National Park Timanfaya

Source: www.ispaniagid.ru

Do you want to see "alien" landscapes, wander through black lava deserts, look into the craters of volcanoes and taste the food cooked right above the mouth of a fiery mountain? For this you only need to visit the island of Lanzarote and its unique volcanic park Timanfaya (Parque Nacional de Timanfaya).

Many people come to Lanzarote just to visit the Timanfaya Park. The island is known as the "Land of the Fire-Breathing Mountains", but the part occupied by Parque nacional de Timanfaya reflects the meaning of this phrase as much as possible. The extraordinary volcanic landscapes of the park leave the strongest impressions on anyone who has been there.

Timanfaya was declared a national park on August 9, 1974. The protected area is located in two municipalities (Yaiza and Tinajo) in the central-western part of the island and occupies an area of 51.07 square kilometers. Let's go there!

Stop with camels

Approaching the National Park from the town of Yaiza, it is impossible to miss the place where the camel trail begins - Echadero de Camellos. This walk takes about 30 minutes and costs extra money.

We stopped at the parking free of charge. Nearby there is an info center with a store and a toilet. The camel ride costs about €12. We thought it was boring and expensive. We drive forward.

Tour of Timanfaya Park

We go off the road at the sign with little devil.

There is a small parking lot just off the road where you can take photos. Next, in the round stone booth there is a ticket office. Entrance to the park costs about €9, children's ticket - €4.5. This price includes a tour by bus.

The scenery is extraordinary! We wiggle around the volcanoes and pull out to the restaurant and large parking. Here is everyone transfers to the tour buses around the park.

After the last eruption in 1824, the barren and difficult to inhabit land stood empty for a long time, reminding everyone of the disaster that had occurred on the island. Their development began only in 1968. It was decided to turn the island's harsh landscapes into its main asset, so it was necessary to preserve in their original form these bleak, but at the same time fragile and unique landscapes.

All the transformations in the park were led by the famous architect Cesar Manrique. Thus, tourist trails and an unusual restaurant called "The Devil" appeared on its territory. Let's take a look at the restaurant...

Restaurant El Diablo

A tour bus that travels through Timanfaya Park begins and ends its route at an unusual restaurant called The Devil.

It was so named because it was built over the crater of the hottest volcano on the island, Islote de Hilario. The food here is not cooked on conventional stoves or coal, but on natural geothermal heat from the ground.

The place Islote de Hilario is named in honor of a hermit who lived here for 50 years with his camel.

By bus

When you buy a ticket at the entrance of the park for €9, you automatically get a bus tour along the most picturesque and fascinating route, the Ruta de Los Volcanes (Route of the Volcanoes). It is 14 km long, which takes about 40 minutes. The frequency of the bus departure depends on the season and can vary from 10 to 30 minutes. At the parking lot you will be directed to the bus first thing.

During the tour bus passengers can listen in three languages (Spanish, English and German) accompanied by appropriate music, what happened here from 1730 to 1736.

There are several short stops along the route for tourists to enjoy the scenery and take photos, but it is not allowed to leave the bus. That is, the bus stops for a minute and we take pictures through the glass.

Show with volcano

Before or after the bus tour, near the restaurant, tourists are waiting for a small show (almost every 10 minutes). Everyone is directed to a hole in the ground, from which comes the heat. Then the park employee demonstratively shovels stacks of straw into the hole in the ground, which in a few seconds burst into flames. Then he pours a bucket of water so that streams of steam burst forth like a living geyser.

Park workers explain to guests that the performances shown here, show that volcanic activity in these places has not stopped and at a depth of only fifteen meters from their feet boils magma, which reaches temperatures of 600 °C.

That's the end of the tour. It didn't take more than 40 minutes for everything. The tour and the place is amazing!!!

The emergence of the Fire Mountains and their final eruption

Today, it is hard to imagine that just 300 years ago Lanzarote was a green and blooming island. Everything changed in the 18th century. According to extant eyewitness accounts, on September 1, 1730, the ground near Timanfaya opened up and in one night a huge fire-breathing mountain - Montañas del Fuego - rose from it. Later, about thirty craters were formed near this volcano, forming the modern form of Timanfaya National Park.

As a result of a great volcanic eruption that continued until 1736, the landscape of the island was changed beyond recognition. The scenery that fascinates tourists today evoked very different emotions in the locals. Lava erupting from volcanoes flooded the third part of the island, leaving dozens of towns and villages underneath. The once fertile valleys were transformed into black, lifeless deserts with many volcanic craters and huge sinkholes.

The last volcanic activity was observed here in 1824, but with much less strength and duration. Now the volcanoes are dormant, and the territory with the newest formations of the Earth is of great interest to tourists and scientists from all over the planet.

Tourist routes

Because Timanfaya National Park is unique in its kind, the rules for staying on its territory are quite strict. It is strictly forbidden to move on foot without guide! In this regard, visitors are offered several options for walking: by bus (yellow), on a camel and on foot (organized groups, green route). I have not told about the last option yet.

Walking tour of volcanoes

You can hike in Timanfaya Park along two routes (see map above):

1. Ruta del Litoral (yellow line)
2. Ruta de Termesana (blue line).

However, it is necessary to prepare for either of them in advance. Because each of the two tours is free and takes place once a day for small groups of 8 to 10 people, you need to register for it in advance. You can do so by following this link.

Guided tours are offered only in Spanish or English. You must arrive 15 minutes before the start of the tour at the agreed place in the Centro de Visitantes e Interpretacion de Mancha Blanca near Mancha Blanca. On the map, this is the upper parking lot. Assemble 2 groups - English and Spanish.

Each of the participants must have a passport and written permission to visit the park (you get it online and print out after a successful reservation on the site magrama.gob.es). It is difficult to sign up for it. Leave your application 1-2 months before the trip!

You need to remember that the excursion may be canceled due to bad weather conditions. It can also be denied to participants who do not meet the radical requirements that everyone must have: closed shoes, headgear, sunscreen, water for drinking...

The route Ruta del Litoral is 3 km long. It is a three-hour walk of medium difficulty.

If you haven't had time to register for a walk like we did, there are self-guided free routes with no registration or permits:

1. track to Caldera Blanca,
2. the trail to Volcan El Cuervo and the neighborhood of Pico Partido.

Hours of operation and ticket prices:

Timanfaya National Park is open daily from 9:00 to 17:45 hours.

The price of entry: adults € 9; children (7 to 12 years) € 4.50.

How do I get to Timanfaya Park?

It is not possible to reach the National Park by public transportation. You can come here by rented car or by cab or by ordering a tour from your place of residence.

For those who drive on their own, take the LZ-67 road that connects the cities of Tinaho and Yaisa. Where to turn off the road will tell you the symbol of the park - a little devil. (see the points on the map)