Lanzarote Timanfaya: Where Film Crews and Astronauts Train

Hollywood's alien landscape

Timanfaya's otherworldly terrain has attracted film crews seeking authentic volcanic backdrops. The raw, barren lava fields and rust-coloured mountains have served as stand-ins for distant planets and post-apocalyptic worlds. Directors recognize that the park's 24-square-kilometre expanse of volcanic rock requires no set dressing; the landscape already reads as alien to audiences unfamiliar with volcanic regions. The scale, colour palette and total absence of vegetation create an immediately strange atmosphere that CGI struggles to match convincingly.

The park's accessibility from European airports makes it a cost-effective filming location compared to travelling to genuine extraterrestrial analogues. Production teams can work within the designated tour zones and natural amphitheatres created by ancient lava flows, where the terrain naturally frames shots and provides dramatic elevation changes. The volcanic soil, sharp black rock and sparse shrubland combine to produce imagery that film editors can use to suggest alien terrain without further manipulation.

Why scientists compare Timanfaya to Mars

Geologists and planetary scientists have long identified Lanzarote's volcanic landscape as one of Earth's closest analogues to the Martian surface. The similarity lies not in colour alone, but in the geological processes visible in the rock formations. Basaltic lava flows dominate both environments, creating similar surface textures and weathering patterns. The absence of dense vegetation means visitors observe the underlying geology directly, much as rovers on Mars encounter exposed rock without soil coverage or plant life obscuring the mineral composition.

The European Space Agency has used Timanfaya as a training ground for astronauts and rovers. ESA personnel study the park's lava tubes, volcanic cones and ancient flows to understand how to interpret and navigate similar terrain on Mars. The harsh, arid conditions and the way water and ice would behave in volcanic rock are testable here on Earth. Scientists also analyse how instruments designed for Mars missions respond to genuine volcanic basalt, refining their technology before deployment to the actual planet.

Timanfaya's endless black lava fields: Earth's closest match to Mars

Astronaut training and ESA operations

Lanzarote has hosted multiple ESA astronaut training programmes centred on the Timanfaya landscape. The agency selected the island because its volcanic geology, accessibility and stable climate provide reliable conditions for repeated field work. Astronauts have trained in navigating rough lava terrain, collecting geological samples and operating equipment in conditions that simulate aspects of Mars exploration. The work involves understanding how to read volcanic landscapes, identify different rock types and document findings in the field, skills directly transferable to planetary exploration.

The training exercises extend beyond simple walking. Crews practise with rovers, test communication systems across distances, and work in teams to solve problems in an unfamiliar environment. The Timanfaya setting offers the advantage of being genuinely challenging without the risks of remote polar regions or deserts. ESA's choice to repeatedly return to Lanzarote for these programmes reflects the park's unique combination of geological authenticity and operational practicality.

The hermit of Islote de Hilario

Within Timanfaya lies a small islet, Islote de Hilario, which was home to a hermit whose story has become part of the park's cultural fabric. The hermit lived in voluntary isolation on this volcanic island, choosing solitude in one of Lanzarote's harshest environments. His presence there, documented by early park visitors and local historians, added a human dimension to the landscape's narrative. The hermit's choice to inhabit such barren terrain intrigues visitors, raising questions about isolation, spirituality and our relationship with extreme landscapes.

Today, the islet remains part of the tour route, and the hermit's legacy endures in local storytelling and visitor experience. His existence suggests that even Timanfaya's most inhospitable zones have harboured human settlement and spirituality. The story illustrates how volcanic landscapes, despite their apparent sterility, have drawn people seeking refuge, transformation or connection to something beyond the ordinary.

The devil emblem and its origins

Timanfaya National Park's logo features a stylized devil figure, a choice rooted in the island's volcanic history and cultural interpretation. Local tradition held that the volcanic eruptions that shaped Lanzarote between 1730 and 1736 were devilish in their destructive power. The eruptions, lasting years and transforming vast areas of the island, killed livestock and destroyed settlements. Survivors interpreted the events through a religious and supernatural lens, and the devil became a symbol of the raw, untameable force that had reshaped their homeland.

The park's decision to adopt this devilish emblem honours that cultural memory while reframing it. Rather than erasing the trauma, the symbol acknowledges the eruptions' violence while celebrating the dramatic beauty that emerged. Modern visitors encounter the devil logo as a reminder that Timanfaya's stunning landscape was born from catastrophe, and that volcanic power remains fundamentally alien to human control or understanding.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status

Lanzarote holds designation as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a recognition that extends beyond Timanfaya itself to encompass the entire island. The reserve status acknowledges the island's exceptional biodiversity, unique volcanic ecosystems and the way human communities have adapted to and coexisted with volcanic terrain. The biosphere reserve framework recognises that Lanzarote balances conservation with sustainable use, protecting natural systems while allowing tourism, agriculture and settlement in designated zones. This approach means visitors experience both pristine volcanic landscape and living communities that have shaped the island for centuries.

The reserve designation carries implications for how Timanfaya operates. It reinforces the idea that the park exists within a larger ecological and cultural context, not as an isolated geological museum. The biosphere reserve status supports education and research initiatives, encouraging visitors to understand Lanzarote's volcanic heritage as part of a functioning ecosystem and human landscape. Tour guides often reference this broader recognition, situating the three sites you visit within the island's complete story.

What early travellers wrote about the landscape

Eighteenth and nineteenth-century travellers who visited Lanzarote after the eruptions recorded their impressions in journals, letters and published accounts. Many arrived expecting to find a barren wasteland of destruction, but instead encountered a landscape of unexpected beauty. Early writers described the Timanfaya region using language that combined fear, awe and fascination. They noted the strangeness of the black rock, the intense heat still radiating from the earth in places, and the total absence of vegetation across vast expanses. Some compared the landscape to biblical depictions of hell; others saw it as proof of planetary transformation and natural dynamism.

These historical accounts shaped how Europeans understood volcanic landscapes. Rather than treating Timanfaya as simply ruined land, early visitors recognised its aesthetic and scientific interest. Their writings drew European attention to Lanzarote as a destination worth visiting, establishing the cultural appreciation for volcanic terrain that persists today. Modern visitors walking the same paths and viewing the same vistas connect with centuries of human responses to this extraordinary place, understanding that the current cultural fascination with Timanfaya has deep historical roots.

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