There are so many things to do on a holiday to Lanzarote, even when it is a small island. For those looking for a relaxing day, we listed the best beaches on Lanzarote. If you are more of a sporty type, we listed the best activities and hikes. It might be a great idea for the adventurous types to rent a campervan. This gives you all the freedom and the possibility to easily visit the best (coastal) towns of Lanzarote: Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca.
Unusual things to do in Lanzarote
If you want your stay in Lanzarote to be very special, we have a few great options to put on your bucket list. If you do these listed things, you will definitely have a great story to tell when you get back home. If you know of other exceptional and unique activities in Lanzarote, please let us know in the comments! 🙂
Sleep in an ecodome nearby Teguise
You need a place to sleep, obviously, but what if you can sleep under the starry sky of Lanzarote? The Ecodome is one of the most beautiful accommodations I’ve stayed in, and it’s also very luxurious. Especially for couples, because we thought this was very romantic :-). Imagine yourself with a glass of red or a cup of coffee watching over all the volcanic mountains around it.
James del Agua, Jardin de Cactus, and Mirador del Rio: the creations of Cesar Manrique
Cesar Manrique was definitely one of the most famous and desirable persons of Lanzarote. He was an artist, sculptor, architect, and nature activist, and he made the most beautiful and extraordinary buildings. We visited three of them, and we think you should too! The way he combined nature with architecture is magical. You can see that at the lava tunnel Jameos del Agua, a garden full of cacti named Jardin de Cactus, and at the viewpoint Mirador del Rio.
Jameos del Agua is located in a volcanic tunnel created by the Corona Volcano’s eruptions. Cesar Manrique was the architect of this natural attraction, and he made something beautiful of it. We were really into his architectural style, combining the black lava stones with white stones and a beautiful clear blue swimming pool. However, no one is allowed to swim in it… There is also a naturally formed lake where you can find really tiny albino lobsters, and this is the only place where you can find them. From a distance, it looks like sparkles in the water.
Jardin de Cactus is not as special as Jameos del Agua, but still worth a visit. This place is home to hundreds of different cacti, and this also was the last project of Cesar Manrique. The black color of the lava stones is beautifully in contrast with the cacti’s green, yellow, and red colors.
One other creation of Cesar Manrique is Mirador del Rio. This viewpoint is definitely worth a visit. Here, you have the most beautiful views over the nearby island of la Graciosa. Cesar Manrique has built a sort of earth house, from where you can have coffee while admiring these stunning views, or you can take the stairs to the top for the real viewpoint.
Visit two truly stunning beaches
Especially when you are already visiting the miracles of Cesar Manrique, there are 2 beaches along the route that are beautiful and definitely worth a visit. The first one is a beautiful lagoon called Caleta del Mojon Blanco. Great for beautiful photos and for spending a day or an afternoon on the beach. The second beach, Charca de la Laja, was a bit busier, probably because it consists of a clear light blue puddle, so the water is warm and pleasant. Especially from a distance or from above, this is beautiful.
Rent a motorhome
If you want to be totally flexible and if you want to choose when to go somewhere and where to sleep, then you should rent a motorhome. CH Campervans has different campervans from 2 up to 6 persons. We really loved to travel with one of their campervans, with which we were able to see many things in Lanzarote, such as the different coastal towns. It also allowed us to sleep at the most beautiful locations.
On our first night, we stayed at Playa Mujeres, located nearby the coastal town Playa Blanca. You can have dinner first here or shop for groceries because you can cook before you venture on the dirt road that gets you there. Make sure you drive really carefully, but when you wake up literally on the beach, watching over the sea, it makes up for the long drive. Playa Mujeres is one of the 5 lagoons of Playa Papagayo. From here, you can easily visit the other ones by food. We visited on a stormy day, but this gave the beaches an otherworldly sphere.
We wanted to visit Playa Chica, located in Puerto del Carmen. The beach was beautiful, and Puerto del Carmen is also a great town to visit. It is pretty touristic, but lively, and the prices were nice :-). We navigated to Parking Playa Chica and noticed that this would also be a good place to stay for the night, with views over the sea.
Apart from all the freedom you have with a motorhome, it also gives a very adventurous feeling living in a tiny home on wheels. Waking up looking over the sea, the quietness, but still enough comfort and possibilities, so it feels like home.
Active things to do in Lanzarote
There are many things to do in Lanzarote for the sporty types as well. It has excellent beaches for water sports, but we also noticed that many cities had outdoor gyms. You can also go surfing with Lanzasurf or stay at Santa Rosa resort, where you have many different sports options.
Surfing and yoga at Lanzasurf
On the northwestern side of the island, you find Famara, a true paradise for surfers. This small village is located in a natural park, and the waves here are ideal for beginners, intermediates, and experts. I decided to follow a surf lesson with Lanzasurf, which also gives yoga lessons, the perfect combination!
I started the day with surfing. It was my very first lesson, and it was very windy that day. Still, because of the great instructors from Lanzarote, I even managed to stand on a surfboard for a moment! At Lanzasurf, they really take the time to teach you, which is great. A big advantage of surfing at Lanzarote is that the temperature is good all year round. After a morning of surfing, I really understood why yoga and surfing are such a great combination. I could really use a yoga class, so that’s what we did afterward.
Santa Rosa resort
An active holiday is also possible during your stay at Santa Rosa resort. The hotel rooms are quite luxurious, and you can choose between different sports such as Padel, bowling, or a fully equipped gym. When you visit in October, you can join their great bike race, which is 100km around the island! They have a complete breakfast for starting your day, and if you are done sporting, they serve a great dinner as well.
Free things to do in Lanzarote
Lanzarote is famous for its beautiful and mystical nature, and therefore you should, of course, experience some of it. A big part of the island is made up of volcanic soil. Except for the 200 different species of lichens, you won’t find a lot of vegetation in this area of Lanzarote. However, it does give this place an otherworldly feeling, with its bare copper, black, and grey moonscape. If you are looking for some activity and free things to do, you should explore this region, and we gave you 2 options to do so.
Hike a volcano on your holiday to Lanzarote
Lanzarote is also called the island of 1000 volcanoes, for a reason, of course. Especially the southwestern part of the island is filled with many volcanoes, and the whole area is one big lava field. Hiking a volcano on Lanzarote is, therefore, a must, of course! We decided to hike the Caldera Blanca, and it was quite a hike! The views from the summit were beautiful, but the way to it was, let’s say, special… If you want to read more about this adventure, read our blog on hikes in Lanzarote.
Visit the national Timanfaya park without a tour bus
Suppose you’re not really feeling like hiking a volcano but still want to experience the lava field. In that case, there is also one hike going around the Timanfaya park that you can do by yourself, the Ruta del Litoral. The rest of the Park you can not enter by yourself, because of the protection of nature. It also can be dangerous because there are possibly some lava tunnels underneath a small layer of volcanic soil, which can collapse. If you want to do this hike, read the blog on different hikes in Lanzarote for a complete guide on where and how to do it.
Visit the green lake, Los Charconnes, and Los Hervideros
If you want things to do that include seeing beautiful natural phenomena, then this is a must-see for sure! Probably you won’t need longer than one morning to visit these three natural wonders. Start by driving to El Golfo, located around the Timanfaya national park, where you can see El Lago Verde (or the green lake in English).
The half-moon-shaped green lake owns its color because of the phytoplankton, different sulfurs, minerals, and the significant number of unique microorganisms that inhabit this place. Together with the surrounding black sand, this creates one of the most picturesque places of Lanzarote. You can also make a quick stop in the village El Golfo, famous for its fresh fish.
After enjoying the beautiful green lake, you can make a quick stop at the nearby Los Hervideros. Here you can see waves crashing into the sea caves, a true spectacle. There is not much else here, so after admiring this natural phenomenon, drive to the west coast where you can find Los Charconnes.
The dirt road that brings you there is quite tricky, so be careful. Los Charconnes are called small natural pools, but honestly, they are more some kind of puddles. Still, it’s nice. You can walk around the puddles and enjoy the views. If you have the time, you should visit. However, we liked the beach Charca de la Laja more, which was also some kind of puddle, but really beautiful and better for swimming.
We listed some things to do for you on a holiday to Lanzarote. We thought these were the most unique and the best highlights from Lanzarote. Probably we forgot many, so if you know of a great activity in Lanzarote, please let us know by leaving a comment! 🙂
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