A ONE DAY ROAD TRIP IN LANZAROTE

This post featuring a short road trip in Lanzarote is in part thanks to a gifted trip with Jet2 holidays.

I’ve written before about the benefits of hiring a car when on holiday, even when you have booked a package deal. Actually, especially when you are on a package holiday. It’s a great way to give yourself the freedom to explore the area outside your hotel, without relying on taxis or local public transport (which is sometimes very difficult!), or paying for an excursion.

When in Lanzarote back in February, a trip that was courtesy of Jet2holidays, I researched and put together a very short one-day road trip that took us along the LZ-703 coast road from La Hoy to El Golfo. While I’m used to road trips that last weeks – or even months – there is something freeing about even just a half day trip. You can please yourself, stop where you want to stop, spend as long as you like at each stop, and break for lunch based on your own hunger.

In my previous post about my Lanzarote holiday, I mentioned a few of my favourite places to visit on this gnarly volcanic island. In this one, I am going to specifically share this half-day road trip. If you are looking for things to do when you are in Lanzarote, whether you are on a package holiday or a different kind of trip, this scenic drive will provide bunch of amazing views.

A Day Out By Car

Okay so I’ll level with you; this isn’t really a road trip, it’s more like a short drive with a bunch of stops. But that’s what a half-day road trip is in reality – you get the idea.

Road trip or short drive, however you refer to it, what you’ll see on this journey are some of the flatter bits of Lanzarote’s volcanic geography. Yes there are plenty of pointy volcanic mountains to climb up and walk around – but there are also black sand beaches, lava fields, salt flats, lakes, a rugged coastline, and cool rock formations. This half-day self-guided excursion will take you to see all the lava rocks you’ll ever need!

The road trip will take you anything from a couple of hours to half a day, depending on how long you spend at each of the scenic overlooks (and how far you walk). In fairness, you could also cycle this if you are so way inclined, Lanzarote is a very popular cycling destination, and this would give you an easy route if you fancied it.

From Playa Blanca to the start of the road trip is just 20 minutes – no time at all. If you’re coming from Arrecife it’s more like 30 minutes.

Note: When we were in Lanzarote in February 2023, workers were just about done with resurfacing this section of road – most of it was new tarmac with one short section and the bridge at Los Hervideros not quite done. It’s now showing on the map as being fully open again, but do check before you jump in your car.

One Day Road Trip in Lanzarote

Mirador Salinas de Janubio – Salineas de Janubio

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): LZ-703 35570, La Hoya.

Turn off the LZ-2 (from either direction…) at La Hoya and head onto the LZ-703, signposted El Golfo. Almost immediately, you’ll come across the entrance to Salinas de Janubio.

Salinas de Janubio is a working salt manufacturer – you can see the pans clearly from the main road, and there’s a little layby where you can stop and take some photos. The salt flats were first created here in 1895, and the waters from the natural lagoon are evaporated to yield up to 15,000 tons of salt per year.

If you’ve got time and are so inclined, there are guided tours and tasting sessions at the salt flats.

Mirador Costa del Janubio

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): W5Q9+5FG 35570 La Hoya.

Continue along the road just a short distance and turn into the parking area on the left just as the salt flats finish and before you get to the coast. The parking entrance heads steeply downhill and there’s a very large gravelly area – plenty of space. It’s well worth a stop to walk along the black sand beach, see some cool lava rocks, and watch the waves do their thing.

The beach is striking – possibly the most arresting beach we saw on Lanzarote. And it was quiet – well, in terms of there not being many people, it wasn’t quiet noise-wise as the sound of the sea will fill your ears!

This isn’t a beach for relaxing or even swimming, thanks to the strong winds and even stronger tides, but it is a magnificent place to visit, and good to spend a bit of time exploring the coastline on foot.

Bahia Rocosa and Mirador El Tahosin

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): Mirador El Tahosin

Continue along the LZ-703 in the same direction as before and you will soon come across two more viewpoints good for a stop and a look. The first is really only suitable if you’re travelling this road in the opposite direction, so you may choose to miss that out, but the second – Mirador el Tahosin – has a larger layby that’s accessible in either direction.

There are no well defined walks here, as such, but both spots are very nice sea viewpoints where you can see more of the power of the water against Lanzarote’s volcanic coastline. You can clamber along the rocks for a bit if you like, there are opportunities for some great photos of the waves crashing against the cliffs.

Los Hervideros

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): Los Hervideros, LZ-703, 35570.

Just a little bit further along the road you will come across the entrance to Los Hervidoeros. You’ll know when you’ve reached it, as there will be many (many) other cars there – and maybe a coach or two. This is one of those times when I feel the need to point out that popular places are popular for a reason, and that doesn’t mean they should be avoided. Just go prepared.

Los Hervideros is one of the big hitters when it comes to places to visit in Lanzarote – a must-do. Translated as boiling pots, the reason to come here is to watch and hear the full force of the sea. The craggy volcanic cliffs and sea caves lead the sea to swirl and the waves to crash, with a suitably impressive soundtrack of loud whooshing noises.

There are plenty of narrow paths to wander through the cliffs, with balconies overlooking caves. Some are more accessible than others, but this is a spot where you can explore whatever shoes you are wearing. Apparently, you’re best coming here on a full moon at high tide – but even if you choose to do this road trip in Lanzarote on a random Saturday morning as we did, you’ll still find it impressive.

I should note this is one of the busiest places we visited in Lanzarote, but while you might have to wait your turn to get up close to the waves in the main areas, it’s not difficult to leave the crowds behind if you wander a little further.

Montana Bermeja

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): Volcan Bermeja, LZ-703.

As you drive down the hill from Los Hervideros, you will spot a smaller gravel parking area on the right of the road, at the foot of Montana (Volcan) Bermeja. This stop gives you a pointy-topped mountain, black sand beach and a little bright green lake – triple whammy!

It is possible to walk up (at least part way) Montana Bermeja, which stands at 111m above sea level – and continue along to Caldera de Chozas (101m), if you are feeling energetic. But you should stop here even if you don’t fancy turning your shoes red on a steep and gravelly climb, as the beach on the other side of the road provides a bunch of great sights to see.

This a gorgeous black sand and pebble beach – with space to run around if you so choose – and much calmer water than Playa Janubio earlier in the drive thanks to being a little more protected from the wind, if you feel the need to dip your toes in.

There’s also a natural green lake called “Green Lake Junior”, although don’t go paddling in that as it’s prohibited (the green is no good for you). And note that the green-ness is weather-dependent… you need sunshine for the colour to pop!

Playa El Golfo and the Green Lake

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): Parking Av Marítima, 108, 35570, El Golfo.

Now continue along the LZ-703 in the same direction, to drive around the back of Montana del Golfo. Bear left where the road forks to stay on the same road, and drive down the hill towards El Golfo itself.

There is a large, sloped parking area on the left just before the road goes around to the right into the village – this is another one of those Lanzarote must-sees, one of the most famous black sand beaches on the island.

Start by wandering down to the small black sand cove, which is dotted with fishing boats and surrounded by impressive cliffs. You can also get up onto the cliffs (marked Mirador El Golfo on the map), which is well worth it to see El Golfo in either direction.

Next, head up the hill behind the beach on the marked trail to Mirador del Charco de los Clicos – an impressive viewpoint looking down over a large green lake (again, it’ll be much greener in bright sunshine). I’m told this short trail has been created to help the ground recover in the area, so do take heed of the rope fences and stay within them.

The half-moon shaped lake outlines the top of a crater of a volcano, formed in the 1700s, which has filled with sea water. It’s green thanks to the high concentration of sea grass algae and sulphur, so there’s no taking a dip (just as with Green Lake Junior) – but it’s well worth seeing. Also called Charco de los Clicos, after the shellfish that used to fill the lake, this particular spot is well used in Spanish films. It is stunning, well worth a visit.

El Golfo

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): Av Marítima, 2, 35570, El Golfo.

El Golfo itself is also worthy of your time. A lovely little village on the west coast of Lanzarote just outside the southernmost tip of Timanfaya National Park, with a few seafood restaurants and some fabulous sea views. If you continue along the same road as you’ve been using for this half-day road trip, it will take you right through the centre (here it’s called Avenue Maritima). I recommend driving all the way to the far end of this dead end road and parking in the official parking area by the play park at Playa del Paso as it can get a bit squeezy through the rest of the village.

You can then walk back through the village, pick out a restaurant for a leisurely lunch, and take a look at what village life in Lanzarote might be like. There are some fabulous sea views, and the black rocks and sand of Playa del Paso are worth a closer look.

Arco de Hercules

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): Av Marítima, 2, 35570, El Golfo.

I would highly recommend finishing your road trip in Lanzarote with a longer walk north from that car park at the far end of El Golfo. While the green lake at the southern end of El Golfo can get busy with people, the footpath that stretches out from the northern part of the village was more-or-less empty when we visited.

The Ruta del Litoral coast path goes north along the coast from the parking area. Here you will find a much more wild and rugged landscape than you’ve seen on this road trip so far. The path is beautiful in itself, winding along the cliff tops, over and through the black volcanic landscape. This is real Lanzarote wilderness – and its only half an hour each way (or more, if you choose to continue further) to see this imposing natural arch.

The Arco de Hercules is a beautiful natural arch that juts out to sea from the coast just north of El Golfo, around one mile along the coast path. Note we actually missed it on the way out, as we got a bit distracted with the hexagonal rock columns, and just kept going. It didn’t take us long to realise we’d walked a bit further than we needed to, and thankfully the arch was easy to spot on our way back. We walked for a little over an hour in total, along the winding and rocky but easy to navigate black footpath.

Technically this is inside the national park, so this is one legal way to walk inside Timinfaya without a guide. You’ll want good shoes for this one as walking on volcanic rock is hard on the feet!

Back to the Start

Once you’ve had your fill of lava-covered-wilderness from El Golfo, this short road trip in Lanzarote – or day out by car – is complete. You are only 20 minutes from Playa Blanca or 30 minutes from Arrecife, or you can do the whole road trip again in reverse if you feel you missed out on the way!

An Afternoon Stroll into a Volcano

Address for your Satnav or Google Maps (all addresses are approximate!): Parking Caldera de Los Cuervos, 35560 Tinajo.

If you’re wondering what to do with the rest of the day, because you’ve got a taste for getting out and about in Lanzarote, or simply because you hired a car for a whole day and don’t want to waste it – then get yourself over to Caldera de los Cuervos.

It’ll take you just over 15 minutes to drive from El Golfo to the large parking area which provides you with access to an easy hiking trail around – and into – the crater of a volcano. I mean, standing inside a volcanic crater has to be an absolute must-do when on the island of volcanos, right?

Better known as the Cuervo Volcano, this hike is within the Volcanoes Natural Park. This was the first volcanic cone generated during the Timanfaya eruption, which changed the landscape of Lanzarote, giving it an almost lunar appearance. It is not only a classic example of a simple crater, but it is also a symbol of the transformation of Lanzarote. And it’s beautiful.

The lollipop-shaped walk takes you along a well-made stony footpath around the perimeter of a volcanic crater, and right inside it. There are information boards all along the route, and plenty of weird and wonderful rock formations to keep things interesting. Even though it is short and with relatively little ascent or descent, this really is a fantastic little hike, well worth the effort.

It’s one of the two Lanzarote hikes I recommended in my Six Short Hikes in the Canary Islands post last year – at just 2.5-miles (4km), it is an out-and-out essential addition to your road trip day. You can find a copy of this route on All Trails.

Enjoy this mini road trip in Lanzarote? Let me know in the comments below…

Or maybe you have other hire-car-must-visits in Lanzarote? I’d love to hear from you.

I am very grateful to Jet2holidays for this opportunity to explore a new country embrace the volcanic landscape and have a nice holiday. This post wasn’t part of the deal, but I couldn’t have written it if I didn’t actually go!