This San Bartolome Winter walk is mostly level, some gentle dirt road uphill sections and one short picon scramble. The route is roughly 4.5 – 5km, well marked and generally takes about 2.5 hours with photo ops and water breaks.
If you prefer there is a signposted trail that simply goes round the base of the two small volcanic cones, Caldera Llana and Caldera Honda (1.5 – 2 hours).
Directions
Follow the LZ-20 out of Arrecife for San Bartolome. Through the village, past the Disa Garage and at the Casa-Museo del Campesino round-a-bout take the third exit. Take the second left into Calle Calderetas heading back into the village. After the third zebra crossing, turn right onto Calle Timanfaya. At the top of the street take the dirt track on the left and park up.
Click on the map image above to open a Google map of the area in a new tab.
The Walk
Head south along the signposted route, skirting around the ancient cinder cones on your right. On the eastern slope you will see a small path leading up to viewing point marked with a cross and a park bench.
After the viewing point ignore the path heading down hill back into the village. Bear right, the path leads down hill until it meets another track at some farm buildings. Turn right, up hill, you have a large ancient volcano on your left and Caldera Honda on your right.
The track passes a number of smallholding, farms and vineyards before hitting a tarmac road. Turn right here heading east, back towards San Bartolome. About 600m, just after the second house on the right, you see a small path on the right. This path gets you off the road and leads round the shoulders of Caldera Llana.
You are almost back where you started, but on the right you come to a terraced picon slope and a long abandoned vineyard. Between these two is a short scramble up to the rim of Caldera Llana. From here the path dips into bowl of the crater, hugging the left hand side.
At the far side of Caldera Llana you can take the path to the right and explore Caldera Honda before returning to this point. There striking views from the lip if both these craters. Arrecife, Tias and Puerto del Carmen on one hand and the expanse of La Geria vineyards on the other.
At this mid point betwixt Caldera Llana and Caldera Honda, take the path through the gap in the wall south east. You are heading for the track at the bottom next to the viewing point you past earlier in the walk. Once on the track, turn left back to the start.
Three Months Earlier
Lanzarote can be a completely different island after a little rain. To illustrate the point I made the exact same walk just a few months earlier, before the rains
Click here to see San Bartolome (October 2020)
History
I have made an attempt to summarise a few topics of interest in the History section if you would like to read more about Lanzarote, its people and culture.