Montanas del Fuego
The “Fire Mountains” in Timanfaya National Park make you feel as if you landed on another planet. The volcanic past of Lanzarote becomes visible there and around the visitor centre, you can see for yourself that there’s still a lot of volcanic activity just below the surface. On a bus tour through a small part of the national park (which is not open to the public otherwise), you’ll learn about the eruptions of the 1730s and how they shaped the island. On the bus, there’s an audio guide in several languages which puts what you see into historical context. Back at the visitor centre, the guides demonstrate how hot the area is below the surface: They throw twigs down a hole that’s approximately 3 metres deep – the twigs catch fire within seconds – and create artificial geysers by pouring cold water down a pipe.
Make sure you eat at El Diablo. Along with the rest of the visitor centre, the restaurant was designed by César Manrique and offers amazing views over the surrounding volcanic landscape. As for the menu, among the specialties are vulcano-grilled sardines, steak and chicken legs. The grill is located in front of the restaurant, so you can watch your order being grilled by natural heat.
Montanas del Fuego is open every day from 9.00am to 5.45pm, the admission fee (which includes the bus tour) is 8 euros. The restaurant is open for business from 12 noon to 3.30pm. Before we decide to go to Timanfaya, we asked our local acquaintances for the one must-see attraction of the island. The unanimous verdict was Montañas del Fuego.