Today we re-visited Timanfaya National Park, or what they call ‘the volcano’ locally. It’s funny how years dim the memory, please read on.
My memory was that it should be visited, shouldn't be missed and is the highlight of the island of Lanzarote.
While the latter is probably true, after today’s visit I’m not so sure about the other two things.
You need to pass the visitor centre on the way to the peak, it’s a typical tourist trap complete with souvenir shop and some information about the island and more pointedly the volcano.
Thankfully it's also FREE to enter. You can save the Euro's for the part that is next.
According to what I read, lava gushed from the core of the earth for a good 30 years in the early 1700’s, but has been dormant since.
The landscape has been converted into something resembling the moon and @bingbabe started on her conspiracy theory that in 1969 Armstrong and Aldrin landed in fact on the surface of Lanzarote.
However that topic is for another day. We quickly left the visitor centre, the most exciting part of it being some crazy looking motorcycles that arrived while we were there.
Just a few more kilometres closer to the peak is the entrance. There were a dozen cars in front waiting to go in, and the cost was 12 EURO’s each.
As we passed the gate @bingbabe spotted a sign that said 60 minutes.
I was hoping that meant leave within 60 minutes due to the over abundance of tourists but audibly groaned as we turned a bend and I saw the shocking truth.
The line of cars was huge, and it was 60 minutes before we got to the front.
I am a person who hates queuing and would rather turn around, but as we had paid I could hardly do that.
TIP: If you travel by coach or taxi then they will both safely sail past all the fuming motorists and don’t have to queue.
Taxi’s simply dump their passengers and leave while the coaches have a separate area to park.
I could see what the problem was and that was parking spaces. There are not enough, and the ones available are on ridiculous gradients.
If you car’s handbrake is dodgy then your going to end up in the lava fields.
There is a restaurant at the peak and I’ll be reviewing that separately as we did eat there.
For your 12 EURO’s you get the views, the wonderful air, the pits and lots of tourists.
I’m generally not one for touristy venues, and simply wanted to relive what I saw 18 years ago in 2002 when I first visited.
This pit is an open one which a couple of blokes throw what looks like tumbleweeds down it.
Where they get them from I don’t know. It’s not like the landscape has an abundance of this things hanging around.
Poking them down the hole, starts a fire and the audience back off too many oooh’s and aaah’s.
It’s a decent trick enhanced by them throwing some water down the same hole which makes a cracking sound.
The views from the top are good but it’s a very barren landscape one looks out on.
The Atlantic Ocean can be seen in the distance with waves crashing on the west coast of the island.
Another hole in the earth has a grill positioned over it where you can toast your bread if that’s what you desire. I saw no people selling loaves so that was a no go.
As we were about to leave an organised tour agent was picking up these ashes from the ground with a shovel and adding a few to everyone’s hands in this ring.
They were obviously hot as many were dropping them with audible ouch’s, some of the blokes tolerating the burns and wheals appearing on their hands in an attempt to look 'manly.'
Maybe I was expecting too much but I found this particular attraction a little lacklustre, much preferring the abandoned villa we happened upon on the way back to Costa Teguise.
Like the restaurant that’s another story in itself. I guess me and safe tourism no longer mix as well as they used too.
Oh man that lines of cars... Too many people and too little greenery for a national park for my taste but still a great report. I haven´t been to Lanzarote yet but some of its landscapes are iconic travel stuff.
It’s not a bad location but things tend to look the same after a while. Would make for a nice sunset if only they would let us stay that late.
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Yeah. I think Lanzarote is quite barren/rocky in general. I spent a few months on Tenerife and the northern part of the island was very green and lush. I loved it.
It’s been years since I stayed in Puerta De La Cruz, the cloudy place with no beach!
Last time I was up Teide they wouldn’t let tourists climb to the top without a permit.
I would struggle to get up now, I was younger when I did.
There are actually several beaches in Puerto de la Cruz, this is one of them. I used to go there in the morning when there was nobody and I had it all just for myself :)
The number of ascents to the top of Del Teide is still limited by the permits. We only got to just below the top.
Nice
Is this in Spain or Portugal? I've never heard of it. !BEER !trdovoter !giphy volcano
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Technically Spain, the Canary Islands belong to Spain but are far from the mainland.
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looks like a really cool day out but ouch as far as that car lineup is concerned... that would have frustrated me as well.
Jesus, those lines... no thanks but I suppose they already had you at that point.
Exactly, and with the family in the car I was doomed!
I think there are a lot of places like this that just don't live up to the expectations. It is amazing what different people will find interesting though. When I was a kid I was dragged to all kinds of tourist places across the US. Some of them were good, some, not so much but the experience of just doing it was well worth it.
I got a dragged around too, and as a kid it’s all boring or was for me!
For 36 Euros plus a 60 minute wait I expected a little more, then there’s that restaurant but I’ll do a @tasteem for that.
I enjoyed the places my parents took me. I still tell stories about them today. Waiting in line for the nature preserve out side Vegas seemed like a pain at the time. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if we had done some hiking.
Have you been in the sunken pool up north? It's rare and nice!
Not heard of that, a hot spring? Is that the name it goes by?
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I think it's jameos del agua. It's nice, just a small place but scenic and there is a big cactus patch nearby
Thanks found it, we were planning on doing the north day after tomorrow, may check it out.
The hotel that has been abandoned since the 70’s is tomorrow, now that’s my kind of attraction 😁😁
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Yeah, I thought that might be. The missus ain't so interested in that one, dash it!!
Mine neither, she stayed in the car today as I screeched it to a halt spotting a graffiti covered villa 😁
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