Top three things to do in Lanzarote

For a holiday destination that’s really quite unique, the Canary Island of Lanzarote takes some beating. You may know it for its buzzing beach resorts – Playa Blanca, Costa Teguise and party-hard Puerto del Carmen to name just a few. Or maybe you’re familiar with its stark volcanic landscape and the fact that you can have your lunch cooked over scorching heat from deep underground. Or maybe it’s the striking lagoons and peaceful craters that adorn the somewhat lunar-like landscape.

However vast or limited your knowledge of Lanzarote, there’s no denying that it’s a place worth visiting, for more reasons than one. You’ll find a number of flights departing to Arrecife with Monarch Airlines throughout the year, served by various UK airports including Manchester, Birmingham, Gatwick and Leeds-Bradford. We’ve got plenty of low-cost holidays and accommodation, too – just head to the website to find out more about staying in Lanzarote.

So, that’s getting there taken care of. Now what can you actually do? We’re guessing you’ve already sussed out the best beaches, so we’ll leave you to track down your favourite patch of sand. Here are our top three non-beach-related things to see and do in Lanzarote – and if you’ve got any more to add, feel free to drop us a line.

Cueva de los Verdes
This spectacular underground cave network is actually a lava tube based within the Monumento Natural del Malpaís de La Corona, a protected natural park. Around 3,000 years ago, nearby volcano Mt Corona erupted and blasted these tunnels with scorching lava. Over time, the caves cooled and the eruption’s legacy remains as a series of caves and spiky, bizarre rock formations, now illuminated by colourful well-placed spotlights. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Lanzarote inhabitants hid in these caves to protect themselves from pirates and slave raiders.

César Manrique
On any trip to Lanzarote, you can expect to hear one man’s name mentioned more than once. César Manrique is the late, great visionary who helped to preserve the island from overdevelopment and delicately transformed natural spectacles into fantastic tourist attractions. It’s quite something to see how he worked sympathetically with nature to deliver some of the world’s best-known tourist and leisure sites. Must-sees include Jameos del Agua, Jardín de Cactus and his former home, now the César Manrique Foundation, built on the site of an ancient Lanzarote eruption complete with rooms crafted out of lava bubbles.

Under the Sea
Lanzarote has some cracking dive and snorkelling sites with reefs, sunken wrecks and deep volcanic caves. At various times of the year it is possible to see and swim with all manners of different marine species including barracuda, moray eels, octopus and rays, along with seahorses and dolphins. Little Mermaid, eat your heart out.