The essentials
- Timanfaya lies in the municipalities of Tinajo and Yaiza, and Yaiza holds 2,901 hectares of it, more than half of the park's total area.[1][2]
- Yaiza's register lists rural guesthouses in Yaiza village, such as Casona de Yaiza, and in Uga, such as La Finca Uga.[3]
- The same register lists hotels in Playa Blanca, including the five-star Volcán Lanzarote, and Rome2rio puts Playa Blanca 20 km from the park by road.[3][4]
- No public transport enters the park; lines 6 and 61 reach Uga and Yaiza, and from there you take a taxi.[1][5][6]
- The day tour booked from this site lists 61 pickup location options, from US$102, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.[7]
| Yaiza village | Uga village | Playa Blanca | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link to the park | Its municipality holds 2,901 ha of the park[2] | Camels and bus lines 6 and 61[5][6][8] | 20 km by road, about 26 min[4] |
| Places to stay listed | Casona de Yaiza, a rural guesthouse[3] | La Finca Uga, El Morro[3] | Hotels incl. five-star Volcán Lanzarote[3] |
| Bus | Lines 6 and 61[5][6] | Lines 6 and 61[5][6] | Lines 6 and 61[1][6] |
| Also useful | Tremesana walk meeting point[9] | Volcán del Cuervo, first eruption site[10] | Radio Taxi 928 524 222[1] |
| Tours from or through | Express tour from Yaiza, from US$66[11] | LanzaBuggy on-road route via Uga[12] | Arrecife/Playa Blanca day tour, from US$75[13] |
Craters, lava flows and lunar-like landscapes reflect the heat of the earth. On the Islote de Hilario, geothermal activity shows that the subsoil still holds part of that heat.
Yaiza and Uga for rural stays, Playa Blanca for hotels
Staying in Yaiza or Uga
Where to stay near Timanfaya
Timanfaya National Park lies in the municipalities of Tinajo and Yaiza, and the LZ-67 road that links those two towns gives access to its facilities.[1] Yaiza holds the larger share: the park occupies 2,901 hectares of the municipality, around 13.6% of Yaiza's surface and more than half of the park's total area of 5,107.50 hectares.[2][14] The municipality also holds 4,582.7 hectares of the Parque Natural de los Volcanes, a wide ring that surrounds the national park.[2]
The Ayuntamiento de Yaiza keeps an official accommodation register. Its hotel entries include the five-star Volcán Lanzarote in Playa Blanca, and its rural entries include Casona de Yaiza in Yaiza village, Hotelito del Golfo, and La Finca Uga and El Morro in Uga.[3]
Wherever you stay, no public transport service goes into the park itself. Bus lines run to Tinajo and Yaiza, and the park authority suggests a taxi from there to the points of interest.[1] Line 16 serves Mancha Blanca on the Tinajo side, while lines 6 and 61 stop at Uga and in Yaiza.[5][6][15]
Yaiza hotels and rural guesthouses
The municipal register lists Casona de Yaiza as a rural guesthouse with Yaiza as its location, and enters Hotelito del Golfo as a rural stay under the municipality at an Avenida Marítima address.[3] Buses stop at Supermercado de Yaiza, Aljibe de Yaiza and Centro de Salud de Yaiza on line 6 from Arrecife and on line 61 from the airport.[5][6]
The park authority's route from Arrecife runs to Yaiza on the LZ-2 before turning onto the LZ-67 towards Montañas del Fuego.[16] On that approach, the Taro de entrada gate is 2.5 km past the Echadero de los Camellos camel station.[16] The express tour that starts from Yaiza lists skip-the-line entry and a 2-hour duration, from US$66.[11]
Yaiza is also where the free guided Tremesana walk meets, at Plaza de los Remedios, 15 minutes before departure.[9] The park authority describes the route as 3.5 km, of low difficulty and about 3 hours, and it must be booked online at least 25-30 days in advance.[9] The best-known account of the 1730-36 eruption is the manuscript of Yaiza's parish priest, Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo.[17]
Volcanic cones in the landscape around Timanfaya National Park
Staying in Uga
Uga has its own rural guesthouses in the Yaiza register, La Finca Uga and El Morro, both entered as Casa Rural Uga.[3] Lines 6 and 61 both stop at Uga, and line 61 runs there directly from the airport terminals without going through Arrecife.[5][6]
Uga shares the island's camels with Yaiza. A Cabildo de Lanzarote guide says about 400 camels now live in Lanzarote, almost all of them in Uga and Yaiza, and credits a young man from Yaiza with starting tourist rides through the volcanoes.[8] The Ayuntamiento de Yaiza prices the camel ride from €11 per person per trip.[18] It puts the route at between 20 and 25 minutes, while the park authority describes a circular route of about 20 minutes on the south slope of Montaña de Timanfaya.[18][19]
Volcán del Cuervo, the first of the Timanfaya eruptions, lies between Mozaga and Uga in the heart of the Protected Landscape of La Geria, and Eternals was filmed there.[10] LanzaBuggy's Family Buggy tour also takes an on-road route through Uga, Timanfaya National Park and the Natural Park of the Volcanoes.[12]
Staying in Playa Blanca
For Playa Blanca hotels near Timanfaya, Rome2rio gives the drive to the park as 20 km, about 26 minutes.[4] The Yaiza register's hotel entries include the five-star Volcán Lanzarote, listed in Playa Blanca.[3]
Playa Blanca is served by bus line 6 from Arrecife and line 61 from the airport, and both lines also stop in Uga and Yaiza.[1][5][6] The Radio Taxi number the park authority lists for Yaiza and Playa Blanca is 928 524 222.[1]
The Arrecife/Playa Blanca Timanfaya National Park Area Day Tour lists pickup included, a 7-hour day and a price from US$75.[13] The 4x4 Volcanic & Coastal South Adventure lists pickup included, gives Yaiza as its pickup location and stops at Playa del Papagayo, El Golfo and a visitor center over 6 hours, from US$78.[20]
2,901 ha
The part of Timanfaya National Park inside Yaiza municipality, more than half of the park's total area.[2]
Puerto del Carmen, Arrecife and Costa Teguise
Rome2rio gives Puerto del Carmen a 21 km drive to the park, about 33 minutes, and the park authority's route from there takes the LZ-504 to Tías, the LZ-2 to Yaiza and then the LZ-67.[16][21] Line 6 links Puerto del Carmen and Yaiza by bus, and the park authority lists 928 524 220 as the Radio Taxi number for Tías and Puerto del Carmen.[1]
From Arrecife, Rome2rio gives 33 km, about 41 minutes, and line 16 runs from Arrecife bus station to Mancha Blanca, home of the Mancha Blanca Visitor and Interpretation Centre.[15][22][23] Costa Teguise is 39 km away by Rome2rio's figure, about 46 minutes, and the park authority's best access from there visits the Mancha Blanca centre first.[16][24]
Lanzarote Airport is 28 km from the park by road, about 37 minutes, and line 61 connects the airport directly with Uga, Yaiza and Playa Blanca.[6][25] Line 22 links the airport with Arrecife bus station, which line 16 also serves on its way to Mancha Blanca.[15][26]
Inside the park itself
Timanfaya was declared a national park on 9 August 1974 and designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1993.[14] UNESCO counts nearly seventy geosites across Lanzarote and the Chinijo Islands and names Timanfaya the most significant, home to one of the largest historic lava fields in the world.[27] To protect its fragile ecosystem, CACT says the park may not be explored freely by car or on foot, and the park authority permits free access on foot only along the coast.[16][28]
Some private land lies inside the boundary: traditional crops behind volcanic-stone walls called zocos, which shelter the plots from strong winds, cover about 5% of the park, around Montaña Tremesana, María Hernández, Pedro Perico and the Miraderos zone.[29] Collecting plants, animals or rocks of any kind or size is forbidden.[30]
The long coastal route is a self-guided walk with free access: 9.75 km of high difficulty taking 5-6 hours, from Playa de la Madera to Punta del Jurado, ending in the village of El Golfo.[31] Inside the park, the land rises from sea level to its highest points at Timanfaya and El Señalo, 511 and 507 metres above sea level.[32]
What to book ahead
Montañas del Fuego has no box-office sales, selecting a date and time is mandatory when you buy online, and visitors should plan to arrive 15 minutes before their slot.[28][33] A table cannot be booked either: El Diablo restaurant does not accept reservations and assigns tables first-come, first-served.[34]
The guided walks need more notice. Tremesana must be booked online at least 25-30 days ahead, and guided-route bookings go through the Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales reservations site, reservasparquesnacionales.es.[9][23]
The Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes tour booked from this site lists reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, from US$102.[7]
Protected land around a Yaiza base, in hectares
Areas from MITECO and the Ayuntamiento de Yaiza, cut to whole hectares.[2][14]
Price a Timanfaya tour from your base
Each amount is that listing's own "from" price in US dollars, and the calculator applies the same listed figure to every traveller.[7][11][13][20][35]
Plan ahead from your base
Without a car, step by step
Book your entry slot online
Montañas del Fuego sells no tickets at the box office; buy online in advance.[28]
Take line 6 or 61 to Yaiza
Both lines stop at Supermercado, Aljibe and Centro de Salud de Yaiza.[5][6]
Call a taxi for the last stretch
No public transport enters the park; the Yaiza and Playa Blanca Radio Taxi is 928 524 222.[1]
Stay in the vehicle to Hilario
Remain inside the vehicle from El Taro to the Islote de Hilario car park.[34]
Board the coach at Islote de Hilario
The Ruta de los Volcanes buses depart every 20 minutes for a tour of approximately 40 minutes.[28]
Stay anywhere on the island and book a Timanfaya tour with pickup
from US$103Reserve now & pay later
