If you read nothing else
- Timanfaya covers about 51 square kilometers (20 square miles) in Lanzarote.[1] Teide rises to 12,188 feet (3,715 meters) on Tenerife.[2]
- At Islote de Hilario the surface reaches around 250 ºC, and it can reach more than 600 ºC 13 m deep.[3]
- Independent entry to Montañas del Fuego is sold online only, for a specific time slot, and the standard adult ticket is 30.00 EUR.[4][5]
- The Timanfaya Visitor Centre gives free access to its exhibition and audiovisual programme, and opens Monday to Sunday, 9:00 to 16:00.[6][7]
- The Timanfaya Park, Jameos Agua and Cueva Verdes tour runs 9 hours from US$102, and is rated 4.47 from 2,662 reviews.[8]
- Top choice Timanfaya, Jameos & Cueva from US$102 Duration9 hours[8]Rating4.47 from 2,662 reviews[8]PickupIncluded: check availability[8]CancellationUp to 24 hours in advance[8] Check availability
- Timanfaya & Caves Tour from US$109 Duration9 hours[9]Rating4.52 from 531 reviews[9]PickupIncluded: check availability[9]CancellationUp to 24 hours in advance[9] See this tour
- Timanfaya Park Tour from US$68 Duration6 hours[10]Rating4.40 from 885 reviews[10]PickupIncluded: check availability[10]CancellationUp to 24 hours in advance[10] See this tour
Nowadays, on the surface the temperatures reach around 250 ºC, and they can even reach more than 600 ºC, 13 m deep.
So which volcano park should you pick?
Things to check
Timanfaya vs Teide: two very different volcano days
Timanfaya sits in the south west of Lanzarote and covers about 51 square kilometers (20 square miles) of lava, ash and cinder cones, protected since a decree of August 9, 1974.[1][15] Teide is a different shape of day altogether: one enormous volcano on Tenerife, rising to 12,188 feet (3,715 meters) and the highest mountain in Spain.[2] In Lanzarote you travel across a burnt landscape, stopping at viewpoints and looking out over cones that are still warm underfoot. On Tenerife you travel up towards a summit, and the day is built around altitude rather than around a route through the rock.
People often ask whether the two parks are worth a day of a short holiday, and the honest answer is that they are not substitutes for each other. Timanfaya sits close to beaches, vineyards and caves, and it fits into a Lanzarote itinerary without swallowing the whole trip. Teide asks for more commitment: high roads, thinner air, colder weather and a longer drive from the resorts. If your holiday is based on Lanzarote, Timanfaya is the volcano park on your doorstep, and Teide becomes an optional island hop for another year.
Inside Timanfaya: heat, lava and the coach route
The park's centrepiece is the Route of the Volcanoes, a coach loop through the lava fields, and the route has adapted coaches.[13] At Islote de Hilario the guides show how hot the ground still is: on the surface temperatures reach around 250 ºC, and they can even reach more than 600 ºC 13 m deep.[3] A few steps away, El Diablo Restaurant 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.[12]
Beyond the coach route, 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.[14] There is also the camel station, where a ride lasts approximately 20 minutes and gives you a slower, higher view of the same black slopes.[16] Before you drive up, the Visitor Centre in Mancha Blanca is a useful first stop, with free access to its exhibition and audiovisual programme.[6]
Lava fields and pale ash around the fire mountains of southern Lanzarote
Teide National Park: the high-altitude counterpoint
Teide is the other half of the comparison, and it is a mountain rather than a field of mountains. It rises to 12,188 feet (3,715 meters) and is the highest mountain in Spain, with the highest point anywhere in the Atlantic islands.[2] The park around it is a high, bare caldera of pale pumice and dark lava, with rock shapes that look sculpted rather than thrown up. At that height the weather has little to do with the beach you left an hour or two earlier, and cloud often sits below the road while you stand in bright sun.
Practically, a Teide day is mostly about altitude and timing. You can drive up early, walk a little around the caldera floor and be back at the coast by lunch, or spend the whole day on the trails. The temperature change between the resort and the top of the road is noticeable, so a windproof layer and proper shoes earn their place in the bag even in summer. Take the uphill sections slowly, drink water, and give yourself time to adjust before you set off on foot.
Getting to Timanfaya: tickets, buses and timing
Tickets for independent entry to Montañas del Fuego can only be purchased online and for a specific time slot, so turning up at the ticket office on the day is not an option.[4] The standard adult entrance ticket costs 30.00 EUR.[5] If you would rather not drive, bus line 60 passes through Yaiza on its route between Arrecife and Playa Blanca.[11] From Yaiza, a taxi or a booked tour covers the last stretch up to the park.
Distances here are modest: Puerto del Carmen and Timanfaya National Park are about 22 km apart directly, with a road distance of about 23.5 km.[17] Guided trips remove most of the planning. Pickup is included on the full-day tour, with details to check on availability, and you skip the ticket line.[8] If you are driving yourself, add the Centro de Visitantes e Interpretación de Mancha Blanca, open Monday to Sunday from 9:00 to 16:00, with free access to its exhibition and audiovisual programme.[6][7]
from US$102
The Timanfaya Park, Jameos Agua and Cueva Verdes tour runs 9 hours and is rated 4.47 from 2,662 reviews.[8]
The full-day tour: fire, caves and the coast road
The tour booked from this site is the Lanzarote: Timanfaya Park, Jameos Agua, & Cueva Verdes Tour, which links the park with two of the island's cave sites in a single day. It runs 9 hours and costs from US$102, and it is rated 4.47 from 2,662 reviews, with live guides who speak English, French, German and Spanish.[8] Pickup is included and details are checked on availability, so you do not have to solve the transport yourself.
The stops are Timanfaya National Park, Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua, with 61 pickup location options and 61 drop-off locations.[8] Cueva de los Verdes is a lava tube you walk through, and Jameos del Agua is part of the same tunnel system, opened up around a sunken auditorium and a still pool, so the afternoon feels completely different from the ash plains you crossed earlier. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours in advance, and you can reserve now and pay later.[8]
Timanfaya or Teide: which fits your trip?
If you are comparing the two parks, start with where you are sleeping. Lanzarote visitors get Timanfaya cheaply in travel terms: it is a short drive from the main resorts and fits into a morning or a full day without a ferry. Tenerife visitors get Teide the same way, with the park road climbing straight up from the coast. Crossing between the islands to see the other park works, but it costs you a day of your holiday.
There is a middle ground if you would rather be driven. A 6-hour Timanfaya National Park Tour starts from US$68 per person, and the 9-hour Timanfaya Park, Jameos Agua and Cueva Verdes Tour starts from US$102, both listed with pickup included.[8][10] Staying on Fuerteventura instead? A Lanzarote Volcano and Wine Region Tour starts from US$96, and its itinerary begins with the ferry crossing.[18]
What to wear and how to time your day
Lanzarote is a windy island and the fire mountains are an exposed, breezy place to spend a day. A light windproof jacket, a hat and sunglasses do more work than a thick jumper, since the sun is strong even when the air feels cool. Closed shoes beat sandals on gravel and lava paths, and you will want water with you. On the coach route you do very little walking, but there is shade almost nowhere at the viewpoints, so sunscreen belongs in the bag.
For timing, the choice usually comes down to heat and light. Earlier departures are cooler and leave the afternoon free for the coast. The full-day tour runs 9 hours, and you check availability to see starting times when you book.[8] Evening options exist too: a Timanfaya National Park Evening Tour with Volcano Dinner starts from US$155 and includes a stop at the park.[19]
How hot the ground gets at Timanfaya
Temperatures stated by[3] for Islote de Hilario and by[12] for El Diablo Restaurant.
From-prices for guided Timanfaya tours
When to go
Plan your volcano day
Fix your date
Decide which park you are visiting, then lock the day in. Independent entry to Montañas del Fuego is online only, for a set time slot.[4]
Choose your base
Puerto del Carmen is about 22 km from Timanfaya direct, so southern resorts keep the drive short.[17]
Tour or car
A hire car gives you freedom; a guided day gives you pickup and no ticket queue.[8]
Pack for wind and sun
Layer up, bring water and wear closed shoes. The viewpoints are exposed and there is almost no shade.
Add the caves
Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua turn a half day into a full one.[8]
See Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes in one day
from US$103Reserve now & pay later
