The north of Lanzarote

Wherever you decide to go in Lanzarote you can find plenty of places of interest and some of the most diverse landscapes in the Canary Islands.

The north of the island is a treasure trove of natural wonders and man-made attractions. Nature has given us the dramatic cliffs of Risco de Famara on the west coast, the badlands on the east, the fascinating Cueva de los Verdes and the tranquil island of Isla Graciosa, while man (or, to be specific, Manrique) has created the breathtaking Jameos del Agua, the Jardin de Cactus and the Mirador del Rio.

The Cactus garden in Ariete

From the ring road around Arrecife, take the road north towards Guatiza to visit the Cactus Garden. As you enter Guatiza you pass fields of cultivated cactus, for this is the region of Lanzarote where cochineal is still produced, albeit not in large quantities. Set in a volcanic crater, this Manrique designed garden spirals in a circle of terraces up to a small windmill. There are cacti of all kinds: round and dumpy, tall and phallic, and some little furry creatures snuggled in the volcanic soil. Manrique's designs on the external walls of the toilets are attractions in themselves.

Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes Continue north for about 3km (2 miles) to the well sign posted Jameos del Agua. You turn off onto a road that is in many places not wide enough for two-way traffic, but there are many passing places, and people are usually courteous about using them. This is one site that just about everybody comes to, so it can get busy try to come fairly early, or at the end of the day and it is like nothing else you will ever have seen.

 It is part of a volcanic tunnel system that runs from Montana de Corona, which erupted about 4,000 years ago, out into the On the way between Guatiza and the next destination, the Jameos del Agua, you could make a brief detour to Arrieta. We are definitely in Manrique country here, and one of his sculptures, like a giant wind chime, stands at a roundabout where a road leads the short distance to the coast and this tiny fishing village. To the right, before you enter the village, you could turn off to the pleasant Playa de la Garita. Arrieta is a sleepy place, although quite popular with divers, and it gets animated at weekend lunchtimes when several fish restaurants around the small harbor draw customers.
 Lanzarote caves

About 1km up a narrow road opposite lays the Cueva de los Verdes. Verde means green, but the name refers not to the color of the rocks but to a family called Verde who used to keep their goats in the upper part of the cave.

 Over the years, these caverns served as a place of refuge for local people when pirates attacked the shores. The cave system is part of the same 'tube' that runs from Montana de Corona to the sea.

You may have to wait a short while to go in, as the numbers on each tour are limited, but they run very frequently and last about 50 minutes. The temperature inside the caves remains stable at 18-20°C (64-68°F) throughout the year, which makes the visit a pleasant escape from summer heat. Claustrophobics should be all right, as, after an initial low, narrow stretch, the cave opens out into a vast cavern, and thereafter there are few places where you need to stoop.

The tour does involve shuffling along rather slowly, however how slowly depends on the composition of your group and how many people linger to take photos. It's worth the shuffle, though, as the shapes of the cave walls and ceilings, formed by the solidified lava and enhanced by discreet lighting, are quite extraordinary. Your guide will lead you into an auditorium, where concerts are sometimes held, as the acoustics are excellent.

Presumably only small, portable instruments can be used. As the tour draws to an end, the guide will demand silence in order to introduce you to the 'secret of the caves' it's an ingenious one, and we are not going to give the game away.
The Parque Tropical Lanzarote

A cliff top stretch of road leads along the Risco de Famara cliffs, then to lower ground. The views are wonderful, but don't stop to enjoy them until you find a suitable place, as the road is very narrow. You pass the oddly named little village of Ye before reaching the Tropical Park at Guinate. This is a great family outing.

As well as clearly described subtropical plants and a big cactus garden, there is a vast number of exotic birds (the owners claim 1,300), plus a few monkeys rescued from illegal ownership, and the ever popular markets. Those who object strongly to keeping birds in captivity will, of course, give it a miss, but the conditions are good. There is a large walkthrough aviary, and the cages otherwise are huge and well furnished with plants, and appear to offer the birds all the freedom they need accept the freedom to fly away, of course. Parrot shows are held at intervals throughout the day, and there is a cafe with reasonably priced snacks and light meals.

The Valley of Haria

Continuing south, you drop down into the greenest, most fertile part of the island, the valley of Haria, known as the Valley of a Thousand Palms. This is an exaggeration, but there are quite a lot of them. As tour guides and brochures are keen to point out, the legend recounts that once upon a time a palm tree was planted for every girl born locally, and two for every boy. Hatria is a nice little town (although a place of confusing road signs). Spick and span in white and green, it has attracted a number of artists and artisans in its time, and became Manrique's home during his later years.

The church, Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion, is a modern copy of the 17th-century original which was damaged by a storm, then destroyed, in the 1950s. There's a good craft market in the square around the church (Plaza de Leon y Castillo) every Saturday.  

Orzola Lanzarote

At the tip of the island, with its back to the badlands lies the village of Orzola, jumping off point for Isla Graciosa. There's not much to Orzola, apart from a number of good fish restaurants, from the terraces of which you can watch the comings and goings of boats to the island. The trip to Isla Graciosa takes about 20 minutes, but it leads you into another world. Part of the protected Parque Natural del Archipelago and a population of 630 there are no cars, except a few Land Rovers and, apart from the paseo around the harbor, no paved roads. To get around, you have to walk, or hire a bike, which is easily done from a couple of outlets by the port. There are several fish restaurants around the harbor and in the streets behind it, but if you come on a week-day they may not all be open.

Most people buy picnic supplies from one of three little shops or supermarkets and head for the beaches. There's a small golden beach and protected waters right by the harbor where local children splash about, but the better beaches are a little way away. The currents are very strong, so swimming is not a good idea. Paddle instead, and explore the rock pools where tiny fish swim around your feet.

If you are back at the harbor around 3pm you'll see the fishing smacks come in, and you can watch as small fish are unloaded from the decks into wheelbarrows and taken a few yards away to be laid out on the jetty to dry in the sun. These are pejines; when dried, they are grilled and eaten as tapas.

South from Orzola

Back on the mainland, going south from Orzola, the best route is along the coast, but there is a narrow lane out of the village that takes you back to the main Arrieta to Mirador del Rio road, and a short way up the lane is Las Pardelas.This friendly, family run little ecological park with indigenous plants, domestic animals and donkey rides has a small restaurant, and makes a nice gentle stop if you are travelling with children.

The centre of the island is where you will find the airport, the capital, Arrecife, the two largest resorts, Puerto del Carmen and Costa de Teguise, the historic town of Teguise, a number of interesting rural museums and the wine producing zone.

Costa Teguise Lanarote

Costa Teguise is the only resort north of Arrecife. You enter on the Avenida del Mar (about l4km/8 miles from the airport, 6km/4 miles from the capital), a broad road lined with squat palm trees and flanked by apartment blocks and hotels. The main street, Avenida de las Islas Canarias, running parallel to the coast, is lined with commercial centres, small supermarkets, several clinics and a plethora of car hire companies.

Manrique designed the Pueblo Marinero at the southern end of the resort, and this is the most appealing part of the development. Low, whitewashed houses with blue or green balconies are clustered in narrow streets around a small square, and it does genuinely resemble a fishing village which is what Pueblo Marinero means. Later construction, running down to the beach, was taken over by other, less purist hands. A clutch of restaurants and bars here offer fish and chips, hamburgers and pizza, and many have English names. Round the rocky headland there are more buildings going up, and there's a small beach, Playa del Jablillo, with a rather unlovely view of the desalination plant just outside Arrecife.

Running northwards, the Playa de las Cucharas and Playa de los Charcos merge. The former has the better beach, a long stretch of golden imported sand superimposed on the natural volcanic black, and a stretch that is popular with windsurfers, as the winds on this coast are often strong. There is sand on Playa de los Charcos, too, but here there are black rocks to clamber over between the sand and the sea.

A landscaped promenade runs the length of the beaches, with a scattering of cafes and restaurants, and passes the smart Hotel Melia Salinas, designed by Manrique, which in the 1970s became the first to be built here. The early ambitions for Costa Teguise have not been realized; it lacks a real heart and is more down market than the other two major resorts. As a base for exploring the island, however, it has its advantages, as it is very convenient for visiting the cultural sites and villages in the north and centre of Lanzarote.

The house of Cesar Manrique Lanzarote

 This was the artist's home, which he remodeled as a museum and gallery when creating the foundation in 1982. All is white: outside, paths and walls gleam like icing sugar on a cake; inside, the marble floors blend with the white walls. Huge windows give views over the surrounding landscape, where the coils of molten lava look as if they might still be liquid. The exhibition salons contain Manrique's own paintings, ceramics and sketches, as well as works by Picasso, Tapies and Miro. Steps lead down to a series of volcanic bubbles, where trees reach up for the light. A subterranean garden has a pool and retains the atmosphere of a private home, with a huge barbecue and benches built into the walls. As you leave the building you pass through a small garden with a central pond and fountain, and a huge abstract mural that is one of Lanzarote's iconic sights.

Inland Lanzarote

About 8km (5 miles) west of the foundation you come to the sleepy little town of San Bartolome. The parish church (often closed), the Teatro Municipal and the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) form two sides of an attractive square with a colonnade, palm trees and a central fountain. Opposite, an open-ended plaza, planted with palms, cacti and oleanders, leads, via broad steps, down to the Tanit Museum, an ethnographic museum that outlines the history of the island's earliest inhabitants and has displays on island life during the past two centuries.

A right turn from the outskirts of San Bartolome takes you the short distance to Mozaga and the Monumento del Campesino (Monument to the Countryman), which is set in the exact centre of the island. Manrique's huge white sculpture depicts the campesino, on the four compass points, by a camel, a donkey, a dog and a goat although the abstract nature of the construction means that you need a bit of imagination to discern their figures.

You can skirt the restaurant to reach the artisans' centre, but don't if you enter via the huge, domed structure you go through a rocky tunnel and a cool grotto to reach your destination. On the ground floor around a square are workshops where demonstrations of weaving, leather-working and pottery take place. Upstairs a small museum displays models of Lanzarote's early ermitas (chapels) and some excellent naive ceramic works portraying primitive figures grinding and milling wheat.

The road leads north from the monument towards Tigua. On the far side of the village you come to a tiny white ermita, and a right turn leads to the Museo Agricola EI Patio.

Perhaps the most interesting of the displays are numerous old photos, dating from the early years of the 20th century to the 1960s, depicting the hardships and the community spirit of rural life. Leaving the museum, you pass through the old bodega, where you will be offered a glass of local wine. A quotation on one of the museum walls by Tenerife born writer Agustin Espinosa (1897-1939) reads: 'A land without traditions, without a poetic atmosphere, faces the threat of extinction.' This place is doing all it can to keep those traditions and atmosphere have.