Nature is capricious in Lanzarote. And beautiful, incredibly beautiful and peculiar. Volcanic tunnels, sheer cliffs and otherworldly beaches have been born from its fiery heart, but also a particular way of understanding agriculture, architecture and tourism intrinsically related to sustainability and the territory, the one that on the so-called island of volcanoes is the absolute protagonist... Y At any time of year! Winters are warm; summers lively. The land is fertile; the beaches, multicolored. The people are sailors; the visitor, restless.
So infinite is the island (and all the experiences it offers) that, at first, it can overwhelm the visitor, disconcerted by so much beauty and so many places to discover. For this reason, sometimes it is better to be guided by the experience of those who know, authentic connoisseurs of hidden landscapes and little-known places only suitable for pioneers. This is the case of the travel shop PANGEA The Travel Store who has prepared a Lanzarote travel series so that you just have to let yourself go.
Papagayo, with views of the neighboring island of Lobos and Fuerteventura.
ROUTES DESIGNED BY EXPERTS
Between beaches and volcanoes is one of the six-day vacation packages designed by PANGEA The Travel Store, and includes car rental, stay in a villa with a pool, kayak route... There is another one that goes by the name Manrique's canvas that travels the island following the artistic footprint of this visionary.
To see otherworldly landscapes, it would be convenient to choose Mars, are you there? either with you to the moon, this last experience, seasoned by wine and cheese tastings. We are sure that the crush will be instant. But, in case you still have doubts, you can always hire a martian love and have dinner in a tent… or ask any of the expert advisers from PANGEA The Travel Store, which has stores in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia.
Jablillo beach.
THE SEASONS OF THE YEAR
The climate in Lanzarote is so mild that, although we talk about warm winters and not too scorching summers, we should actually say that it has the perfect temperature or, what is the same, an annual average of 21ºC. The sun shines during all seasons of the year and, due to its location (it is the closest to the African continent), it hardly ever rains.
Spring is the right time to see the high flights of surfers and windsurfers, but also of migratory birds, who find a dance floor on the island in which to woo their future partners.
Summer offers the possibility of bathing from north to south in so many beaches, natural pools and coves that it will be difficult to choose: there are those addicted to waves of Famara, others prefer to splash in the Charcones de Janubio and the more comfortable prefer to lie down in Costa Teguise, Playa Grande or Puerto del Carmen. We note that Parrot It is only suitable for unimpressive people.
Autumn is synonymous with grape harvest, but not so in Lanzarote, where it occurs in August. Even exceptionally, this spring, there has been Europe's first winter harvest in one of the farms on the island. In any case, in the geria you should not miss this show that consists of descend into a hole to cut the bunches manually, since the grapes (listán negro, negra mulata, malvasia, muscatel...) have been raised among volcanic ashes. The result? A wine with DO Lanzarote whose production stays at home (only 40% is exported).
The Geria.
Also the picón –which helps retain moisture in the soil– encourages a local agriculture adapted to the environment and sustainable, which results in a delicious gastronomy based on the local garden, from potatoes from the Valleys to prickly pears turned into jam. Not to mention the Lanzarote cheeses…
Even the birds migrate from arctic latitudes in search of the island's warm winter, a time we can take advantage of to visit some of its museums and cultural centers without haste and without stress: the El Almacén Cultural Innovation Center, the Yellow House, the Víctor Fernández Gopar Theatre, commonly known as El Salinero...
Fire Mountains.
NATURE AND ART
In Lanzarote the lines are blurred: is it the work of nature or of the human being? The Timanfaya National Park dazzles like a movie set that feeds the soul (in the Mountains of Fire textures and rough shapes replace vegetation) , but also the body, that is the responsibility of the El Diablo restaurant, designed by César Manrique, as well as the Ruta de los Volcanes.
Also they jameos, those unique geological formations, become works of art by the hand of this visionary artist who he knew how to adapt the architectural structures to the territory (and not the other way around). “Being born in this burned geology of ashes, in the middle of the Atlantic, conditions any moderately sensitive being,” Manrique wrote.
Jameos del Agua.
To appreciate this respectful way of understanding architecture we will only have to visit its most emblematic works: the Casa-Museo del Campesino, the Cueva de los Verdes, the Cactus Garden, the Jameos del Agua and the Castillo de San José, an old military fortress that houses the International Art Museum Contemporary (MIAC).
Special mention deserves the Mirador del Río, perched on top of the Risco de Famara, at almost 500 meters of altitude. Why? Because, in addition to being one of César Manrique's most characteristic architectural creations, he gives away some incomparable views of the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park, to which La Graciosa belongs.
River lookout.
Small in size, but never in (island) spirit, this tiny subtropical island, half an hour by ferry from Lanzarote, captivates by its calm lifestyle and the peculiarity of its environment, in which the pristine white fishermen's houses share the limelight with virgin whitewater beaches, untouched dirt roads and seabed. But that's another story that deserves to be told more calmly...
Even so, if you are interested (which I am sure you are), but have little time to investigate, it is best to access the PANGEA The Travel Store travel agency website, where you will find alternative itineraries, off the beaten track, at what to discover why Lanzarote is so beautiful, peculiar and, above all, infinite.
