Lanzarote – Christmas in Las Canarias – Out of Office Explorers

This holiday season we decided to skip the cold weather and leftover turkey sandwiches and instead we flew south down to the Canary islands for a hot, sunny break.

100 km off the coast of Africa and just a 4 hr direct flight with Transavia from Amsterdam, it makes for a perfect festive getaway.

Our original plan was to spend the week at surf school in Famara on the island of Lanzarote; but as Matt had hurt his back we switched our plans to more of a sight-seeing holiday.

Lanzarote is one of the north eastern islands of the archipelago, home to an inordinate amount of (no longer active) volcanoes, beautiful beaches, world-class surfing and plenty of touristic curios to keep you busy for a week.

Where to stay

At just 60 km long and 25 km wide, you can get to most places within an hour. We split our holiday between Teguise in the north and Playa Blanca in the south.

Teguise is a bit on the quieter side, good for exploring the north of the island and relaxing with a good book whilst the sun goes down

Playa Blanca is more of a tourist hub and has the best beaches of the island at Papagayo; but the ever present trade winds that plague the island did seem to be at their strongest in this south eastern area.

Moving out to the west coast for a bit of surfing is the sleepy town of Famara. As well as the waves, you will also have a huge sweeping beach and picturesque views to enjoy.

Hire a car if you want to see the sights, and in peak times make sure you reserve in advance as we learnt from some hitch-hiking families that the island had run out of hire cars at the time we were there!

Volcanoes

Around two hundred years ago the island erupted, and just carried on erupting for 6 years! So the landscape is littered with extinct caldera and seas of lava just waiting to be explored.

If you like a bit of hiking then you’ll be spoilt for choice

and in most cases it can be done with a pair of trainers and a couple bottles of water and keeping an eye out for the directions.

Start with Volcan el Cuervo, with its very distinct shape having blown more than half of itself away.

You cant climb up, but the route does take you into the caldera.

Just across the road is Volcan Colorada, with a beautiful red flank,

that you can (if brave or foolhardy) clamber up for some summit pictures.

Standing over the beaches of Playa Blanca is a nice easy hike up Montana Roja, just an hour up and down. With some wonderful views and a surprise caldera that you would not have expected from the ground.

The ultimate hike is up the Caldera Blanca, at 4 hours it takes some time, but is easily the best.

Starting with a hike through fields of lava

Then ascending to the edge of the caldera to make you way 2km along the rim to the top at around 500 metres.

The views are amazing.

Finish your volcano experience with a visit to the Timanfaya National Park.

Save it until last as you have to stay on a bus tour with no walking outside, so having done all the hikes already you’ll be happy just to sit back and take in all the pristine beauty you see before you.

The geothermals are still switched on in the park, so you’ll also get some demonstrations of burning bushes

Geysers

And a natural grill for lunch at the restaurant.

Beaches

Even though it was nice and warm when we visited (up to 27 degrees) the Atlantic was too chilly for us to dip into. Nonetheless, some time at the beach makes for a nice day out.

Much of the coastline of the north east is rocky with little beach coves dotted along.

Famara on the west has a huge stretch of sand for the surfers, but did seem to have a fair bit of seaweed when we arrived.

The beaches of Papagayo are easily the best. Where you can drive to along a rough dusty road or take a 20min walk to from the sandos papagayo hotel.

Playa Mujeres, for beachgoers and ‘nature’ lovers alike.

Playa del Pizo

And the nicest of the lot Playa Cera

Other Touristic Curios

You can buy a multi pass to see a number of sights across the island, worth it if you think you will cover all the sights during your stay. You’ll get a feel for Bond villain style lairs at Jameos del Agua, with its cave bar,

Underground mirror pool

And beautiful outdoor pool

All carved into the volcanic rock

The Mirador del Rio continues the villain lair theme, cut into the side of a volcano to give a panoramic view of the north of the island

and the island of la Grasciola.

The Cueva de los Verdes are a unique visit as they are made up of lava tubes from the eruptions, so the features are much more than the usual tites and mites.

And expect a little surprise at the end of the tour…a secret!

Get prickly with a visit to the cactus garden, set in its own man made caldera, makes for an interesting diversion.

The ticket also includes a visit to the Castillo de San Jose…good for a few minutes on a cloudy day!

A few more sights

We drove nearly 700km around this little island, pulling the car over and jumping out as much as we could, so some other great spots include: El Golfo, for wild waves

The verdant green lagoon

And Lyssa’s favourite local dish of lapas in mojo (limpets), that we had scoured the island for.

Together with the island specialty of…potatoes! It does not sound so special to be honest, but cooked in salty water, part grilled to give a crinkle and served with tasty mojo sauces it does have a big appeal.