Places of interest in Lanzarote

Timanfaya was declared a National Park on August 9, 1974. It occupies an area of 51.07 km² in the south west of the island and the entire park is of volcanic origin. The most recent volcanic eruptions took place in the 18th century, between the years 1730 and 1736. Among its most well-known volcanoes are La Montaña de Fuego (Fire Mountain), la Caldera del Corazoncillo (Little Heart Cauldron) and Montaña Rajada (Cracked Mountain). There is still a great deal of volcanic activity, with hot points that can reach up to up to 100-120°C on the surface, and 600°C at a depth of 13 metres.

This volcanic lava tube extends to the sea and connects with the Cueva de los Verdes, passing through the Cueva de los 7 Lagos (this cave is closed to the public). The volcanic tube has been converted by renowned Lanzarote artist, painter, sculptor and architect, César Manrique.

El Golfo is truly one of the rarest examples of hidrovolcanism, volcanic activity that takes place at low altitude. The lake that emerged in the area was given the name Laguna de los Clicos.

A Mirador is a constructed viewing point, and the Mirador del Río is the most important of the many built by the Lanzarote artist, architect, painter and sculptor, César Manrique. The Mirador provides a breathtaking view of the entire Chinijo archipelago, in particular the view of the island of La Graciosa, and a visual effect that would normally only be seen by parachutists.

The Cave (Cueva) was used as a shelter by the Majos Guanches (Canarian aborigines) against the threats of the many Berber pirates that were constantly devastating the Island

In this Cactarium, all of the species are cultivated in a volcanic stone (volcanic pebbles or shingle) that the locals use for their planting, as it remains damp for a long period of time.

The historic quarter of the island is found in Teguise. Teguise’s long history dates back to the pre-hispanic period, (the indigenous people of the time were called Majos), with the ancient town situated around the present day Villa la Gran Aldea de Acatife, and which was one of the main population centres of the Majos.

The Castillo de San José, a fortress built between 1776 and 1779, was commissioned by the king of Spain, Carlos III, and today houses the International Museum of Contemporary Art. The castle is popularly known as La Fortaleza del Hambre (The Fortress of Hunger). The people of the island experienced a lot of hardship during these difficult years with disease, thirst and hunger the main causes of death.

The Peasant’s Monument and the Casa Museum were created to immortalize the difficult labour of Lanzarote’s rural community whose endeavours to extract bounty from the arid earth can be seen in the landscape of La Geria – unique in the world.

An extraordinary collection of utensils and implements used by the peasants throughout time give the visitor a sense of a great part of the island’s history and traditions.

The Santa Bárbara Castle, now a museum, sits on the Guanapay mountain overlooking Teguise. It was built by Sancho de Herrera in the 16th century as a watchtower for the coastlines on both sides of the island.

In 1588 Leonardo Torriani, an Italian engineer in the service of King Felipe II, reinforced the castle’s structure adding spyholes, turrets, embrasures and moats, converting it into a real fortress.

El Grifo Wine Museum, is housed in ancient bodegas that date back to 1775 and were built on top of the solidified lava issued from the volcanic eruption of that century.

Within the Museum you will find our sales room with a wide selection of wines and gifts. As well, El Grifo is pleased to offer wine tasting courses available year round to enable visitors to fully appreciate the characteristic body, flavour and colour of our local wines.

The Canary Cetacean Museum invites you to discover one of the most important collections in Europe – the result of more than 20 years of research on the whales and dolphins of the Canaries.

The visitor is submerged in an ocean environment in order to learn about the characteristics and habits of these marvellous creatures through images, sounds, life size reproductions, scale models and other natural artefacts.

In El Patio, you will be able to appreciate an ancient farmer’s house dated from 1840.

In our wine cellar you may savour the different types of wine (Malvasía, red Wine and Moscatel), as well as goat cheese, all produced in our farm. We invite you to taste some excellent homemade products in our typical Canarian snack bar, where you will be able to purchase the same.

The historical records of the Salinas (salt pans) de Janubio tell of the existence of a wasteland, where wheat, rye, barley and corn were cultivated. No evidence of this exists at the current salt pans, which began to be worked as such in 1985. Today, the Padrón Lleó family continues working these salt pans as they have for the past 50 years. With the decline of fishing and increasing competition from elsewhere, the production of salt has decreased considerably.

In this new space we can learn about the artist Omar Sharif and his legend, as well as the history of LagOmar, a unique landscape of intertwined architecture and volcanic rock in the heart of a stone quarry.

A perfect symbiosis between art and nature.