The Canary Islands are hardly an alternative destination. Even though you haven’t been there, you may feel you know exactly what they’re all about: overcrowded beaches, resort hotels and tourist traps. Yet, as with most places, there are unseen and lesser-explored parts – places only locals know of. Until now!
In collaboration with seasoned travel writer and destination expert Andrea Montgomery, we’ve prepared a five-part series uncovering the hidden treasures of these paradise islands. Based in the Canary Islands, Andrea specialises in hiking and dining, on and off the beaten track, and writes all about it on her Buzztrips website.
This time, we take a closer look at the sporty sibling of the Canary Islands: Lanzarote. Land of fire and vines, Lanzarote’s appearance largely comes down to two great influences on its formation; the longest volcanic eruption in history and the island’s favourite son, César Manrique.
A land born of fire
A far cry from the verdant western Canary Islands, Lanzarote’s beauty is a stark and arid one; a kaleidoscopic landscape of volcanic cones marooned in a vast lake of lava. But it wasn’t always that way.
Stand in the middle of Timanfaya National Park and try to imagine that the land spread around you was once green and fertile with a gentle sea of cereal heads swaying in the breeze. It seems impossible to imagine, but that’s how the island looked when it was settled by the Genoese in the early 14th century and that’s how it remained until September 1st, 1730.
On that fateful day, the ground close to Timanfaya opened up, a flaming volcanic cone rising from within its bowels, and the longest eruptive incident in history began. For the next six years the sun was blotted out by volcanic ash and the land smothered by boiling lava. When the eruptions finally subsided in 1736, Lanzarote had lost 11 villages, 420 homes and one-quarter of its land surface to volcanic fallout.
Today, the fire still rages to 600°C beneath Timanfaya National Park, causing dry bushes to explode into flames, instantly vaporising cold water into steam, and helping the appropriately named El Diablo (The Devil) restaurant to barbeque meats on a large well, drilled deep into the earth.
Although Timanfaya National Park is the island’s number one excursion destination, strict controls are in place to protect this remarkable landscape where a single footprint could be visible for years.
César Manrique
No one understood the fragility of Lanzarote’s beauty and the need to ensure its future more than César Manrique, the man largely responsible for how Lanzarote looks today. Born in the island’s capital, Arrecife, Manrique considered himself an artist before anything else. He was an accomplished architect, sculptor and environmentalist who saw his native island as one of the most beautiful places on the planet and set out to ensure its preservation.
Working with the island’s government, he advocated the need to work with nature rather than against it, advising that all construction should use natural volcanic stone and wood, be low rise and uniformly white in keeping with the landscape.
Creating a series of extraordinary installations, Manrique’s fingerprints are all over the island, most famously at the Taro de Tahiche home, which he created for himself in 1968. Fashioned from five volcanic bubbles beneath the earth’s surface, it embodies all the elements of design for which he became known. Today, it houses the César Manrique Foundation and attracts visitors in droves.
Another treasured Manrique favourite is in the Jameos del Agua, a volcanic cave system formed by the eruptions centuries ago. There, in addition to an auditorium, swimming pool and restaurant, you can find Manrique’s gorgeous garden grotto, complete with a sapphire colour lake where blind albino crabs live.
Last, but not least, on the Manrique list is his cliff face viewpoint Mirador del Rio – a remarkable blend of architectural and artistic design. Hewn into the face of the Famara Cliffs, its window “eyes” look out over the small island of La Graciosa, and over El Rio, the stretch of water that divides the island from Lanzarote.
Sports capital of the Canary Islands
Manrique’s legacy of sustainability has become a part of the fabric of Lanzarote which, more than any other island, exploits its environment to encourage green tourism, especially in the world of sports. An arid climate, long sunshine hours and prevailing winds provide the perfect winter training ground for top athletes, and it’s difficult to go anywhere on the island without seeing lycra-clad runners, surfers and cyclists.
A favourite destination for those who undertake the rigours of triathlon competition, Lanzarote is home to the gruelling Iron Man competition, where its terrain provides demanding conditions. For cyclists, Lanzarote’s 205km of cycle routes range from long and flat to the demanding Tabayesco, a 10km climb to the Mirador at Haría.
North Atlantic swells and world-class reef breaks create the perfect conditions for experienced surfers on the island’s north coast beaches, while the consistent waves at spectacular Famara are ideal for beginners. With March come the trade winds and the sort of sailing conditions for windsurfers and kite boarders that have earned Lanzarote the nickname “Hawaii of Europe”.
With a calendar peppered with sports events, from duathlons and triathlons, to marathons, surf competitions and the El Rio swim from Lanzarote to La Graciosa, the island’s heart beats to the rhythm of a cardio vascular workout, making it the sports capital of the Canaries.
Malvasía wine
If you were looking to produce top quality wines, the last place you would look would be a barren island off the coast of Africa with hardly any rainfall, persistent winds and deep layers of volcanic ash. Yet, Lanzarote’s Malvasía wine, known as “essence of volcano”, is a habitual international award winner.
The black volcanic ash that covers so much of Lanzarote’s surface area is a natural sponge, drawing moisture from the passing trade winds and trapping it beneath its impermeable surface. Vines are grown using the dry vine cultivation process. First, a deep pit is dug in which to plant the vine, a semi-circular stone wall is then constructed at ground level to protect the shoot from the constant winds, and a layer of black volcanic ash is spread all around the pit to attract and trap moisture.
The young vine has to dig deep to find the minerals in the soil, forcing it to grow strong. The grapes lie on the surface of the ash from which they gather the “essence of volcano” while the long sunshine hours produce high levels of sugar. The end result is a grape with an intense, sweet, mineral taste that produces superb the Malvasía Seco wine, renowned for its straw-green hue, its citrus and mineral aroma and its overall balance.
There are 17 bodegas (vineyards) on Lanzarote, so there’s no shortage of places to enjoy a tasting session and learn about the grape varieties grown here. Bodega El Grifo in San Bartolomé is the oldest winery in the Canary Islands, established in 1775. You can tour the vineyard, visit the wine museum and taste up to six of their wines, along with a cheese platter, for €15 (£13) for two people.
Lanzarote’s Malvasía wine tastes best when accompanied by the island’s fresh, local produce, superbly prepared and exquisitely presented. You can find the best at the fabulous La Tegala in Yaiza and at the equally excellent Lilium in Arrecife. ¡Buen provecho!
