Circular Walks Of Lanzarote

I like circular walks, I hate retracing my steps. There are many great walking guides for Lanzarote, but many of the routes are from A to B, so you either need to rely on public transport, taxis or have a friend pick you up.

I like my walks to be between 1 and 4 hours with lots of interesting things to see. Whether it be glorious views, ruined mills, old farm houses, abandoned water systems or old lime kilns. I prefer circular walks and have each one tell a story.

I never leave home without good walking boots, sun protection, plenty of water and something to munch. I like to stop and admire the view, take a few photos, explore an old ruin or two and I never rush.

For each walk I include a good place to park and a map of the intended route. I include a few photos along the way and note any particular views and places of interest.

History

There is a growing History section on the site which will expand as the pages become available. There are also a couple of external sites which have proved very useful in my research.

The Walks

These are just a small selection of the walks I have made. Click on the image to be taken to a detailed description of the walk. Use the Walks drop down menu to access a full listing.

Tablet and Desktop users can click for a Grid View, but Mobile users are probably better off sticking with the drop down menu ≡ otherwise you’ll be scrolling for ever!

Famara Teguise Circle

A circular walk of about 3 – 4 hours, between 11 and 15 kilometres. The first leg of the walk is a good climb from Las Laderas at 76m to Morro Alto at 325m. The path is well marked, but there are a couple of steep sections. Although the path is narrow throughout the majority of the ascent, there are however lots of places to take a rest and admire the view.

Tremendous views during the ascent, small farms on the section to Teguise. Old Lime Kilns and the disused water system between the Famara water galleries and Arrecife. A fantastic walk with a little of everything.

Casa Del Agua

Casa Del Agua

This walk starts from the far end of the Kite Surfing Beach of Famara. It is an A to B walk, so unfortunately we have to retrace our steps on this one. This walk can easily be done in 1 -2 hours, mostly flat, but a little tricky under foot in places.

The views are truly stunning and another chance to see how the people of Lanzarote collected and preserved its water before desalination.

Cueva De Las Cabras

A circular walk of about 2 – 3 hours, between 6 and 7 kilometres. Fairly flat walk along the mountain ridge overlooking Famara. The path is well defined, but with quite narrow stretches and vertical drop offs to one side. If heights are a problem then this walk might not be the best for you. I recommend a walking pole for some of the narrow sections and avoid the walk in high winds.

La Fuente De Chafariz

The majority of the route is a gentle climb, but there is a short scramble up to the Fuente itself over loose shale at the head of the valley. As a gentle amble the walk is about 2 – 3 hours.

The Fuente is a classic example of how the people of Lanzarote collected and preserved its water before the arrival of the Desalination Plant.

Barranco De La Poceta

I thought this one was quite tough, it’s a good 3 – 4 hours with photo, water and sandwich breaks and you are climbing to some extent or another nearly all the way. That said it is was so worth it. Chose to make it an A – B walk leaving cars either end and for us it was the right decision. Elected to make it an ascent as opposed to a descent (my knees are better going up than down).

Fabulous views on the ascent of the barranco and a chance to see some of the Famara water extraction galleries. Now disused, but in 1953 these galleries provided water for Arrecife.

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Lanzarote History

The following pages contain some research on the history of Lanzarote as it relates to things I have discovered on my various walks.

For example did you know that several villages on the island have had to move. Sometimes due to pirate raids, sand storms and of course volcanic eruptions. To complicate matters the village move can even include a name change.

The links will be enabled as the pages become available.

Lanzarote History – Timeline

The island has been populated for at least 2000 years, according to archaeological discoveries.  Lanzarote was originally inhabited by the Berbers from North Africa. Grazing, fishing and agriculture was the main way of life. These people became known as the ‘Majos’.

It is likely that both the Greeks and  Phoenicians visited 800 – 550 BCE. The first recorded accounts of Lanzarote appear in AD 77. The Roman natural philosopher Gaius Plinius Secundus mentioned the island in his book Naturalis Historia. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were then known as the purple islands. This was due to the dye extracted from a particular lichen found here. The dye was highly prized at the time and made the fruticose lichen, Orchilla (Roccella canariensis) a valuable commodity.

First Europeans

1312. The first documented arrival of the Genoese explorer, Lancelotto Malocello. As a result, this is probably how Lanzarote got it’s name.

1402. The arrival of Jean de Béthencourt, the Baron of La Grainville, and Gadifer de La Salle, a knight and crusader. The noblemen are received by Guardafía, the King of Lanzarote. They agreed a treaty of friendship and non-aggression.

1407.  Maciot de Béthencourt becomes the first Governor of Lanzarote by order of his uncle, the Baron. So much for friendship and a non-aggression treaty.

Pirates

During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries the archipelago suffered many piratical attacks, amongst them, Sir Walter Raleigh 1616. The Canary Islands suffered pirate attacks from the European mainland and the African continent. The Barbary Corsairs from the Maghreb coasts raided for slaves and booty. The Portuguese crown ordered an attack on Lanzarote as early as 1450. It wasn’t just the Canaries however, Barbary Corsairs pushed up as far as the Baltic Sea. In 1625, about 1000 people taken prisoner off the West coast of England by pirates from Algeria.

Life After The Eruptions

1730-1736. The first of the Timanfaya volcanic eruptions, the last eruption was 1824. Because the lava buried many farms and villages. So new ways of farming evolved in and amongst the devastation. As a result, the wine region of La Geria is a prime example of this.

1852. Arrecife becomes capital of Lanzarote, replacing Teguise as the economic and political centre of the island.

1913. The construction of large storage tanks, Maretas del Estado is completed. They are located in Arrecife and designed to collect precious rainwater, built by order of King Alfonso XIII.

First aircraft to land at Arrecife airport, a Junkers Ju 52 EC-DAM on the 24 July 1941. It was not until 1946 that the airport provisionally accepts civilian aircraft.

It was in 1946 when approval was given for the drilling of the water galleries located in the Famara Massif and for its subsequent channelling to Arrecife, from where the water would be distributed to various points in the city.

1953. The water extracted from the Famara massif reaches Arrecife through the corresponding pipes, the drilling of which had begun years before. However, the system proved insufficient given the growing consumption of the Arrecife population.

1961 – 1965. Arrecife sees the installation of the first desalination plant in Europe.

Cesar Manrique returns to Lanzarote in 1966 and begins working on his many art, culture and tourism creations for the island.

On the 3rd March 1970, international and domestic flights began using the airport.

There are also a number of external sites which have proved useful during my research. As I discover more I will add them here.