Full Day Island Highlights Tour Lanzarote

Timanfaya and the volcanic Fire Mountains

The tour visits the Timanfaya volcanic area in the southwest, where eruptions between 1730 and 1736 covered around a quarter of the island in lava. Craters in rust red, ochre and charcoal black rise from fields of frozen lava, and the ground is still hot a few metres down. Timanfaya National Park is the most visited place on the island, and a guided island tour lets you see it without hiring a car.

Inside the park the Volcano Route is travelled by bus with commentary, and at Islote de Hilario you can watch the geothermal demonstrations. Entry to Timanfaya is included only in the options that list it, so check the option before you book. Morning light is best for photographs, and the guide will explain how the eruptions changed the island's villages and farming.

La Geria, the black vine landscape

La Geria is one of the most unusual farming landscapes in Europe. After the eruptions buried fertile soil under a layer of volcanic ash, farmers dug deep round hollows, planted vines at the bottom and built small semicircular stone walls to shelter them from the wind. The ash absorbs night dew, so the plants get water in one of Spain's driest regions.

From the road the valley looks like thousands of dark craters lined up in rows, with the pale cones of extinct volcanoes behind. It is a favourite stop for photographs, and the best time to visit is spring, when the leaves turn the black slopes green. The guide explains the method and why this landscape is protected as part of the island's biosphere reserve.

The Green Lagoon at El Golfo

The Charco de los Clicos, known as the Green Lagoon, lies inside a half-collapsed volcanic crater at El Golfo on the southwest coast. Its intense emerald colour comes from algae and microorganisms living in the water, which is fed by seawater filtering through the rock. A rust-coloured cliff and a black sand beach frame it, and the contrast is one of the most photographed views on the island.

Visitors see it from a viewpoint, since the lagoon itself is protected and closed to swimming. The stop is short but is one of the reasons people ask whether Lanzarote is worth a day tour: nothing else on the island looks quite like it. Bring sunglasses, because the sun on the black sand is strong.

Choosing your option: tickets, timing and pickup

There are four options. The panoramic tour has no entry tickets, so you can wait while the group visits Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes or buy tickets on the day on the bus. The three-ticket tour includes entry to Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes and is the most complete. Two-ticket options leave out either Cueva de los Verdes or Jameos del Agua, and you get free time while the group visits the missing place.

All options last about nine hours, leave at 08:00 with pickup from your area, and include a guide and an air-conditioned bus. Lunch, camel riding and tips are not included. Pickup points and times are confirmed after booking, and the tour is suited to families because children have their own rate.