Lanzarote, Spain

Lanzarote – Spanish Island, A Volcanic Origin

Lanzarote, a Spanish island is towards the eastern area of the autonomous Canary Island in the Atlantic Ocean about 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Lanzarote has a volcanic origin and was born through scorching eruptions.

It has hardened lava streams and excessive rock formation. The island had emerged around 15 million years ago as a creation of the Canary hotspot Alfred Wegner’s research of the island when he visited in 1912 and showed how it fitted with his theory of continental drift.The island is said to emerge along with the others after the break-up of the African and the American continental plates.

The biggest recorded eruptions took place between 1730 and 1736 in an area which is now designated Timanfaya National Park. The huge environmental value of the island received UNESCO recognition in 1993.As an UNESCO biosphere reserve, Lanzarote is an intriguing island having extraordinary geology of 300 volcanic cones. It has interesting sights, great beaches with good number of restaurants and hotels. The landscape here has an unambiguous and ethereal appearance with occasional bucolic, palm filled valley compared with surreal, furrowed black lava fields.

Unique Landscape Creates Valuable Ecosystem

The strange volcanic soils of Lanzarote welcomes the tourist and the islands’ tranquillity and silence enables you to disconnect and recharge the energy level during the long sunny days spent on this amazing island. Its unique landscapes create a valuable ecosystem which is recognized all across the world.

 It has an ideal atmosphere where one can relax and lose themselves amidst the volcanoes, lava tubes together with the pristine beaches. The islands’ main sights have been appealingly developed by the late Cesar Manrique. He was a Lanzarote native and an artist who still tends to have a considerable effect on the island through a cultural foundation which promotes Lanzarote’s conservation architectural and cultural integrity.

To get to know the island is to visit its wineries and wine cellars and taste their delicious Malvasia wines. The rolling vineyards of the La Geria wine region having rows of pits and stone wall to shelter the vines tends to surprise the tourist. It is where most of the islands delicious Designation of Origin wines are made.

Crater By Sea – Natural Amphitheatre by Sea

Most of Manrique’s art is in Lanzarote and at the popular Fundacion Cesar Manrique gallery which attracts thousands of visitors each year due to his harmonious vision of Lanzarote as well as its landscape. One can explore it still further by visiting the Jameos del Agua or the Mirador del Rio viewpoint. A crater by the sea, Charco de los Clicos, formed during the 1730 eruptions, is a natural amphitheatre by the sea comprising of emerald green lagoon shaped by the sunken crater.

The colour that comes out is from natural algae living in the warm water that contrast with the black sand beach giving a most remarkable view to the tourist. When one walks down into the lava cave, which was earlier used as a shelter from pirate attacks, one enters a volcanic territory where molten magma solidified into twisted shapes.

 The colours of the magma still tend to remain in the rocks with reds, created by rusting iron from the fresh lava along with ochre and greens which is caused by the reflection of light of the salt that has saturated in from the ocean. Several sites are there to be explored at this amazing destination with each having its own charm and beauty.