Trip to Lanzarote
Playa Blanca on Lanzarote
A day trip to Lanzarote by ferry from Corralejo (Fuerteventura) is a great experience. On one day you get a good overview of the neighbouring island Lanzarote. The landscape which is similar to Fuerteventura's landscape fascinates by its lava areas and the large wine-growing district.
How much time you should allow for a trip to Lanzarote
For a trip to Lanzarote, you should allow a whole day. If you are on holiday in the south of Fuerteventura you need about 1.5 hours from Jandia to Corralejo. The ferry trip takes half an hour. For a round trip on the island of Lanzarote (including "sightseeing") we recommend to stay about 6-7 hours.
The question: hire car or a trip organised by a tour operator?
Basically, there's no easy answer to this question. Both options have pros and cons. The advantage of a hire car is that you can go and visit any place you are really interested in. You don't have to wait for other tourists or until the bus drives on to the next sight. And if you're lucky you can see the attractions when there's no tourist bus there. Then you avoid the great run and can enjoy the view or the like for yourself.
If you choose a trip with a hire car, please take note of the hire conditions of your car hire firm. Not all of them permit the transfer to other islands.
Information about car hire firms on Fuerteventura is here.
The advantage of an organised tour is that you don't have to worry about planning anything. You just sit down in the bus and enjoy the round trip. Thus you can see all "important" sights on one day.
With a hire car to Lanzarote - start with a ferry trip from Corralejo to Playa Blanca on Lanzarote
From Corralejo port you take a ferry to Playa Blanca on Lanzarote. There are two companies: „Naviera Armas“ and „Fred Olsen“. Both companies offer a shuttle service several times a day. You can buy the tickets for the crossing (you can buy a return ticket) in Corralejo port. You should arrive early since long queues are quite likely. A return trip for two persons and a car costs approx. € 120 - 160.
Then you queue up and drive onto the ferry. If there are many tourists, a hectic rush is sometimes likely. Sometimes the co-driver has to leave the car and enter the ferry via the stairs since the cars are parked very close to each other so that only the driver can get out.
On the ferry you leave your car and go on deck where you can enjoy the sea, the view of Corralejo and the island "Los Lobos" on the right-hand side of the ship.
When you reach the port of Playa Blanca on Lanzarote you leave the ferry and start off to interesting sights.
Here you find information about the two ferry companies, schedules and prices:
How to find Corralejo port:
Overview of Lanzarote and its sights
Lanzarote has got a similarly sparse vegetation as Fuerteventura.
Lanzarote offers both beautiful beaches and bizarre landscapes in the colours black, brown and green.
Worth visiting are (random order):
- Montañas del Fuego (the Fire Mountains) – Timanfaya National Park
- Cesár Manrique's house
- Mirador del Rio – a viewpoint where you can see the island La Graciosa
- Papagayo beaches
- La Geria - a beautiful vineyard
- Underground caves - Cuevas de los Verdes und Jameos del Agua
- El Golfo - a green lagoon
We also recommend sitting down in one of the restaurants along the beach promenade in Playa Blanca and eat something or have a cup of coffee. Although there are many tourists, the atmosphere on the coast will round off the trip to Lanzarote.
Montañas del Fuego (the Fire Mountains) – Timanfaya National Park
Timanfaya National Park is a huge volcano landscape which is very impressing.
You reach the National Park by car; the route is marked well (you drive from Playa Blanca towards Yaiza). When you are there, you pay the entrance fees of about €8 before the car park. The National Park is open from 9 am to 5 pm.
In the National Park you can only go by bus or ride a camel. You park your car at the car park near the restaurant del Diablo and take a bus in order to see the volcano landscape (with explanations in several languages via speakers).
The restaurant del Diablo is built on the peak of a volcano. There is an oven that is heated solely by the heat of the volcano (you can also visit it). In front of the restaurant, the owners demonstrate the immense heat which is still underneath the ground. To show this, they throw bundles of brushwood into a chasm, which ignite in a very short time.
Cesár Manrique's house
Even if you are not interested in art you should nevertheless visit the foundation of the late artist Cesár Manrique. César Manrique's Foundation (Fundacion César Manrique) is situated in the house in Tahiche where the artist used to live.
If you go by car, you look out for Arrecife and then drive to Tahiche. There's a public car park directly in front of the house.
Opening hours (without guarantee)
| 01/11 - 30/06: | |
| Mon - Sat: | 10:00 am - 06:00 pm |
| Sun: | 10:00 am - 03:00 pm |
| 01/07 - 31/10: | |
| Mon - Sun: | 10:00 am - 07:00 pm |
The following pictures speak for themselves:
Mirador del Rio – a viewpoint where you can see the island La Graciosa
From the viewpoint in the north of Lanzarote, you have an impressive view of the island La Graciosa. You must decide if you want to pay the relatively high entrance fees of €4 per person into a cafe or enjoy the view of La Graciosa from the (calm) road. In any case it's a nice place to go!
The Papagayo beaches
Lanzarote also offers nice light-coloured sandy beaches. The most beautiful ones are probably the Papagayo beaches in the south of Lanzarote, which are situated not far from Playa Blanca. If you have time for a rest, you can relax here and enjoy the view of Fuerteventura and the island Los Lobos.
You shouldn't use the car to reach the beach since the road are quite bumpy. It's better if you park your car somewhere at the asphalted roadside. The best place is next to the hotel „Arena Papagayo“. The Papagayo beaches are situated on left from the hotel behind the hills. Then you walk over the hills to the beach. This takes about 20 minutes. It's worth it!
La Geria - the vineyard in the centre of the island
The vineyard of La Geria is the Canary Islands' largest wine-growing region and is situated between Yaiza and San Bartolomé. The colours black and green dominate here and make the area fascinating. The trip through La Geria is fantastic for nature and wine aficionados. A very beautiful area!
Caves on Lanzarote - Cuevas de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua
The caves are of volcanic origin and reach to the coast, underneath the ocean surface. The caves are situated in the north of Lanzarote. (Since we haven't been there ourselves, we can't give you tips.)
El Golfo - a green lagoon
El Golfo is a town on the south-west coast of Lanzarote. The sea is rough and you should better not bathe here. The prominent colours are also black (the beach) and green (the lagoon). If you're lucky you'll find the semi-precious stone olivine on the beach (this mineral is generated from volcanism). Clear and big olivine crystals are gems and are sold as „Peridot“. You have to look carefully in order to find such a small green stone. But they exist, we've already found some!
The green colour of the lagoon stems from algae which prospers in the extremely salty lake.
End of the trip - back to Fuerteventura
A tip: You shouldn't plan too much for one day since it's impossible to cover all sights on one day.
At the end of the day you go back to Playa Blanca where the ferry to Fuerteventura leaves.