Visit Volcanoes in Lanzarote. Does that sound tough and hard? Well, some of them are quite a bit of a climb. We have been there and done that so we have several different volcanoes that you can visit – and they have different difficulty levels. Find the one or the once that might suit you. Because where should you climb volcanoes if not in Lanzarote?!
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Visit Volcanoes in Lanzarote – different difficulties
So there are several volcanoes that you can visit while being in Lanzarote. A lot of people come to the island for the beaches but missing out on visiting the volcanoes would be a shame. The most famous and the most visited one is the Timanfaya National Park. Here you will ride in a bus and get a lot of information. But there are several volcanoes that you can visit for free and where you are allowed to climb and explore on your own.
Down below, you can read more about the several different volcanoes that we hiked during our visit to Lanzarote. There is something very peaceful about walking on the volcanic rock and seeing how different the landscape is here compared to other places.
Caldera Blanca – the largest volcanic crater in Lanzarote
If you want to visit volcanoes in Lanzarote, Caldera Blanca is a great way to start. It is a hard and long walk so be prepared to spend a few hours here. It takes quite some time (about an hour) to walk from the parking to the crater. Nature has been nice so there is a smaller crater that you can visit if you are not up for the “real” hike. Now it is very individual on what you find hard and strenuous. We are not in any way fit but we do walk a lot so we see ourselves as “regular people”.
We found this hike pretty hard. This is the first time where we had put real hiking boots on and we were glad that we did. Walking here in flipflops would be impossible! We decided to head straight for the Caldera Blanca and finally, we got to the rim. We sat down and just enjoyed the view for a while and then we noticed that there were people walking along the rim, getting to the highest point.
Getting to the highest point of Caldera Blanca
Ok, so first we thought that we had made it to the top and that we were not going to walk along the rim. But after a while, we decided that it would be cheating. If we have made it here – we might as well just go around the whole crater. Said and done! It was hard, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. But at the same time, it is doable.
It took us a couple of hours but the feeling after we were done was like winning a marathon feels like (we imagine). This is a popular hiking place so be prepared to meet a lot of people. What you will notice, is that all the people that walk with “bad” shoes will turn around before they reach the crater. And this is one of the volcanoes where you really need steady shoes on your feet.
Information about Caldera Blanca
Address: Lanzarote.
Opening hours: Opened all the time.
Entrance fee: Free of charge.
Visiting time: At least 4 hours to go there and back.
Perfect for: People that are fit and are up for a great hike.
Skip it if you: Don’t have comfortable shoes or if you don’t like to walk a lot.
The beautiful landscape of Lanzarote was featured in films such as Broken Embraces, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Moby Dick, as well as Doctor Who!
Timanfaya National Park
People in the hiking world might call this way of seeing a volcano, cheating. You are not allowed to walk around freely here. Once you arrive you have to get on a bus and then you will be taken around the volcanic national park by bus. It is a breathtaking visit and it is also the most popular on the island. If you want to visit the park on foot, you can hire a ranger that will show it to you. However, most people will just do the bus tour.
This place will also give you more than just a bus tour. Here you can see how the volcano is still so hot that it will burn bushes. Water will also be cascading from the holes where the guides pour water into the volcanic earth.
You can read all about our visit to the Timanfaya National Park here.
And don’t miss the restaurant where you can eat meat that is cooked over the volcanic heat!
Information about Timanfaya National Park
Address:Crta. de Yaiza a Tinajo (LZ 67), km 11, 35560 Tinajo, Lanzarote.
Opening hours: 09.00 – 17.00 daily.
Entrance fee: 10 euros per adult and that includes the bus ride.
Visiting time: About 1 to 2 hours.
Perfect for: Families traveling with children. People that want to get more information out of their visit then “just a hike”.
Skip it if you: Are one of those people that “hate” touristy places. This place is very popular and is most often crowded.
The Timanfaya National Park is an UNESCO designated Biospheric Reserve. It is completely made up of volcanic soil and temperatures reach a scorching 600°C just 10 meters below the surface.
Volcan el Cuervo – An easy walk into the crater
This place is said to have been Jose Saramagos favorite place in Lanzarote. The Nobel prize winner used to come here and he even saved a piece of the volcano from here in his house. And it is easy to understand why he liked it so much. It is one of the volcanoes on the island that you have the easiest access to. This is also a volcano that allows you to go inside the crater.
A lot of other volcanoes will allow you to walk up on the rim of the crater, however, at the Volcan el Cuervo, there is a huge chunk missing and that gives you a great way to go into the heart of the crater. You can park the car pretty close to the volcano and then it is a nice and easy walk to the crater itself.
Dead and alive at the same time
My mind wandered straight to mars, or maybe some part from the movie “Planet of the Apes”. It feels like this place is both dead and at the same time very much alive. It’s a strange feeling and an awesome one. You are not allowed to climb the volcano so this place is visited by just walking into it. The colors here are magnificent – black, orange and different mixes of green in a great mix.
This is a place where you can see the lava flow and the share rocks. Well, you can see the old lava flow because the volcano is no longer active.
Information about Volcan el Cuervo
Address: Carretera LZ-56, 35570 La Asomada, Lanzarote.
Opening hours: This place is opened at all times.
Entrance fee: Free of charge.
Visiting time: 1 hour or more.
Perfect for: People that want to explore a volcano but that are not interested in going on a hike or getting exercise. Great for people that want to visit volcanoes in Lanzarote.
Skip it if you: If you are interested in hiking and getting your pulse high while climbing to the rim of a volcano. This place might be a bit to “easy for you”.
It is not hard to understand why Lanzarote is called the island of 1 000 volcanoes. While that might not be true that there are a thousand volcanoes here, there are a lot!
Montana Negra – A 500-meter high volcano
Just across the street from the parking lot for the Volcan el Cuervo, is the much higher Montana Negra. Being 500 meters high and with a small crater, you can climb here and enjoy the view. This is a good way to see the Volcan el Cuervo from above. To climb this volcano is somewhat like climbing in the sand. Your feet will sink into the volcanic dirt and the hike becomes more and more steep with each step.
Once on the top, you might get confused because there are so many plants growing here. It almost doesn’t feel like a volcano but more like a field with a lot of vegetation. And with its location (in the middle of the island) you’ll get some really nice views over the whole island of Lanzarote.
Information about Montana Negra
Address: Carretera LZ-56, 35570 La Asomada, Lanzarote.
Opening hours: This place is opened at all times.
Entrance fee: Free of charge.
Visiting time: 2 – 3 hours.
Perfect for: People that want a challenge. There are several walkways to the top but they are all pretty strenuous. The reward is an amazing view.
Skip it if you: Don’t have the right hiking shoes or if you have some sort of walking disability. This is not the best of them, but a great place if you want to visit volcanoes in Lanzarote.
This volcano has an incredible red color and that is also the main highlight of going here. The red color comes from oxidized iron and it is really spectacular to see. The hike to this volcano and back is considered easy and it is doable (compared to Caldera Blanca, for example).
The walk is about four kilometers long and it is a really nice walk there. You can admire the surroundings without having to look down and being afraid of stepping on something that may sprain your ankle. This is the easiest walk except for the Volcan el Cuervo.
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