If you read nothing else
- A day that links Timanfaya National Park, Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua, with pickup included and 61 pickup location options listed.[1]
- From US$102 per person, rated 4.47 from 2,662 reviews, with scores of 4.5 for the guide, 4.6 for transport and 4.4 for value.[1]
- The Arrecife cruise passenger tour runs 2.5 - 5 hours, stops at the Green Lagoon and La Geria, and prices start from US$57.[2]
- The standard adult ticket for Montañas del Fuego costs 30.00 EUR, and independent entry tickets can only be bought online for a specific time slot.[3][4]
- Reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund on the full day tour.[1]
- Top choice Timanfaya, Jameos & Caves from US$102 Rated4.47 from 2,662 reviews[1]Duration9 hours[1]Guide languagesEnglish, French, German, Spanish[1]HighlightsTimanfaya, Jameos, Cueva Verdes[1]CancellationFree up to 24 hours before[1] Check availability
- Arrecife cruise day tour from US$57 Rated4.58 from 2,154 reviews[2]Duration2.5 - 5 hours[2]Guide languagesEnglish, German, Spanish[2]HighlightsTimanfaya, Green Lagoon, La Geria[2]CancellationFree up to 24 hours before[2] See this tour
- Timanfaya with lunch from US$109 Rated4.52 from 531 reviews[5]Duration9 hours[5]Guide languagesSpanish, English, French, German[5]HighlightsTimanfaya and caves with lunch[5]CancellationFree up to 24 hours before[5] See this tour
With the decree of August 9, 1974, published in the Official State Gazette on September 17 of the same year, Timanfaya acquired the category of National Park .
Is a Timanfaya tour from Arrecife worth it?
Things to check
- Decide between a full day tour and a shorter southern loop
- Check the guide languages listed for the tour you choose
- Compare tour durations with your ship or flight times
- Prices are from-prices per person, so check the total before you pay
Arrecife to Timanfaya National Park: the basics
Arrecife is the island's capital, a working port on the east coast with a low skyline and a lagoon at its edge. The fire mountains sit away to the south west, beyond a run of black lava fields and pale ash. For a rough sense of scale, Puerto del Carmen and Timanfaya National Park are about 22 km apart directly, with a road distance of about 23.5 km.[7] Coaches from the Arrecife area head south through Yaiza and then climb into the park, where lichen clings to the rock and the ground shimmers in the heat.
Public transport will only take you part of the way. Line 60 passes through Yaiza on its route between Arrecife and Playa Blanca.[8] From Yaiza you would still need another way up into the park, and tickets for independent entry to Montañas del Fuego can only be purchased online and for a specific time slot.[4] A coach tour with pickup takes care of the drive, and the full day tour includes skip the ticket line entry.[1]
What the full day tour covers
The tour booked through this site is the Lanzarote: Timanfaya Park, Jameos Agua, and Cueva Verdes Tour. It lasts 9 hours and lists stops at Timanfaya National Park, Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua.[1] Pickup is included, with 61 pickup location options and 61 drop-off locations listed.[1] The live guide speaks English, French, German and Spanish.[1]
Prices start from US$102, and the tour is rated 4.47 from 2,662 reviews.[1] You can reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation applies up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1] Expect a long day out in open volcanic country, so pack water, a hat and shoes with grip. Pickups tend to start early, and the return is usually in the late afternoon or early evening, depending on where you are collected.
Black lava and pale ash line the road into the fire mountains of Timanfaya.
Shorter tours for a port call in Arrecife
If your ship is in Arrecife for the day, the Arrecife: Timanfaya and Green Lagoon for Cruise Passengers tour is built around a port call. It runs 2.5 - 5 hours and stops at Timanfaya National Park, the Green Lagoon, the Casa Museo y Monumento al Campesino and La Geria.[2] Prices start from US$57, it is rated 4.58 from 2,154 reviews, and the live guide speaks English, German and Spanish.[2]
The Arrecife/Playa Blanca: Timanfaya National Park Area Day Tour is a longer option at 7 hours, with pickup included, a rating of 4.34 from 877 reviews and prices from US$75.[9] The guide speaks German, Spanish and English.[9] Both of these leave the caves out, which suits travellers who want the lava fields and the coast without a full day on the road. Check the tour duration against your ship's schedule and leave a margin for the drive back into port.
Tickets, opening times and the visitor centre
If you plan to drive yourself, the standard adult entrance ticket for Montañas del Fuego (Timanfaya) costs 30.00 EUR.[3] Tickets for independent entry to Montañas del Fuego can only be purchased online and for a specific time slot.[4] Coach tours that include entry handle that part of the day for you. Before or after the park, the Timanfaya Visitor Centre in Mancha Blanca gives free access to its exhibition and audiovisual programme.[10] The Centro de Visitantes e Interpretación de Mancha Blanca is open Monday to Sunday from 9:00 to 16:00.[11]
Timanfaya was declared a National Park by a decree of August 9, 1974, published in the Official State Gazette on September 17, 1974.[12] The protected area covers about 51 square kilometers (20 square miles).[13] The Route of the Volcanoes has adapted coaches, which is worth knowing if someone in your group has limited mobility.[6] The exhibition and audiovisual programme at the visitor centre are a useful primer before you drive or ride through the lava fields.
from US$102
A 9 hour route linking Timanfaya National Park, Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua, with 61 pickup location options.[1]
Heat, lava and the film sets of Timanfaya
The ground here is still hot. At Islote de Hilario, surface temperatures reach around 250 ºC, and they can even reach more than 600 ºC at 13 m deep.[14] Guides show this by dropping dry brush into a pit, where it catches almost at once, and by pouring water that bursts back as steam. Nearby, El Diablo Restaurant's volcanic oven uses natural heat from the subsoil, where temperatures exceed 600 °C just 15 meters below the surface, cooking meat and vegetables without fire or electricity directly on a grill placed over an open cavity in the rock.[15]
The bare, otherworldly look has not gone unnoticed by film makers. Several films inspired by other planets have been filmed in Timanfaya, including Enemy Mine, Krull, Mission Stardust, Stranded and Operation Ganymed.[16] From the coach you pass craters, frozen rivers of lava and wide plains of black and ochre ash. Look for the first lichen and fig trees taking hold in the cracks, and for the sharp line where raw lava meets older, paler ground.
Caves, the green lagoon and the camel route
The full day tour also visits Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua, two lava tube sites in the north of the island.[1] Cueva de los Verdes is a long tunnel through cooled lava, while Jameos del Agua opens to the sky with a pool inside the cave. Between them the road crosses the malpaís, the badlands of jagged lava, and follows a coast where the sea pushes into collapsed tubes. Bring a light layer for the caves, where the air is cooler and still.
Another classic stop is the camel station beside the park, where the ride lasts approximately 20 minutes.[17] If you would rather be on foot, 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.[18] Check what your chosen tour includes before booking, since some routes stop at the caves and others stay in the south. On the coast road, look out for the green lagoon tucked into a half-collapsed crater at El Golfo.
Practical tips for a day out from Arrecife
Wear closed shoes with grip, take more water than you think you need, and carry a hat and a light layer. Sun cream matters even under hazy skies, because pale ash throws light back at you. Keep a camera or phone handy but hold it firmly: the ground is uneven and the coach windows are tempting. If you are prone to travel sickness, the winding roads through the park are worth preparing for, and a seat near the front helps.
Check your pickup point the evening before. The full day route lists 61 pickup location options and 61 drop-off locations, so times vary depending on where you are staying.[1] With 9 hours on the road and three main stops, the day fills quickly, and it is worth keeping the evening free.[1] Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance means you can book early and still change your mind if the forecast turns wet or windy.[1]
Traveller ratings for Arrecife-friendly Timanfaya tours
Typical from-prices for a Timanfaya day out
Adult from-prices per person from GetYourGuide listings[2],[20],[5],[1].
When to slot your Timanfaya visit
Getting there from Arrecife
Choose your tour
Decide between a full day route with the caves and a shorter southern loop. The full day tour lasts 9 hours.[1]
Sort your pickup
Pickup is included on the full day route, with 61 pickup location options listed.[1]
Pack for the lava
Sun cream, water, a hat, a light layer and closed shoes with grip for ash and rock.
Plan your evening
The stops and the long drive home make for a big day, so keep the evening free.
Check the small print
Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours in advance on the full day tour.[1]
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