Exploring Lanzarote - Part II

Jan 30, 20194 min read

During our stay at Lanzarote we rented a car and drove all over the island so we could get to know it. It was fun and memorable.

Our adventure began in the small town of Yaiza.

Some say this village was voted the most beautiful village in Spain on more than one occasion. It is a peaceful place to explore. It survived the volcanic explosion that lasted 6 years and that gave the island the curious title of Island of Fire. This village has managed to remain practically unchanged throughout the times.

I found it picturesque, but in essence, what is admirable about it is that it was on the lava-sea route and it was spared when the volcanic explosion occurred in 1730.

From Yaiza we set out for Arrecife, the capital of the Island, where there was much to visit, but also where we made mistakes which costed us precious time. Perhaps the biggest mistake was not to take advantage of the resource that we had at our disposal: the rental car. With the fear of not finding parking, we decided to proceed exploring on foot, but we underestimated the length of the route and ended up spending excessive time and getting too tired.

So, if you visit Arrecife do not waste precious time, take photos, observe the landscape, but do not stay too long, because there are other places which are much more interesting.

Arrecife is currently the capital of the Island and a port city. We started the visit by checking the only existing beach: Playa del Reducto.

Continuing our walk along the seafront, we came across Castillo de San Gabriel, where visitors can learn more about the history of the city. Here we made another mistake.

Do not pay to visit, it costs only 3 eur / person, but believe me it's not worth it, it's really weak in terms of estate and really just a waste of time.

There is a small historical site, next to El Charco de San Ginés, a small lagoon, which leads us to the Church of San Ginés. Once again, this walk turned out to be a waste of time and energy.

The Lagoon itself has some natural beauty and it is interesting to watch the fishing boats. But the Church is only relevant because it was supposed to be the first one on the Island, there is absolutely nothing special and much less worthwhile to visit, it´s just a boring, bland church.

On leaving the city we still stopped at the second historical castle: Castillo de San José, which constitutes the Museum of International and Contemporary Art.

The first tourist complex following the capital Arrecife is Costa Teguise. The center is Pueblo Marinero, the largest beach is Playa de las Cucharas and it has 4 more beaches: Playa el Ancla, Playa Bastian, Playa del Jabillo and Playa de los Charcos.

We started our exploration route through Playa de los Charcos️.

The largest beach on Costa Teguise is Playa de las Cucharas, as can be seen from the influx of people in the photos.

It may be big, but it´s no big deal. Obviously my appreciation is subjective, but I prefer by far the beaches off the beaten track, with its wild beauty and fewer people.

The next beach, Playa del Jabillo definitely made up for the previous one. It had an artificial lagoon with volcanic walls, ideal for swimming, snorkeling and diving, pity that, once again, the water temperature was not for me️. If it were not for the extreme cold, which paralyzes my limbs, I would certainly venture into those crystalline waters.

My husband, Pedro, went snorkeling and found an enchanted underwater magical world...

If you follow the promenade from Playa del Jabillo you arrive at the next beach, Playa Bastian.

The last beach of Costa Teguise: Playa el Ancla.

For those looking for quiet, Playa de los Charcos, the first one we visited, or Playa el Ancla, the latter are ideal. They are the so-called beaches off the beaten track, less frequented and, in my opinion, by far the most beautiful.

After Costa Teguise we set out for the tourist complex of Puerto del Carmen. Here you will find the promenade Av. De las Playas (6km of beaches), many shops, bars and restaurants and the Biosphere Shopping Center. Puerto del Carmen separates into 2 areas: Old and New Town.

The Old Town is located around the harbor and New Town runs from the Biosphere Shopping Center to the edge of San Antonio Hotel where it merges with Playa Los Pocillos and Playa Matagorda.

We started our visit at Playa Matagorda, but, once again, this was not my kind of beach.

Puerto del Carmen has 4 beaches: Playa Chica; Playa Grande; Playa los Pocillos and Playa de Matagorda.

Playa Grande and Playa los Pocillos are huge beaches right next to each other.

The last beach of Puerto del Carmen is a paradise for diving.

The color of the sea at Playa Chica is indescribable, completely transparent, blue and green at the same time, absolutely incredible!

There was still a stop before returning to the Hotel. The famous beaches of Papagayo. There are 2 km of beaches and coves situated after the resort of Playa Blanca. This set of 5 or 6 beaches enjoys its own micro-climate. They are accessible only by a dirt road or on foot.

Literally, after long minutes on the dirt road, no sea in sight, we arrived and it was worth it because it is not by chance that the Playa Papagayo is considered the most beautiful in Lanzarote!