The Montaña Cardona walk can be very easy or fairly easy depending on the route taken. The trail is easy to follow and good under foot. Either route takes about an hour and a half depending on water and photo breaks.
Directions
Take the LZ20 out of Arrecife, through San Bartolome. Last exit off the round-a-bout at Casa Museo del Campesino and continue on to Masdache. Then take the right onto the LZ 58 by the church (Ermita de Santa María Magdalena). After 2.87km take the 2nd dirt track on the left for Finca Tisalaya (not the first one Eco Finca Los Frailes).
You are now on Camino Tisalaya. Pass the finca on the left, about 320m past an old aljibe on the right there is space to park without blocking the access.
If you don’t want to risk the car on the farm track, about 2km after you turn onto the LZ 58, on the right hand side there is a much more hire car friendly place to park (circa La cueva de los Naturalistas o La Paloma). You then need to hike the short distance to the start of the walk description.
Click on the map image above to open a Google map of the area in a new tab.
The Walk
Head west along Camino Tisalaya until you come to a fork. Take the left hand track until you come to the shoulder of Montaña Cardona. Here you can choose the easy route (no climbing) and simply walk clockwise around the base of the caldera.
I like to make the short climb up onto the top and follow the ridge line round. As you near the end of the horseshoe look for a track on the left that allows for a gentle descent down the north west flank.
You can now either follow Camino Tisalaya back to the start or follow the track around the inside of the caldera bowl.
Look out for the many interesting plant species as you pass. Depending on the season you can find Mulberries, Olives, Figs and Carob. There are also many species of wild flowers and the only place on Lanzarote (to my knowledge) where you can find Fern growing!
After the Walk you have a number of options for coffee and cake or a spot of lunch. There are the villages of Masdache and Las Vegueta & Yuco. There is also Casa Museo del Campesino.
Montaña Cardona – History
Masdache is a small village situated on a sea of lava from the volcanic eruptions of 1730-36. A beautiful, modest and quiet village, nestled in a unique agricultural landscape in the heart of La Geria. Known for being the most important wine-growing area on the island.
La Vegueta & Yuco, conjoined villages are part of the municipality of Tinajo. The villages are predominantly agricultural, nestling as they do in the wine region of La Geria and the dunes of El Jable. Yuco boasts a charming small hermitage of Our Lady of Regla, built towards the end of the 18th century.
The sites are in Spanish, so if it helps I have made an attempt to summarise a few topics of interest in the History section.