
The volcano is mighty Timanfaya,
Year-round sunshine and
beaches of golden and
white sands entice
holidaymakers to
Lanzarote’s shores.
part of the Montañas del Fuego (Fire Mountains) range.
Though snoozing, it’s still very much alive. Timanfaya last
blew its top 280 years ago, blasting a large part of
Lanzarote into an awesome landscape, dark and rocky like
a dragon’s den.
And the man? His name was César Manrique. In the
second half of the last century, this charismatic local artist
used the land itself as his studio, turning the island’s natural
wonders into art and attractions. The result is a remarkable
portfolio of astonishing sights. But Manrique’s influence
goes beyond that. His commitment to preserve the character of his beloved Lanzarote has yielded impressive
results: it’s thanks to him that all buildings must be lowrise, with traditional colours and designs. The effect is
magical.
Coast to Boast About
Lanzarote’s beaches seduce holidaymakers year-round.
Annual rainfall averages less than 150 millimetres (6 inches),
and temperatures reach between 20°C and 30°C (68°F to
86°F) almost every day of the year. Even in January there are
usually a few days warm enough for swimming.
The coast ranges from peaceful stretches along gentle
southern bays to rocky and ruggedly majestic northern
shores, offering ideal options and sea conditions for sunbathers, boaters, divers and aficionados of water sports. And
unlike on other Canary Islands where black sand is usual,
many of the expanses here are a golden hue.
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At the southern tip, the resort of Playa Blanca feels
quietly remote. It basks in a suntrap bay with a waterside
promenade and day-trip ferries to neighbouring
Fuerteventura island.
To the east along the southern coast sits the main
resort town, Puerto del Carmen, the nearest Lanzarote
gets to a party zone. Even this has a laid-back feel, with a
main strip running beside landscaped gardens and a long,
wide beach. There’s a string of bars and eateries offering
a huge range of cuisines and great evening atmosphere.
Some have live music and dancing.
Continuing up the road is Lanzarote’s waterfront capital,
Arrecife, home to more than half the island’s population, with
the authentic and vibrant feel of provincial Spain. With so
many other areas that specifically cater for visitors, not many
holidaymakers venture here, yet there’s a beach, a shady
seafront promenade and a fascinating modern-art museum
in a beautiful 18th-century waterside fortress, as well as
scores of tapas bars and restaurants.
At nearby Costa Teguise, a particularly tourist-friendly
zone, the beaches stretch for miles. It has a sporty feel, with
windsurfing, sailing, diving and other water-based activities.
Try a round of golf at the town’s 18-hole course, and enjoy
gorgeous views of the Atlantic. This resort has a touch of
class, and is favoured by celebrities — even Spain’s former
King Juan Carlos has a house here.
The north coast, though, preserves a wild, natural feel. At
Famara, immense cliffs soar behind a vast, unspoilt beach
INTERVAL WORLD ■ Autumn 2014
17
Manrique’s Jameos del
Agua presents visitors with
very different, yet equally
stunning spaces below and
above the ground.
where powerful Atlantic breakers roll in. Venture to the isle’s north-east
end to see Mirador del Río, a domed white room built high into a cliff,
offering gazes across a turquoise channel to little La Graciosa island.
Lunar Scene
Lava fields make up a quarter of the island. With an appearance that’s
often compared to the moon’s surface, their dark terrain is all convoluted slabs and shattered stones, fractured and fragmented rock
deeply scored with lines and fissures. At first sight a uniform grey, on
close inspection it’s full of unexpected colours, curious shades of metals and minerals that flowed as liquids during volcanic eruptions.
Timanfaya National Park in south-west Lanzarote forms a large
part of this volcanic landscape, but there are other areas of malpaís
(lava-shaped badlands), such as lonely La Corona in the east. In all
this unpromising terrain César Manrique created some of the most
unusual sights on the island.
Jameos del Agua, for instance, in the north-east, is one of his
masterpieces. A jameo is an underground volcanic tunnel whose roof
18 INTERVAL WORLD ■ Autumn 2014
has collapsed. Manrique turned this group of them
into a dreamy, surreal subterranean wonderland of
water and exotic gardens reached by stairs that
descend deep into the ground. There’s music quietly
playing, and birds fly amongst tropical greenery. Part
of the scene is a small underground lake, perfectly
transparent and inhabited by tiny blind white crabs
that live nowhere else on Earth.
At either end of the underground lake are tables
where you can sit with a meal or a drink. There’s also
a dazzlingly beautiful white-edged swimming pool, a
subterranean nightclub with dinner and dancing, and
even an auditorium hosting concerts.
One place Manrique created was never intended
as a tourist attraction: his own home. His brilliant white
house set in a black landscape, built half underground
in room-sized volcanic caverns, displays the man’s enormous artistic
flair. One of his huge juguetes del viento, or “wind toys” (sculptures
with parts that move in the wind like a mobile), stands outside. The
serene ground-floor art
gallery contains his own
work and his private colLa Graciosa
raciosa
lection, including pieces
Canar
Ca
ary Islands
slands
ds
Morocco
by Picasso and Miró.
La Corona
na
Rustic Routes
Who would have thought
such inhospitable soil
suitable for grapes? Yet
the fringes of the volcanic
malpaís produce crisp
and delicious dry white
wines. Amongst the best
comes from the vines of
Famara
LANZAROTE
Timanfaya
National Park
Co
Costa
Teguise
Teguise
La Geria
ria
A ecife
Arr
Puerto
P
del Carmen
Playa Blanca
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Plan Your Escape
Make an exchange or buy a Getaway at IntervalWorld.com.
Getaways start at £241 for a 1-bedroom.
Prices are valid from December 2014 to May 2015.
There’s some good dining in the Lanzarote countryside, in village restaurants and roadside bodegas.
Almost every sight and attraction has a restaurant, too.
Be sure to sample the Canarian speciality papas arrugadas, small new potatoes boiled in salty water. Eat
them with a tasty local sauce called mojo, which comes
in green (herby) and red (spicier) versions. To finish, try
bienmesabe, a scrummy dessert of nuts, eggs, lemon
and honey, excellent with ice cream.
Sit down at least once at the gingham-covered
tables of restaurant La Era for a menu of traditional
Canarian dishes skilfully prepared. It’s a beautifully
restored 300-year-old farmhouse at picturesque Yaiza
village, on the edge of Timanfaya National Park.
Volcanic Hotspot
Bildagentur—online BAO/Alamy; Cultura/Image Source; FJ Fdez Bordonada/Robert Harding
Individual grapevines are
carefully cultivated in
dimples in the ashy ground,
protected from strong
winds by crescent-shaped
walls of rock.
the cultivation region known as La Geria, just outside the national
park. In these bizarre vineyards, each individual vine grows in solitude,
planted in a hollow to gather moisture, and surrounded by its own
protective horseshoe of piled-up lava rocks.
In dazzling contrast with Lanzarote’s famous “lunar landscape”,
the other three-quarters of the island is dotted with peaceful little
towns and rustic villages. But here, too, pebbles of Lanzarote’s black
volcanic rock, called picón, are used to form a layer over fields and
vineyards to absorb dew and make the soil more fertile. The picón
creates a dramatic effect, the black fields enhanced by sheer blue
sky and white sugar-cube houses.
Such visual impact is Lanzarote’s speciality. Garden walls made
of volcanic rocks, balanced one on another, look almost like lace
curtains. Amazing plants, clusters of lushness, spring up wherever
moisture gathers. The roadsides are streaked with flamboyant
colour: cacti; huge, dazzling daisies; purple poppies. The whole
place is like artwork.
The extravagances of Lanzarote’s natural world are parallelled
by its man-made sights. In “cactus country” north-east of Arrecife,
Manrique’s Jardín de Cactus — with an 8-metre-tall (26 feet) green
metal cactus outside — is an artful display of 10,000 ornamental
cacti arranged to complement their natural surroundings.
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Spectacular, red-streaked Timanfaya dominates western
Lanzarote. A trip to Islote de Hilario, part of its summit,
is a fantastic experience. Some make the climb on foot
led by a guide, others swaying on the backs of camels
which trudge up the steep slope, but the easy way is
simply to drive or join a tour from one of the resorts.
There’s a good paved road, with parking near the top.
Marked trails lead closer to the crater edges, where
the earth still feels warm to the touch. At the summit,
bundles of twigs thrown by park wardens into hollows
in the ground ignite instantly, while water poured into
holes shoots straight back as a jet of steam. There’s
even a restaurant up here, where you can watch as your
order is cooked in a 300˚C (nearly 600˚F) current of air
rising from the ground.
From Timanfaya’s sizzling peak, board the coach for
a 45-minute circular tour amongst thrilling scenery and
volcanic craters at the top of this unforgettable island in
the sun. ■
Andrew Sanger (andrewsanger.com) is an award-winning British
journalist, novelist and author of 40 popular travel guides. Andrew’s
areas of expertise include France, Ireland, Israel and the Canary Islands.
fastFACTS
RESORT DIRECTORY:
IntervalWorld.com or pages
236 and 239
CLIMATE: The weather in
the Canaries is known for
being mild and spring-like all
year.
DON’T MISS: The
whitewashed town of Haría,
known as Valley of the
Thousand Palms, for the lush
tropical fauna that grows in its
microclimate.
TIPPING: Round up to the
nearest euro in restaurants,
bars and taxis. If the bill is
large, add 5 per cent to 10
per cent.
INTERVAL TRAVEL:
0844 701 1111
CAR HIRE: Recommended
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Turespaña (Tourist Offices of
Spain)
spain.info
Lanzarote Tourist Board
turismolanzarote.com
INTERVAL WORLD ■ Autumn 2014
19