Lanzarote Travel Guides

One of the most intriguing things about this fascinating island is that nobody is quite sure how Lanzarote got its name. Some say that an Italian merchant named Lancelotto Malocello gave the island its name; some claim that Lanzarote is Latin for a type of resin that is found in the Tabaiba bushes scattered across the island; and some claim that the name comes from the Latin for "broken lance".

Regardless of how the island was named, today Lanzarote is one of the most popular holiday destinations for UK travellers. And no wonder - Lanzarote offers an almost perfect year round climate, beautiful safe sandy beaches, clear waters, plenty of outdoor activities and watersports, an abundance of restaurants serving local and international cuisine and some fascinating natural and cultural attractions.

It's also easy to reach from the UK - just a four hour nonstop flight from Gatwick as well as several regional airports. UK citizens simply need to have a valid passport - no visa is necessary unless you are staying for longer than three months. Many people on the island speak English and most menus are written in English. And the Canaries are in the same time zone as the UK - no need to adjust your watch!

Lanzarote - like the other Canary Islands - is actually a part of Spain, although the island lies in the Atlantic, closer to Africa than Spain. The island of Lanzarote is about 37 miles long and about 12 miles wide, making it the fourth largest of the Canary Islands, covering an area of about 400 square miles. Lanzarote's population is estimated at about 184,000 - about 5,000 of these are British.

Lanzarote is actually about 30 million years old - the island was formed after huge volcanic eruptions in the area. Away from the tourist areas, much of the island still has a dramatic and lunar-like appearance with about 300 volcanic peaks - not all of which are extinct. The island's dramatic landscape has attracted filmmakers and several films have been filmed on Lanzarote - including "One Million Years B.C" and "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth". Volcanic activity can still be seen on parts of the island today, especially at Timanfaya National Park where the surface temperature ranges from 100C to 600C in places and water poured into the ground turns into a geyser. One of the best ways to see the park is from the back of a camel.

Another spectacular reminder of the island's turbulent volcanic activity is at El Golfo, the partially submerged cone of a volcano. The crater encloses a lagoon, which is remarkable for its green colour, and thought to be caused by unique micro-organisms and volcanic minerals.Lanzarote also boasts several artistic and cultural attractions, in addition to its natural wonders. For a small island, there are some excellent museums - the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Ethnographic Museum and the small but fascinating Museum of Wine. The importance of the sea is reflected in a museum devoted entirely to dolphins and whales - both of which can regularly be seen off the coast.

Lanzarote's capital is Arrecife, a lively port city, which boasts plenty of shopping, nightlife and restaurants and is home to almost half the island's population. Puerto Del Carmen is the best known resort on the island and offers everything for the perfect family holiday. The other two main resorts are Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise. Further inland, you can still come across small towns and villages where life goes on much the same as it always has done.

Eating out is a pleasure on Lanzarote, with many restaurants catering to families with children. Although you can easily find British food on the island, don't miss a chance to sample some local specialities or some delicious and fresh local seafood. Seafood is often served fried or grilled and is often accompanied by small wrinkled potatoes known as papas arrugadas. The more lively nightlife tends to be concentrated in Puerto del Carmen, although Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca both have a good selection of bars, discos and restaurants.

One of the best things about a holiday in Lanzarote is its almost perfect year round weather. Summer temperatures average around 26C, while during the winter months, temperatures are a pleasant 20C. During the summer, you can expect about 10 or 11 hours of sunshine every day and virtually no rain - the few inches of rain that Lanzarote receives usually falls between December and February.

Lanzarote has some excellent beaches, with the opportunity for swimming, diving and various other watersports. The breezy conditions at Costa Teguise on the island's south coast make it a great spot for windsurfing. The island of Lanzarote also boasts an excellent 18 hole golf course, and several theme parks, including a water park with rides that have names such as Spiral, Kamikaze and Fast River.

Although a part of Spain, Lanzarote still retains its unique identity, and the island has gone to great lengths to keep it that way. There are no high-rise buildings on Lanzarote and since the late 1970s - the earliest days of mass tourism to the Canaries - development and growth have been carefully controlled. In 1993 UNESCO declared the whole island to be a Biosphere Reserve because of its success in controlling growth and managing natural resources.One man has done a lot in ensuring that the island of Lanzarote retains its identity and heritage - the local born artist Cesar Manrique. You can gain an insight into his life by visiting his home at Taro de Tahiche. Manrique is also responsible for creating one of Lanzarote's other attractions, the Cactus Garden, built on volcanic ground and containing an estimated 1,400 species of cactus.

If this is your first visit to Lanzarote, you will soon understand why it's such a popular destination for British holidaymakers. And if you are a repeat visitor, take the chance to discover something new about this fascinating island.