← Lanzarote International Marathon·Day trip

Jameos del Agua and the North: Lava Tubes and the Island's Edge

A collapsed lava tube turned into a garden and concert hall by César Manrique, a guided walk through the same tube underground, and a clifftop lookout over La Graciosa.

DurationDay trip
TransitHire car or organised tour, about 30 minutes from Costa Teguise
DepartsCosta Teguise

After the Lanzarote International Marathon: The North

The Route: Costa Teguise → Mirador del Río → Cueva de los Verdes → Jameos del Agua → Costa Teguise Logistics: Hire car or organised tour. About 30 to 40 minutes north from Costa Teguise; the three sites are within 15 minutes of each other. Marathon Month: December Duration: Day trip

Costa Teguise ──(about 40 mins)──> Mirador del Río ──(15 mins)──> Cueva de los Verdes ──(5 mins)──> Jameos del Agua ──(30 mins)──> Costa Teguise

The Lanzarote International Marathon keeps to the low east coast. Drive north from Costa Teguise and the island rises to the Famara cliffs and the Malpaís de la Corona, the lava field left by the Monte Corona volcano thousands of years ago. The eruption created one of the longest lava tubes in the world, running several kilometres to the sea, and César Manrique turned parts of it into the island's most visited sights.

December in the north of Lanzarote is a little cooler and cloudier than the resorts, and the Mirador del Río, high on the cliffs, can be windy. The caves stay at a steady temperature all year. All three sites are run by the island's CACT network and open every day.

There is no practical public transport linking the three sites; hire a car or join a tour. From Costa Teguise, head north on the LZ-1 through Arrieta.

Mirador del Río

Start at the top. The Mirador del Río, €9, is a viewpoint Manrique built into the cliff at the northern tip of the island, almost invisible from outside. Inside, a curved gallery of windows looks down 400 m onto the strait of El Río and across to La Graciosa and the smaller islets beyond. It is compact and level inside, with a café. Open 10:00 to 17:00.

Cueva de los Verdes

The Cueva de los Verdes, €17, is a guided visit of about 45 minutes through roughly a kilometre of the lava tube, lit in soft colours and with a trick at the end that is best not spoiled. The path underground is uneven, with steps, some low ceilings and narrow passages. At two days after a marathon most runners will manage it slowly; it is not a place for anyone whose knees are refusing stairs. Tours run from 09:30, with the last at 16:45.

Jameos del Agua

A few minutes away, the Jameos del Agua, from €17, is where the lava tube's roof collapsed. Manrique turned it into a sequence of spaces: a lagoon of clear seawater inside the cave, home to a species of tiny blind white crab found almost nowhere else, a garden with a white-walled swimming pool that no one may swim in, and a concert auditorium inside the tube. Open 10:00 to 18:00.

The way in is down stone steps into the cave, and the way out is up more of them. There are handrails. Take them slowly, with a rest at the lagoon.

The return

From Jameos del Agua, the road back south along the coast to Costa Teguise takes about 30 minutes. Arrieta, on the way, is a small fishing village with fish restaurants by the harbour and a flat seafront, a good stop for lunch.