Born from volcanoes

Lanzarote may be 35 million years old but it actually has one of the youngest landscapes on the planet. In 1730, the island as we see it today was reborn from a series of volcanic explosions that went on for 6 whole years, depositing ash and lava all around. Don’t worry, it’s all cooled down now - well most of it anyway - and there hasn’t been an eruption since 1824. But the stunning legacy of all this volcanic activity will give you an out of this world experience as you tour the island.

The showpiece area of Lanzarote's volcanic activity is Timanfaya National Park on the west coast, where a lunar landscape of twisted, cracked and strangely shaped lava dominates the landscape. At the visitors' centre you can experience the heat and power still contained in the earth below. Take a handful of loose stones from just below the surface and you will feel the heat. You will also be able to see how a a bush being lowered into a small opening bursts into flames. Another spectacular demonstration involves pouring water into a bore hole only to see it gush back out as a powerful geyser.

Further south, El Golfo is a spectacular volcanic crater at the edge of the sea, surrounded by stacks of volcanic rock that were once spat out into the water. The colours and shapes are stunning and a graphic reminder of the power of nature.

In the north of Lanzarote, the Monte de la Corona is the tip of the island's volcanic legacy. Beneath the ground, tubes burnt through the rocks run for 7kms, part of which is under the ocean. All that activity produces great beauty too, inside lava rocks there is Olivina, a green precious stone, used in a lot of local jewelry.

Evidence of Lanzarote’s turbulent past is all around and this is just one small part of the attraction of this unique island.