Part 2 of our 4 part series on the little Spanish island, Lanzarote. You can read Part 1 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here.
Timanfaya National Park has to be the most exciting place we’ve been to in a while! It is made up entirely of volcanic soil from eruptions that took place between 1730 and 1736. The nature of the volcanic matter makes it impossible to drive or walk around in the park, but a coach trip around the National Park is included in the entry fee.
The landscape seems Martian; the entire park is strewn with volcanic craters, rubble from volcanic explosions, and nascent and active volcanoes. Even after spending half the day at Timanfaya, we couldn’t get enough of the panoramas- we followed our coach trip with camel rides across the surreal landscape. Here are some pictures:
Surreal volcanic landscape at Timanfaya National Park
Huge volcanic crater at Timanfaya National Park
Geyser at Timanfaya National Park
Camels at Timanfaya National Park
We had tons of fun exploring volcanic crevices, rubble, and geysers. But the most exciting part was yet to come.
Volcanic activity continues under the surface of the earth at Timanfaya, and generates immense heat. The on-site restaurant, El Diablo, uses this geo-thermal heat to grill meat and cook food. This ensures an intriguing culinary experience- we couldn’t stop ourselves from peering down the bottomless ‘grill’ every 2 minutes. What’s more, we got so excited about having food cooked ‘on a volcano’ that we gorged at the restaurant, despite having had breakfast just an hour back 🙂
Meats being grilled using volcano heat
Of course, volcanoes are not restricted to the Timanfaya National Park. Lanzarote has some of the best roads in Europe, and as we drove around we saw stunning panoramas comprising volcanic rubble and lava rocks.
On our fourth day of our holiday in Lanzarote, we drove down to El Golfo, a volcanic crater that houses a green pool. The water is green because of the algae that live on the surface and the minerals left over from the volcano’s active days. The stark contrast between the green pool, the black beach, and the turquoise sea makes for such interesting photos. We spent hours exploring the cliffs surrounding El Golfo and sunbathing at the black beach. Take a look:
Sparse vegetation makes for interesting photos
Roller Coaster Road to Timanfaya National Park
Surreal landscape inside the volcanic crater at El Golfo- turquoise sea, black beach, green lagoon
Vid at the Green Lagoon at El Golfo, surrounded by black and red lava rocks
Bruised Passports’ Tips
- Make sure you spend a day at Timanfaya National Park, exploring all it has to offer.
- Give the volcano-grill at El Diablo a dekko. If you’re hungry, have a meal at the restaurant. You will come away with a story to tell.
- Visit the adjoining village of El Golfo when you drive to the Green Lagoon. Spend an afternoon in the white-washed village: get lost in its alleys and enjoy an al-fresco meal under the Spanish sun.
Need help planning a trip to Lanzarote? We have some sample itineraries here
Such awesome pictures guys. The place really does seem worth a visit!
Stunning pic guys! what a hidden gem this is (hidden to me, thus far :))
Come to Europe soon Shilpi 🙂
Beautiful photos!!
I always think Timanfaya looks like “Tracy Island” from Thunderbirds… right down to the guides’ uniforms.
So pleased that you enjoyed it.
Elle x
Thanks Elle- we really had an amazing time in Lanzarote 🙂 Tracy Island- now that you say it, hell yes- the two are similar
amazing……absolutely surreal
The surreal lunar landscape makes the island special- unusual, yet gorgeous 🙂
Hi guys… I am a beginner and to be frank..I am a Nirmohi kinda stuff.. roaming , knowing people, traveling new placew. I was very impressed when I read ur article in a local paper. Nd congo for being such a grt couple. So soon I will be starting my journey to see the world.Lukin forwd to u guys. Thanks a lot.
Thanks for writing in Abhishek. We wish you happy travels. Join us on facebook to follow our journey 🙂 : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bruised-Passports/246580285487750
that’s like the most interesting place I’ve read about in some time 😀 kudos!
Ritu it’s surreal isn’t it? We’ve never been to another place like Lanzarote
I enjoy what you guys are usually up too. This sort of clever work and coverage!
Keep up the good works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my personal
blogroll.
WOW I am going next week to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote and I was searching on the web places to visit when I found this page. What amazing pictures you have. No doubt I am coming to visit this place!
http://www.latravelera.blogspot.com
That’s awesome – I hope you have an amazing time in Lanzarote. Please do follow our travels around the world on Facebook 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/BruisedPassports