Updated August 13th, 2020

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Although the Canary Island of Lanzarote is small it is full of natural wonders and diverse landscapes. The south coast of Lanzarote is home to some of the most popular resort towns on the island, such as Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen. If you travel a little further to the southwest the landscape changes drastically. Luxury resorts are replaced with small villages. Instead of the sandy beaches and souvenir shops within the resort towns you will find volcanic landscapes and natural attractions formed from previous volcanic explosions.

You can see all the sights in southern Lanzarote on a full-day tour from any of the resort towns. Read on to discover what you will see on the Lanzarote South Tour. 

Lanzarote South Tour

El Lago Verde

Our first stop was el Lago Verde (the green lagoon). A volcanic eruption caused a crater that filled up with sea water. The sea water is trapped in the form of a lake and it turned green due to algae which lives in the water.

Across from the green lagoon was, in my opinion, a much more impressive view of the ocean.

Los Hervideros

Los Hervideros (the boiling pots) were our next stop. Along the rocky coastline that was created by hot lava, there are some underwater caves. Due to the waves forcing water into the underwater caves it appears that the water is bubbling and boiling.

The area, made up of several rocky pathways, is a natural playground where you can climb around and see the water below.

Salinas de Janubio

On our way to our next stop we saw the Salinas de Janubio (salt flats). The salt was originally used primarily in the fish industry for preservation and processing. Now with the invention of the refrigerator, production has decreased. The salt pans look like works of art because each pan has a different color depending on the amount of water it holds.

La Geria

Next we head to the wine region of La Geria. We stopped at a bodega to have a wine sample and see how the vines grow in the volcanic rock up close.

Lunch in Yaiza

We had a lunch stop in the small town of Yaiza where we could pay to have a buffet at el Campo, a fairly touristy spot. Other than the insect I found in my salad, the food was pretty good. I also enjoyed the conversation with my fellow tour goers. There are a few other restaurants in the town, but not a lot of options.

Museo del Aloe Vera

Afterwards I walked around a bit and popped into the Museo del Aloe Vera (aloe vera museum) that was right next door. It is a free museum with displays in a few different languages explaining everything you would want to know about Aloe Vera. At the beginning you are able to take a piece of the real plant and break it open to use the liquid on your hands as a lotion. The museum leads into a store with a plethora of products on sale. These stores are actually all over the place on the island and the salespeople are very eager to tell you about the products.

El Echadero de Camellos

During the tour we made a stop right outside of Timanfaya National Park at el Echadero de Camellos, to ride camels around the volcanoes. Technically they are dromedaries because they only have one hump.

The camels are all lined up waiting for passengers. Instead of sitting directly on the camel there is a little chair with a seat on each side of the camel. One person sits on each side, with the lighter person on the right. We never found out the logic behind that. You are instructed to wait to sit down until the camel person ties on sandbags if needed to balance the weight. Perhaps it is just easier to have all the lighter people on one side to tie on the sandbags.

The camels are all hooked together in a line of about six. They stand up in a ripple effect. It’s quite amusing because each individual camel stands up in a wave like motion with its back legs and then it’s front legs. Sitting down is the opposite so it is good we had seatbelts or I would have slid right off the seat and directly to the ground.

Then we were on our way on a little guided walk around the volcanoes. The camel behind me would get a little too close for comfort. Other than that it was a pleasant, but bouncy experience that I was rather amused at taking part in. It was a unique way to experience the volcanoes too.

Parque Nacional de Timanfaya

Our last stop of the day and one of the most anticipated was Parque Nacional de Timanfaya (Timanfaya National Park). The park was named after the one remaining active volcano, Timanfaya. The biggest eruptions occurred between 1730 and 1736. Now the park is covered in volcanic soil.

We began in the Islet of Hilario where we saw some geothermal demonstrations that are able to be conducted because of the heat left from the volcanoes. First we were given some of the lava rocks to hold….still hot!

Then we saw how quickly hay caught on fire when exposed to the heat beneath the ground.

In the last experiment water was poured into a hole in the ground. It then shoots up into the air like a geyser because of the heat.

We had a peek at the grill that cooks food using the heat from a large hole in the ground……I was wishing I could try some! 

 

Then we hopped back on the bus to have a guided tour in the park through the Volcano Route. The pathways in the park are not open to the public. Through a National Park bus or a guided bus tour like the one I was on, are the only ways to access the route.

Definitely save a day for the Lanzarote South Tour when you are on the island! You will be amazed how diverse the island is. 

Lanzarote South Tour Information

Pick-Ups

Pick-ups from resorts or best stops near the resorts in Playa Blanca, Costa Teguise, Arrecife, Playa Honda, Puerto del Carmen and Puerto Calero.

Company Information

While the company I went with is no longer running, there are many companies that run a similar tour, typically called “The South Tour”. The order of stops are different, but this full day south tour is very similar to the tour I took. There is also a half day south tour that does not include el lago verde and los hervideros. 

On a separate day I did a full day César Manrique tour in the north of the island, but if you are short on time you can combine a Lanzarote south tour with a north tour in one day.

Review

Like bus tours anywhere there is never enough time at each stop. There is a rush to be able to see the sites and use the toilets and get food if needed. This tour like all big bus tours on the island, picks up travelers at their accommodation before starting the tour. They drop off in the opposite order so you will usually be doing drop-offs/pick-ups on one end for at least 30 – 60 minutes.   

That being said I think it was worthwhile to see the sights and the landscape of Lanzarote. Unless you want to rent a car, it is really the only way to do it.

Recommendations 

Sit on the right side of the bus and by the stairs towards the back. There seemed to be better views from the right side during the volcano route and when you are by the stairs you are one of the first off the bus every time. 

Toilets

Toilets are available at the green lagoon, el geria, the restaurant in Yaiza, the aloe vera museum, where you ride the camels and at the National Park where you see the experiments.

More about Lanzarote

• A full Lanzarote Guide and Travel Itinerary
• What to Eat in Lanzarote
• Activities: Hiking the Fire Mountains, Submarine Adventure, Kayaking & Snorkeling in Papagayo Beach, Museo del Historia, César Manrique Sights, What to Do in Arrecife, What to Do in Playa Blanca.
• Where to Stay in Lanzarote: Playa Blanca, Arrecife, Costa Teguise

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