Timanfaya National Park: visiting the volcanic landscapes

Timanfaya National Park, born from the volcanic eruptions of 1730-1736, can only be visited via the Ruta de los Volcanes, an official bus tour of around 40 minutes, with no option to move freely through the heart of the park.

A landscape born from 18th-century eruptions

Timanfaya's landscape formed in just six years. Between 1730 and 1736, massive eruptions covered roughly a quarter of Lanzarote in lava and ash, swallowing entire villages and creating the Montañas del Fuego, the "Fire Mountains".

The account of the disaster survives thanks to the priest of Yaiza, Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo, a direct witness: his journal describes, on the night of 1 September 1730, "an enormous mountain rising from the bosom of the earth". A second, shorter series of eruptions followed in 1824 — the last in the island's history.

Three centuries on, volcanic heat still lingers just a few metres below the surface: at the visitor centre, geothermal demonstrations prove it in spectacular fashion. The site, protected as a national park, is one of the best-preserved volcanic landscapes in Europe.

On site, the impression is hard to put into words: an almost surreal, mineral landscape. During our visit, we genuinely felt like we'd landed on another planet — "it looks like Mars" is the exact note from our travel journal.

How to visit Timanfaya National Park: the Ruta de los Volcanes

You reach the site by car along the LZ-67 road (Yaiza/Tinajo area), as far as the visitor centre car park. From there, exploring the heart of the park is done via the Ruta de los Volcanes, an official bus tour of around 40 minutes. There's no getting off the bus during the journey: the rule protects ground that's as fragile as it is spectacular.

The route winds along a narrow road carved through the lava, with dramatic stretches skirting the craters and viewpoints over lava fields stretching to the horizon. Grab a window seat if you can — the photos are taken from the bus, glass and all.

Our own tip from experience: set the alarm for 7am to arrive at opening time. We drove to the car park early and boarded the bus without any wait — by late morning, the queue of cars at the entrance can grow very long, especially in high season.

The El Diablo restaurant and the geothermal demonstrations

At the visitor centre, the demonstrations are worth the stop on their own: water poured into a borehole shoots up as a jet of steam, and a bundle of straw bursts into flame from nothing more than contact with the ground's heat. Spectacular proof that the volcano is barely dormant.

Right next door, the El Diablo restaurant, designed by César Manrique, grills its food over the volcano's natural heat. A large open grill set over a geothermal borehole serves as the kitchen — a genuinely unique sight, inside a circular building with picture windows facing the Montañas del Fuego.

We had lunch there after the bus tour: the experience is worth having at least once, as much for the setting as for the food. To discover more of the artist's other work on the island, carry on with César Manrique's works.

Practical tips for your visit

Allow half a day in total: the drive, any wait at the entrance, the bus tour, the geothermal demonstration and, if you fancy it, lunch at El Diablo. With the site tucked away in the island's west-central area, hiring a car in Lanzarote remains the simplest way to get there.

At the park's southern entrance, the Echadero de los Camellos also offers camel rides up the volcano's slopes, an old local tradition — check on the day of your visit for details. And to carry on the volcanic thrill elsewhere, consider buggy tours through the volcanic landscapes in the island's centre.

Also worth thinking about the light: early morning or late in the day, the red and ochre relief of the Montañas del Fuego takes on a striking depth, far more photogenic than under the midday sun. One more reason to fit Timanfaya in as your first visit of the day, before moving straight on to nearby La Geria.

To go further, explore our Lanzarote guide or head back to the Canary Islands guide to compare the islands.