Lanzarote

Golden beaches and brooding volcanoes dominate the island’s topography. You can experience the beauty of the silent volcanic landscape at the Montañas del Fuego (‘Fire Mountains’) in Timanfaya National Park (+34 928 84 00 57, www.cabildodelanzarote.com/cact), where coaches tour the geological marvels. Although the last eruption was in 1824, temperatures of up to 600°C can still be recorded just 13m beneath the surface. This hellish heat is put to good use at the El Diablo restaurant, where meat is grilled over a volcanic pit.

El Diablo was designed by artist and environmentalist César Manrique (1919-92), a key figure in the island’s development. As tourism rampaged through the other Canary Islands in the 1970s, Manrique sought to create a balance between Lanzarote’s unique environment and the demands of urbanisation. His home, now the César Manrique Foundation (Tahíche, +34 928 84 31 38, www.fcmanrique.org), is a striking fusion of landscape and architecture – part traditional country house and part futuristic underground den constructed from natural bubbles in the lava.

Other Manrique creations include the Jameos del Agua (Malpaís de la Corona, +34 928 84 80 20, www.cabildodelanzarote.com/cact), a stunning cultural centre in a converted cave complex, and the Cactus Garden (Guatiza, +34 928 52 93 97, www.cabildodelanzarote.com/cact), with more than 10,000 cacti.

The main resort areas of Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca all have good, safe beaches with plenty of bars and restaurants nearby. Costa Teguise is good for windsurfing, too, while the windier and quieter northwestern shores are great for surfing and kite surfing. Off-the-beaten-track coves include La Caleta del Mojón Blanco in the far north and Papagayo in the far south.

Local history

Lanzarote’s strategic position close to the North African coast made it a target for pirates and adventurers from the 14th to 16th centuries. In 1730, and again in 1824, massive volcanic eruptions transformed the island landscape. Lanzarote became a Spanish territory in 1812, and most of the islanders lived off the land and the sea until the advent of tourism in the 1960s and 1970s.

Local politics

Lanzarote is part of the Spanish province of Las Palmas, which includes all the eastern Canary Islands. The island government has been unusually successful in safeguarding Lanzarote against the worst ravages of tourism, thanks in no small part to the efforts of artist César Manrique in inspiring an Island Plan designed to protect Lanzarote’s natural and cultural heritage.