Fuerteventura is a fascinating island, fairly dry but with magnificent contrasts of color: turquoise waters, golden sand, black and red volcanic rocks, green cacti…
Here’s our selection of 25 of Lanzarote’s most beautiful landscapes: beaches, miradors, volcanoes, villages, cliffs…
We hope these beautiful photos of Lanzarote will convince you to explore the island!
This opinion is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Our selection of photos of the most beautiful landscapes on Lanzarote
It wasn’t an easy selection, as we love the whole island of Lanzarote and its neighbor La Graciosa.
Even though we’re passionate about volcanoes and geology, we’ve tried to select a variety of landscapes to give you an idea of what you could discover on your trip. But there’s more!
1. Montana Cuervo
Our favorite place on Lanzarote… in the heart of the Volcanoes Natural Park, you can walk around the Montana Cuervo volcanic cone and even go inside. The place is absolutely fascinating!
It’s an easy walk around a complete caldera (although some areas feel like gravel, so it’s a bit harder to walk).
2. Timanfaya National Park
The most famous activity in Lanzarote is the bus tour inside Timanfaya National Park, a unique and fascinating area.
The volcanic landscape is almost like another planet.
You can drive around part of it, thanks to a road built just for buses. If you look around, you’ll surely be fascinated by the colors and shapes.
If you don’t want to drive, half-day excursions take you from all the resort towns to experience Timanfaya. See the program
3. From a dolphin-watching tower
We always love to take a boat trip, which gives us a different perspective on the scenery.
You have many options in Lanzarote, but one of the most popular is dolphin watching.
There’s no guarantee of finding dolphins, but you can still enjoy the beautiful views and a good swim.
We were very lucky, as we were surrounded by lots of dolphins for a long time.
See the tour we had chosen, and its availability.
4. El Grifo vineyard
The best-known vineyard in Lanzarote is La Geria, but we fell in love with El Grifo. The vines are a little less in circles, so typical of the island of Lanzarote, but the place is magnificent with its volcanic cone.
If you’re interested, join a guided tour with tasting: see program and availability – and book!
5. Papagayo beaches
The Papagayo beaches are the island’s best known. They are located on the oldest lands, in a wild area.
The last is the best known, a magnificent cove of golden sand and emerald waters.
6. Los Hervideros
For a variation on the volcanic theme, head to Los Hervideros. Here, the water rushes against small cliffs made of basalt columns with, as a bonus, a small red volcano behind.
We were fascinated by the intensity of the colors.
If you don’t rent a car, you can visit it on a guided tour – see the different programs and book.
7. Mirador del Rio
Lanzarote’s most famous viewpoint is Mirador del Rio. Located in the north of the island, on the Famara cliffs, this former military base was modified by César Manrique and camouflaged in the rock. It offers breathtaking views of the high, steep cliffs and the island of La Graciosa with its volcanoes.
If you don’t rent a car, you can visit it on a guided tour – see the different programs and book.
8. Cactus garden
It’s a very successful man-made landscape.
Here, a wide variety of cactus species are showcased in a garden overlooked by a windmill.
The Cactus Garden is the work of the famous artist Cesar Manrique. He imagined how to transform this former rofera (quarry) into an exhibition of some 1,500 specimens of 450 different species representing the 5 continents.
If you don’t rent a car, you can visit it on a guided tour – see the different programs and book.
9. Picon Valley
Off the beaten track, discover this abandoned quarry. Erosion has created some amazing rock structures that we loved admiring.
The remaining picon formations are made of small volcanic ash and are fragile but fascinating with the volcanoes behind them.
10. Teguise
In our opinion, Teguise is the prettiest of the towns and villages to visit on Lanzarote. We enjoyed discovering the traditional architecture with its many old houses.
We love the contrast between the colored bricks and the white walls.
We recommend a stroll through the narrow streets, but avoid Sundays, when there’s a market for tourists and lots of people.
11. Cliffs of Famara
At the end of the day, the sun floods the cliffs of Famara beach with light. And if you visit at low tide, you can enjoy the wonderful reflections.
An excellent place to relax and recharge!
12. Playa Francesa (La Graciosa)
To the north of Lanzarote lies another, smaller island: La Graciosa. No road to explore, just a dirt track and a few 4WD vehicles to take you to different places.
The most famous beach is Playa Francesa. It’s the most accessible from the port. We love the golden sand, turquoise water and, in the background, the red side of Montana Amarilla. I really like the color combination.
13. Tenesar
If you’re looking for somewhere off the beaten track, Tenesar is sometimes referred to as Lanzarote’s “lost village”. It’s a bit isolated, so people don’t visit it.
But we really liked it: the few white houses, the waves crashing against the black rocks, and the huge red crabs wandering around!
14. Cueva de los Verdes
We can’t tell you what a surprise Cueva de los Verdes is. But if you don’t suffer from claustrophobia, we highly recommend a visit to this lava tube staged by Jésus Soto (who worked with César Manrique).
15. Punta Mujeres
We’ve fallen in love with this village in the north of Lanzarote, far from the tourist crowds.
The white houses give access to pretty little seawater pools that fill up during high tide.
16. Las Grietas slot canyons
No, you’re not dreaming, this isn’t Utah. In Lanzarote, you can walk through slot canyons, in the ravines of a volcano.
We were fascinated by the place, its colors and the shapes created in the rock.
17. Montana Colorada
Speaking of color, Montana Colorada (the colored mountain) is one of the most fascinating volcanoes to admire on the island. The hike takes you all around the volcano, with signs explaining what you’re seeing. One side of the volcano is bright red, hence its name.
The place is also famous for having the largest volcanic bomb on the island, which you can see in the photo. Unfortunately, there was no one around where we walked (early in the morning) to give you an idea of the scale.
18. Jameos del Agua
One of the most famous places on Lanzarote! Here, César Manrique transformed part of a long lava tunnel that had collapsed in several places. Here you’ll find an amphitheater, a swimming pool (although you can’t swim in it), a restaurant and an underground lake with little white crabs.
If you don’t rent a car, you can visit it on a guided tour – see the different programs and book.
19. Janubio salt marshes
For a completely different landscape, discover the Janubio salt marshes. A viewpoint allows you to see them from a little higher up and discover the different colors. A stunning landscape!
20. Playa de Las Conchas (La Graciosa)
La Graciosa’s other famous beach is Playa de la Conchas. It’s at the other end of the island, so you either have to walk a long way or pay for a 4WD ride.
This is a very large beach with golden sand and small sand dunes.
But the best part is the view of Isla de Montana Clara, yet another small island.
21. The entire Volcanoes Natural Park
All in all, our favorite landscapes are everywhere in the Volcanoes Natural Park. Whichever route you take, the views will be fascinating, with cracked lava rocks and volcanic cones.
Take the time to explore!
22. El Golfo and the Green Lagoon
This lagoon is not for swimming and sunbathing, but it is one of the most fascinating places on Lanzarote. Here, the crater of the half-volcano meets the ocean.
Inside, a lagoon formed and turned green due to the combination of sulfur and algae.
23. Bajo de la Montana
Off the beaten track, accessible by hike or 4WD, this crater has been partially eaten by the sea and what remains is an intense red color.
24. Caleton de los Arcos (La Graciosa)
A final stop on the island of La Grasiosa, for an even more different lunar landscape.
Here we are fascinated by the cliffs where the lava flow met the ocean. This created basalt columns and fascinating shapes, including the famous arch that gives Caleton de los Arcos its name.
Once again, we love the colors and contrasts: black volcanic rock, golden sand, blue sky and red volcano (Montana Bermeja).
25. Sunset at Famara
And last but not least, most of Lanzarote’s towns are on the east coast, which is not ideal for watching the sunset. We recommend a trip to Famara beach on the west coast for exceptional sunsets.
