Map of Timanfaya National Park: Where It Is and How to Reach It

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Where is Timanfaya National Park?

Timanfaya National Park spreads across the south west of Lanzarote, inland from the resort coast, in a landscape of rust coloured lava, black gravel and bare cones. It is about 51 square kilometers (20 square miles) in size.^[1] The park was given National Park status by a decree of August 9, 1974, published in the Official State Gazette on September 17, 1974.^[12] On the drive in, green fields give way to black soil and then to the ash and pumice of the fire mountains themselves.

If you are based in Puerto del Carmen, the park is about 22 km away directly, with a road distance of about 23.5 km.^[2] Drivers follow signs inland towards Yaiza and Mancha Blanca. Public line 60 passes through Yaiza on its route between Arrecife and Playa Blanca.^[8] Most people arrive by coach, minibus or hire car, and the last stretch of road runs over flat ground covered in dark lapilli before the land lifts into the fire mountains.

Set aside a clear block of the day for the park rather than squeezing it between other stops. The visitor area, the coach circuit, the camel station and the drive all take time, and the landscape is far more absorbing than the map suggests.

Reading the map of Timanfaya National Park

The part of the park that visitors see is Montañas del Fuego, the Mountains of Fire, and its hub is Islote de Hilario. The coach circuit runs across this ground, and here the ground itself is the sight. At the surface, temperatures reach around 250 ºC, and they can even reach more than 600 ºC at 13 m deep.^[11] Stand still for a moment and you feel heat coming up through the gravel under your feet, even when the wind is cool.

El Diablo Restaurant sits near the dining area in a stone structure. Its volcanic oven uses natural heat from the subsoil, where temperatures exceed 600 °C just 15 meters below the surface, and that energy cooks meat and vegetables without fire or electricity, directly on a grill placed over an open cavity in the rock.^[13] The Route of the Volcanoes is the park's coach circuit, and it has adapted coaches.^[9] At the camel station, the ride lasts approximately 20 minutes.^[14]

Dark roads and rust coloured lava fields shape the drive into the fire mountains.

Where is the entrance to Timanfaya National Park?

For most travellers the entrance to Timanfaya means the access to Montañas del Fuego and the Islote de Hilario area, reached along the park road from the Yaiza side of the island. Tickets for independent entry to Montañas del Fuego can only be purchased online and for a specific time slot.^[3] Sort that booking before your day out, then follow the signs inland. If you come on a tour, the timing and the entry are handled for you.

There is no street number for Timanfaya National Park. For practical purposes the Timanfaya National Park address is the visitor centre at Mancha Blanca, on the road in from Yaiza. It gives free access to its exhibition and audiovisual programme.^[15] The Centro de Visitantes e Interpretación de Mancha Blanca is open Monday to Sunday from 9:00 to 16:00.^[4] It makes a sensible first stop before you reach the lava.

Tickets, time slots and entry prices

The standard adult entrance ticket for Montañas del Fuego costs 30.00 EUR. Children aged 7 to 12 pay 15.00 EUR, and children aged 0 to 6 pay 0.00 EUR.^[10] Independent tickets are sold online only and tied to a specific time slot.^[3] Pick a slot with room on either side, so the visitor centre and the drive do not eat into your time on the lava.

Guided trips handle entry in their own way, and several listings include skip the ticket line access, among them the full day trip booked from this site.^[5] That trip has a live guide in English, French, German and Spanish, and it runs for 9 hours.^[5] For a quicker look at the fire mountains, an express park tour takes 3 hours.^[16]

Getting there by car, bus and coach

By car, the natural approach is from Yaiza, at the southern end of the park road. Puerto del Carmen and Timanfaya National Park are about 22 km apart directly, and the road distance is about 23.5 km.^[2] Public line 60 passes through Yaiza on its route between Arrecife and Playa Blanca.^[8] Arriving early gives you a calmer start, and travelling by bus independently means checking how you will cover the last stretch to the park road.

Coach tours take the driving, the parking and the timing off your hands. The full day trip booked from this site collects from 61 pickup locations and returns to 61 drop-off locations.^[5] Other ways to cross the same volcanic ground include a guided volcano hike with transfers from US$48^[17] and a buggy tour with views of the volcano park from US$196^[18].

Longer days exist as well. A bus tour that skips the ticket line, and has lunch in its name, runs for 9 hours from US$109.^[6] A Timanfaya National Park tour with pickup takes 6 hours from US$68.^[7] A private trip to Timanfaya, El Golfo and Los Hervideros takes 4 hours from US$218.^[19]

Heat, rock and the film sets

Timanfaya is a young landscape, and the eruptions that shaped it ran from 1730 to 1736. The Termesana Route allows visitors to come into close contact with the volcano and the culture of Lanzarote's inhabitants during the 1730-1736 eruptive period.^[20] The rock still feels warm in places, and the colours change through the day, from grey ash to red ochre and back again as clouds cross the sun.

Film makers have long used the park as a stand-in for other worlds. Several films inspired by other planets have been filmed in Timanfaya, including Enemy Mine, Krull, Mission Stardust, Stranded and Operation Ganymed.^[21] On foot or through a coach window, the effect is easy to see: sharp cones, long empty slopes and ground that looks as though it belongs far from the Atlantic.

Planning your day at the fire mountains

Build the day around travel time. The full day trip booked here runs for 9 hours, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[5] Shorter choices include an express tour of the park that takes 3 hours^[16] and an evening tour with a volcano dinner that takes 5 hours.^[22] An evening start also means cooler air over the lava.

Practical bits matter more here than on a beach day. Wear closed shoes on the volcanic ground, carry water and something for the wind, and keep a hat handy. The camel ride lasts approximately 20 minutes if you want to add it to the day.^[14] The Route of the Volcanoes has adapted coaches.^[9] Book entry or a tour before the morning you plan to go, and check your pickup point the night before.

Prices vary with what you choose. A guided volcano hike with transfers starts at US$48^[17], an e-bike tour of volcano craters and vineyards starts at US$137^[23], and the full day park and caves trip starts at US$102^[5]. Whichever you pick, the fire mountains are the part of Lanzarote that stays with people long after the flight home.

Plan your Timanfaya visit

1. Fix where you are staying

   The full day tour collects from 61 pickup locations^[5]. Puerto del Carmen is about 23.5 km from the park by road^[2].

2. Book the slot or the tour

   Independent entry to Montañas del Fuego is online only, tied to a time slot^[3]. A guided day trip here starts at US$102^[5].

3. Plan around the heat

   Surface temperatures at Islote de Hilario reach around 250 ºC, and more than 600 ºC at 13 m deep^[11]. Carry water and sun protection.

4. Add the caves and centre

   The day trip stops at Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua^[5]. Visitor centre hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:00 to 16:00^[4].

5. Check what is included

   The park and caves tour lasts 9 hours, skips the ticket line, and is guided in English, French, German and Spanish^[5].

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