If you read nothing else
- The Timanfaya Park, Jameos Agua and Cueva Verdes tour runs 9 hours with pickup and a skip the ticket line entry, from US$102.[1]
- The Timanfaya National Park Express Tour lasts 3 hours and starts from US$66,[2] while the Timanfaya Express Tour from Yaiza lasts 2 hours, also from US$66.[3]
- At Islote de Hilario the surface reaches around 250 ºC and can reach more than 600 ºC at 13 m deep.[4]
- The camel ride at the Timanfaya camel station lasts approximately 20 minutes and gives views over the volcanic landscape.[5]
- Tickets for independent entry to Montañas del Fuego can only be bought online and for a specific time slot, so sort your slot before you travel.[6]
- Top choice Timanfaya, Jameos & Cueva from US$102 Duration9 hours[1]Guide languagesEnglish, French, German, Spanish[1]PickupPickup included[1]Rating4.47 from 2,662 reviews[1]Free cancellationUp to 24 hours in advance[1] Check availability
- Volcanoes and Caves Tour from US$109 Duration9 hours[7]Guide languagesSpanish, English, French, German[7]PickupPickup included[7]Rating4.52 from 531 reviews[7]Free cancellationUp to 24 hours in advance[7] See this tour
- Timanfaya Park Tour from US$68 Duration6 hours[8]Guide languagesEnglish, Spanish[8]PickupPickup included[8]Rating4.40 from 885 reviews[8]Free cancellationUp to 24 hours in advance[8] See this tour
Montañas del Fuego (Timanfaya) Ticket Adult 30.00 EUR Child 7 to 12 15.00 EUR Child 0 to 6 0.00 EUR
Is Timanfaya worth it with children?
Before you travel
On the day
- Hats, sunscreen and water for lava fields that offer almost no shade
- Closed shoes for warm ground and rough volcanic paths
- One adult per small child on the darker cave sections
- Keep nap times in mind when you choose a tour length
Why Timanfaya Works With Kids
Timanfaya is the kind of place where the landscape does the entertaining for you. From a coach window you get black lava fields, rust red cones and wide ash plains that look like a film set, and there is enough going on outside the glass to keep everyone looking. The park covers about 51 square kilometers (20 square miles),[10] and it has been protected since a decree of August 9, 1974 gave it National Park status.[11]
The moment that tends to land hardest is at Islote de Hilario, where the ground itself is the attraction. On the surface the temperature reaches around 250 ºC, and 13 m down it can reach more than 600 ºC.[4] The park puts that heat to work in front of visitors, and the effect is instant and loud, which is exactly what a child wants from a volcano.
Two simple extras soften a long day. There is a camel ride at the park that lasts approximately 20 minutes,[5] and El Diablo Restaurant cooks meat and vegetables on a grill over an open cavity in the rock, using subsoil heat where temperatures exceed 600 °C just 15 meters below the surface, with no fire or electricity.[12]
Choosing a Timanfaya Tour for Families
The longest option is also the most complete, and it is the usual answer for anyone planning Timanfaya for kids. The Lanzarote: Timanfaya Park, Jameos Agua, & Cueva Verdes Tour runs 9 hours, calls at Timanfaya National Park, Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua, includes pickup and skips the ticket line, and starts from US$102.[1] It is rated 4.47 from 2,662 reviews, with 4.5 for Guide, 4.6 for Transportation and 4.4 for Value for money.[1]
Shorter days exist for families who know a full day will not work. The Timanfaya National Park Express Tour takes 3 hours and starts from US$66,[2] the Timanfaya Express Tour from Yaiza takes 2 hours and also starts from US$66,[3] and the Timanfaya National Park Tour takes 6 hours with pickup included, from US$68.[8]
Think about the travelling, not only the stops. A baby who naps well in a moving seat may handle a long coach day comfortably, while a toddler who needs to run every hour will do better on a short loop. Choosing the shorter tour in the first place is easier than leaving a long one early.
Lava fields and rust red cones fill the coach window for most of the drive south.
Timanfaya With Baby: Naps, Carriers and Coach Days
The practical question with a baby is not whether the park is suitable, but how long you want to be out. The full day tour lasts 9 hours and includes pickup, with 61 pickup location options.[1] Being collected near your accommodation takes the driving and the parking out of the start and the end of the day.
Inside the park, movement is mostly by coach. The Route of the Volcanoes has adapted coaches.[9] Away from the coach the ground is bare and rough, so a carrier is usually easier than a pushchair when you step out at the viewpoints, and you will want both hands free in the cave sections.
Feeding and changing need a little forward planning. Coach days run to a timetable, and the visits to Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes involve walking rather than sitting. Pack for the whole day, take a light cloth for the coach window, and accept that you may sit out one stop in the shade with a sleeping baby.
What Children Remember From Timanfaya
The details that stick with children are the physical ones: steam and fire above bare rock, and the odd crunch of volcanic ash underfoot. It is worth standing near the front for the heat demonstrations if you can find space, because the whole thing is over in a moment.
The park also has a film history that surprises older children. Several films inspired by other planets have been filmed in Timanfaya, including Enemy Mine, Krull, Mission Stardust, Stranded and Operation Ganymed.[13] Pointing that out turns a scenic drive into a location tour.
For the very young the highlights are simpler: the camels, the colour of the rock and the wind. Keep expectations modest and let the outing be about being somewhere strange rather than learning something specific. A short visit that ends well beats a long one that ends in tears.
from US$102
The Timanfaya Park, Jameos Agua and Cueva Verdes tour pairs the volcano with the caves, includes pickup and skips the ticket line.
Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes With Children
The caves are the second half of the story, and they suit children who have had enough of open lava. Cueva de los Verdes runs through a lava tube with narrow passages and dramatic lighting, while Jameos del Agua opens into a sunken garden with a pool and a small auditorium built into the rock. Both are stops on the 9 hour tour.[1]
Expect steps, low ceilings in places and a steady temperature underground. Handrails are there for a reason, and younger children will want a hand on the darker stretches. The light underground is low, so a phone torch helps more than a flash.
Timing matters more here than anywhere else in the day. If your child is flagging, the pools and the garden at Jameos del Agua are a calm place to reset before the coach home. Entry on the full day tour skips the ticket line.[1]
Tickets, Timings and Getting There
If you want to visit Montañas del Fuego under your own steam, the ticket rules are firm. Tickets for independent entry can only be purchased online and for a specific time slot.[6] The standard adult entrance ticket costs 30.00 EUR.[14]
The Centro de Visitantes e Interpretación de Mancha Blanca is worth an hour at the start of the trip. It gives free access to an exhibition and an audiovisual programme,[15] and it is open Monday to Sunday from 9:00 to 16:00.[16]
Distances are short here, but the roads are slow. Puerto del Carmen and Timanfaya National Park are about 22 km apart directly, with a road distance of about 23.5 km.[17] If you are using public transport, line 60 passes through Yaiza on its route between Arrecife and Playa Blanca.[18] With children, a pickup tour takes most of that planning off your hands.
What to Pack and How to Pace the Day
Lanzarote is bright and breezy, and the lava fields give almost no shade. Hats, sunscreen, water and a light long sleeved layer cover most of it. Closed shoes beat sandals on ash and rock, and a thin fleece is welcome on the coach when the air conditioning is cool.
Pace the day around food and rest rather than around the map. The long tour runs for 9 hours,[1] so a proper breakfast, snacks in your bag and an easy evening afterwards make a real difference. Reserve now and pay later is available on that tour, and free cancellation is possible up to 24 hours in advance.[1]
Finally, give the day a spare. Island weather changes, children tire at unpredictable moments, and a booked day can be shifted if you catch it early enough. It helps to treat the outing as one good day rather than the whole holiday.
How hot the ground gets at Timanfaya
Temperatures at Islote de Hilario and below El Diablo Restaurant.[4][12]
Family tour from-prices in US dollars
All amounts are per person from-prices.[1][3][7][8]
How the booking works
A family day, step by step
Decide on the length
Shorter options include the Express Tour at 2 hours and the National Park Express Tour at 3 hours.[2][3]
Check the pickup point
The full day tour lists 61 pickup location options, and pickup details are confirmed when you check availability.[1]
Pack for heat and wind
Lava fields radiate heat and the wind can be strong, so hats, water and a light layer work better than heavy coats.
Plan the cave sections
Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua are dark in places, with steps and narrow passages, so keep small children close and hands free.
Keep the evening free
The full day tour runs for 9 hours, and free cancellation is available up to 24 hours in advance if plans change.[1]
Book the Timanfaya, Jameos and Cueva de los Verdes day tour
from US$103Reserve now & pay later
