About Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Closer to Africa than Spain; drier than parts of the
Sahara; ecologically friendly; and a visitors delight.
These are just some of the assets of Lanzarote, the
archipelago's most easterly island.
Another title, Land of 100 Volcanoes
, understates the influence nature has had in sculpting
this fascinating island. There are actually 300 volcanoes,
some still bubbling quietly, some snuffed out. The
largest and most visible, Fire Mountain , lies at
the heart of the island. It's historical fury, though
terrifying at the time of its major eruption back
in 1730, has left a legacy of landscapes sublimely
tinted red and shadowed by eerie basalt formations.
Some of the island's beaches are
covered with black volcanic sand but many are clothed
in the golden glory of the nearby Sahara . This geographical
proximity to Africa is often overlooked by visitors
dining on Spanish-style tapas, paella and creative
Canarian cuisine at the island's vast array of excellent
restaurants.
The capital, Arrecife, has more
than its fair share of quality dining venues, many
affording quayside views of dusk horizons you'd swear
had been painted by hand. For dinner with a difference,
the volcano-fuelled barbecue at El Diablo restaurant
at the top of Timanfaya National Park is hard to beat.
Fish and meat are cooked utilising 300°C of heat
emanating from deep within the volcano.
You'll be pleased to hear it's not
quite that warm up top. Average daytime temperatures
loiter around the 20°C mark and rain is rarely
part of the vocabulary used by Lanzaroteños.
In fact, the island receives less rainfall than parts
of the Sahara desert, falling on an average of only
16 days per year, usually between December and February.
Most of the 65,000 inhabitants of
this island live on the south-facing coasts, half
of them in the capital. Arrecife hasn't always been
the seat of local power. Before 1852, Teguise held
the mantle of island control. This small town (barely
a village) is still regarded by some locals as the
'real' capital, to them Arrecife is merely the main
harbour. For elegant architecture and pretty plazas,
Teguise definitely rules the roost. Costa Teguise
was developed within the municipality to cater for
the influx of visitors keen to share a lifestyle vision
of white alleyways, piercing blue skies and transparent
waters.
Equally popular with visitors is
Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote's main resort area.
'Main' perhaps implies 'grandiose.
Don't be misled, this is Lanzarote where the influence
of environmentalist/architect/ecologist/artist César
Manrique has ensured that the landscape remains true
to its original character. Certainly the resort makes
the utmost effort to attract outsiders, but in a tasteful
and controlled manner.
Playa Blanca is the island's other
coastal centre of appeal, and the most southern. From
the sandy beach you can look across the narrow channel
to the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura just 11
kilometres away. However, the combined attractions
of Lanzarote, both man-made and natural, may make
you decide to put off leaving the island till another
time, even if it is just for a daytrip.
