1. Timanfaya National Park

This part of the island is a must for any visitor to the island because of its unique ‘Martian’ landscape and rare plant species. You could practically spend a whole day here admiring the natural scenery and landscape and just take it all in. Definitely Instagram-friendly, and you might discover a ton about the world around you and even yourself. You could even take a camel ride across the park if you so wish!

Timanfaya National Park

Address: Las Palmas, Spain

Website: Timanfaya National Park

2. Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park

Yep, Lanzarote has a ton of natural life, but come on down to the zoo as well to check out some of their more exotic animals. Taking on a Western theme, Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park features rare white tigers, pumas, buffalo, Nile crocodiles and lots more. You can also take a walk through the gardens with waterfalls, try your hand at mining for gold at the Indian Village, go canoeing, interact with Sea Lions or have a pony ride. The park also features a splash and pool zone, swimming pools and water games with everything you need for your enjoyment.

Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park

Address: Alcalde Cabrera Torres, s/n, 35510 Puerto del Carmen, Las Palmas, Spain

Website: Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park

3. Playa de Papayago

For a most relaxing day out, head on down to Papayago Beach, one Lanzarote’s most popular beaches. Described as a cove of white sand, the small beach holds great beauty. In the shape of a bay or more beautifully and locally known, a shell, Papagayo will win you over with its crystal clear emerald green water which remains perfectly still all day long just like a pond. It’s the perfect place for taking up snorkeling and for enjoying the beauty of its depths or for letting the children splash about without having to worry.

Papayago is situated in a hollow, and you can get to in just a few minutes by going along a track, and it is in almost untamed surroundings but is well sheltered from the wind. In spite of where it is located, in the Natural Monument of Los Ajaches, there is a small beach bar on the hillside where you can buy drinks or have something to eat. Come here in the evening for an easy, breezy night of cool fun.

Playa de Papayago

Address: Calle las Acacias, 6, 35580 Yaiza, Las Palmas, Spain

Website: Playa de Papayago

4. Cesar Manrique Foundation

Over in Teguise, check out the Cesar Manrique Foundation, an incredible house that´s been created within a series of volcanic bubbles by local-born artist and architect, César Manrique. The house consistently blows visitors away with its incredible design elements. Manrique returned home from America in 1966, just as the tourist industry on Lanzarote began to take off.

Fully aware of the dangers, the well-connected César was determined to avoid the threat of facing the demise of his beloved island becoming buried beneath a sea of concrete. Visitors enter via a set of double doors which open directly onto a small courtyard, where the top of a palm tree can be seen poking out of one of the bubbles. There are some good examples of Manrique’s unique passion for making beautiful art objects out of supposedly useless junk in this courtyard, as well as some excellent examples of stylish planting, with a heap of red bougainvillea spilling over the wall and an unusual wall-climbing cactus, and plenty of other fascinating, architectural and botanic surprises to keep your visual appetites wet and craving for more.

Cesar Manrique Foundation

Address: Calle Jorge Luis Borges, 16, 35507 Tahiche, Las Palmas, Spain

Website: Cesar Manrique Foundation

5. Jardin de Cactus

Lanzarote’s famous Cactus Garden (Jardí­n de Cactus) is located in the north of the island in Guatiza and remains one of the island’s hottest attractions all year round. This is a hipster’s dream, and the Cactus Garden was developed under the guidance of César Manrique it showcases over 10,000 different plants. Love succulents? This is definitely the place for you.

This garden really is a celebration of the plant world’s most spiny species, comprising one of the best collections of cacti in the world. Better still, these have all been displayed in their optimum condition and effect against the beautiful backdrop of an amphitheater-like giant bowl, hewn from an old quarry and laid out in steep terraces, echoing the stone wall patterns of the local fields. Gorgeous, cultural and natural at the same time!

Jardin de Cactus

Address: Carretera General del Norte, s/n, 35530 Guatiza, Las Palmas, Spain

Website: Jardin de Cactus

6. Le Graciosa

La Graciosa is a tiny desert island made up of sand and volcanic cones off Lanzarote. Take a boat across to this island from Lanzarote and enjoy the ridiculously clear azure waters and a charmingly breathtaking solitude to it all. You’ll be dropped off at La Caleta del Sabo and it can feel a bit like being deposited in a random North African outpost.

The gorgeous sea ebbs and flows almost to the walls of some buildings and roads through the town aren’t tarmacked. Bereft of cars, what you should be doing here is to lie in the sun and just forget about the world. The beaches are the stuff of desert island dreams; long, sandy and gloriously wild.

Le Graciosa

Address: Graciosa

Website: Le Graciosa

7. Teguise

Teguise (or more commonly known as La Villa by its residents) is steeped in history and can proudly stake the claim of being the oldest Spanish settlement in the whole of the Canary Islands, dating all the way back to 1402. Today Teguise is pretty much only filled with mad shoppers, as every Sunday the town plays host to the island’s biggest street market. Teguise is also perfect for sightseeing and anyone looking to discover the real face of Lanzarote should head straight here, to check out why the town was declared a site of historic and architectural importance by the Spanish government back in the 80s.

Teguise

Address: DPlaza Clavijo y Fajardo, 4, 35530 Teguise, Las Palmas, Spain

Website: Teguise

8. Cueva de los Verdes

In Spanish, Cueva de los Verdes literally means the Green Caves, and what a sight it is to behold. As one of the longest volcanic tunnels in the world, Cueva de Los Verdes has been protecting locals on Lanzarote for hundreds of years and more recently delighting visitors since it was properly opened to the public in 1964. Since the very beginning of the island’s history, Lanzarote has suffered attacks from pirates and raiders throughout its history; which is why the inland town of Teguise used to be the capital of the island.

The Cuevas de los Verdes acted as an excellent place to hide for the local people, going as far back as the Guanches who were an aboriginal people who used to inhabit the Canary Islands. There is even a chamber within the tunnel known as ‘The Refuge’ because it was used for shelter so often. Expect plenty of fascinating plant life and greenery, but be forewarned that it can get a little claustrophobic, so don’t venture too deep if you’re afraid of tight spaces.

Cueva de los Verdes

Address: 35520 Haría, Las Palmas, Spain

Website: Cueva de los Verdes

Haven for the intrepid traveler

With a truckload of natural scenery, Lanzarote is a haven for the intrepid explorer amongst you travelers and an island to remember. Immerse yourself in island life, and believe me, you’ll walk away happy, healed, and completely rejuvenated by the power of nature.