Lanzarote is a volcanic island that is part of the Spanish archipelago the Canary Islands. The island is a popular beach tourism destination with numerous resort hotels. Away from the main touristy sights, the hidden gems of Lanzarote made me fall in love with the island. If you enjoy off the beaten track travel, these 6 hidden gems of Lanzarote are among the best places to visit on the island.
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Before visiting Lanzarote I had heard different opinions about the island, some people loving it and others finding it boring. As I usually see the beauty in all places it didn’t take long for me to be impressed by the landscape and I ended up loving the island.
In this post I’m sharing some of the most beautiful hidden gems of the Canary Island Lanzarote.
Table of Contents
Natural Pools Los Charcones
Los Charcones are natural pools not far from Playa Blanca. A super bumpy dirt road leads you there. Once we finally arrived we climbed down some rocks to get to the coast. The place looks lovely and there’s one pool next to the other, all of them with a different tone of blue or green. It’s super peaceful and there were only a few people when we visited. Los Charcones are a must-see when you’re in Lanzarote.
Mirador Ermita de Las Nieves
Mirador Ermita de Las Nieves is my favorite viewpoint of the island. Unlike Lanzarote’s most famous viewpoint Mirador del Rio you don’t have to pay an entrance fee for this one. Plus, there are hardly any people at Ermita de las Nieves while Mirador del Rio is a little crowded. Make sure to go on a sunny day though as this area of the island is often cloudy as you can see on my picture. We were still lucky but sometimes this place is completely covered in clouds and you can’t see a thing. It’s also a great place to watch the sunset.
Sunset on Playa Famara
Playa Famara is a surfer beach on the west coast. It’s located next to the cliffs of Caleta Famara. When the sun goes down the evening light makes the cliffs shine pinkish. There are only a few people and rather locals instead of tourists. There’s also a small village with some restaurants and bars near the beach. I loved the vibe on Playa Famara and the atmosphere during sunset is amazing.
Pro tip: Bring drinks, snacks and speakers to enjoy it even more.
Playa de las Conchas
If you have time I highly recommend doing a day trip to the neighbouring island La Graciosa. You can take a boat from Orzola and it takes 20-30 minutes to get there. Once you’re on La Graciosa you can either rent a bike and explore the island or just walk around.
The most beautiful place on La Graciosa is Playa de Las Conchas. It took us an hour to hike there from where we had gotten off the boat. When we arrived to the beach we were extremely impressed as we hadn’t imagined it to be this beautiful. Crystal clear water and white sand – it almost looked like the Carribean. Plus, to our surprise there were hardly any people. Try to go during the week though as there might be more people on weekends.
If you want to save yourself the hustle of booking and getting to the ferry, you could go for a for an organised boat cruise. This includes a hotel pick-up, lunch and water activities.
Tenesar
Tenesar is a recommendation for those of you who enjoy going completely off the beaten track. It’s a tiny village on the coast which is inhabited only by a few people. If you like abandoned places far away from the touristic areas this is the place for you. There’s not much to do but there’s a small volcanic beach and an impressive coastline. I loved the calmness and the fact that we had the whole place to ourselves.
Fire Mountains in Timanfaya National Park
This place is not really underrated but I decided to include it anyways as I consider it as the most impressive place on Lanzarote. In the Timanfaya National Park you can visit the remains of the island’s volcanic activities. The so called “Fire Mountains” originated due to volcanic eruptions. The landscape is unique and totally different to anything I’ve ever seen before. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to enter the protected area on their own. It can only be visited by taking part in a bus tour. I’m usually not a fan of tours like that but in this case it was totally worth it. You get to see impressive craters and volcanic formations in different colors. This is the only one of the six places that is actually visited by quite a few tourists.
Check out these amazing experiences with local guides:
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These are my favourite hidden gems of Lanzarote. I was so impressed by the unique landscape and I loved exploring the island. Have you ever been to Lanzarote? How did you like it? Or would you like to visit it? Let me know in the comments!
July 3, 2019 at 12:05 pm
Thank You. I appreciate Your post very much.
Happy and safe travels!
July 9, 2019 at 3:13 pm
Thank you so much!
Happy and safe travels to you too!
July 5, 2019 at 11:52 pm
I went to Lanzarote in 2016 and only saw Timanfaya National Park from all the places you mentioned! I guess I need to go back 🙂
July 9, 2019 at 3:14 pm
Totally recommend you to go back and visit the other places too!
August 25, 2021 at 3:44 pm
Merci de partager vos trésors !
Nous y allons dans 2 semaines et j’ai vraiment hâte ! =)
August 31, 2021 at 10:21 pm
Hope you’ll have a great time there!
December 19, 2023 at 9:04 pm
So excited to be going after Christmas.. Thankyou, this is helpful
December 21, 2023 at 10:35 pm
I’m glad you found it helpful! Wishing you a wonderful trip 🙂