Lanzarote island is one of the seven Canary Islands. It’s also called Fire Islands and when you arrive, you soon realize why. The landscape is picturesque. Caves, vineyards, beaches, hills and flatlands have one thing in common: lava.
Canary Islands
Canary Islands lie in the Atlantic Ocean and is only a few hundred kilometres away from Western Africa. Every island is volcanic – Tenerife, Fuertaventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hiero. The archipelago is a paradise for travellers, vacationers and people who love sports. It is also popular in winter time because of its moderate climate.
Lanzarote
Lanzarote is a small island, it is 600 square kilometres big. It got its name after seaman Maloccello Lancerotti who occupied the island in 14th century. You’ll be able to thoroughly see the island in a week. It is mostly known after beautiful beaches, but this isn’t everything Lanzarote offers. Inside the island the roads are empty and driving is really relaxing in the volcanic landscape, especially to those who come from a different environment. While wandering in this beautiful landscape, you’re reminded of Star Wars, which was filmed on this island.
Visiting Lanzarote in winter
This warm paradise island is only four hours away from Slovenia. By plane of course. When it’s cold, snowy and icy in
Slovenia and you want to go somewhere warm but not spend too much money, Lanzarote is a great idea. Temperatures are around 20 degrees in winter and rarely reach even 30. The sea doesn’t get cold either, it has about 20 degrees, just enough that you can’t swim in it. But there’ll be plenty of sun. Lanzarote is a pretty touristy island but you can still find remote places, even on sandy beaches. I recommend beaches Papayo, Playa del Carmen and Playa Blanca.
Attractions
Lanzarote offers a lot of attractions, worth seeing. The viewing point on the north-east of the island, Mirador del Rio, offers beautiful view on the open sea and on the neighbouring island Isla Graciosa. Inside the island are also some beautiful things. Lava carved tunnels and the famous Cueva de los Verdes cave was made. Jameos del Aqua cave is also attractive and is famous for the artificial lake with turquoise water. Cacti lovers will also be happy here – cacti garden is a place for them to be.
Emperor Manrique’s island
Many Englishmen built their second home here because of the beautiful nature and the climate. They like to spend their winters here when England has pretty miserable weather. And in other seasons they rent out their homes to tourists. If you want to spend time on Lanzarote in one of the traditional houses, low, white with green or blue windows and typical chimneys, shaped like an onion, browse the internet and if you have any luck, you’ll be able to rent one of them. Emperor Manrique can take credit that the buildings are in built in the same style as before. Locals like to say that he created Lanzarote. The emperor who was also an architect managed to stop the growth of the huge modern hotels and demanded for buildings to keep their traditional style.
Volcanic island
You can see that the island is volcanic on every step. The heart of the volcanic attraction is the national park Timanfara. The park is definitely one of the biggest attractions on the island. You may not enter in the national park alone. It’s not safe on some areas because of the high temperatures. But you can take a tour by bus. You can see some of the 300 dormant volcanos. The last volcano erupted in 18th century when fifth of the island was covered by lava. Just ten metres below the ground is today still around 600 degrees. If you have some imagination, you can feel like you’re on the moon. Land with craters and black and red rocks with no plants is perfect to shoot Star Wars movie.
Malvasia Wine
Even though the land is barren and only cacti, some bushes, palms and trees are growing here, the locals have managed to develop a special kind of dry agriculture. They successfully grow vegetables and produce wine. They are renowned for their Malvasia wine even abroad. Their vineyards are an attraction because of their looks. They look like a funnel in the land to pump moisture out of the ground. Around the funnel there are rocks which keep the plant safe from strong wind.
Lanzarote offers a lot of attractions, worth seeing. You’ll be able to admire beautiful salt pans, a lake by the ocean, go on a guided tour with camels, learn how to surf and enjoy the delicious food.
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