Things to see & do in Lanzarote


Despite Cesar Manrique’s pioneering work, he’s largely unknown to tourists. Most guests still don’t peer beyond boozy beach resorts like Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen. And of those that do, many don’t clock that the subterranean salt lakes and amphitheatre of Jameos del Agua and cruise ship favourite Jardin de Cactus are his masterworks.
Our Canary islands Holidays
Canary Islands walking holiday
Visit Teide volcano and walk through the Garajonay Forest
Gran Canaria walking tours, Canary Islands
This unique volcanic island reveals unexpected variety
Lanzarote 8 bedroom villa and yurt
"Wow" Factor Villa, 2 x private pools, Sea Views, Nr Beach
La Palma walking holiday in the Canaries
Walk a biosphere reserve that is home to over 900 endemic species
Lanzarote self catering apartments, Canary Islands
4 Studio apartments, and 2 Bedroom Cottage
Lanzarote north coast villa holiday, Canary Islands
Stunning Villa-Solar Pool-Quaint Fishing Village-On the Sea
La Gomera self guided walking, Canary Islands
Beautiful walking through plantations, mountains and villages
Lanzarote self catering cottage in the Canary Islands
Cozy Cottage, friendly tropical eco village, swimming pool,
Lanzarote seafront apartment, Punta Mujeres
Quaint fishing village on the beach apartment hybrid car inc
Lanzarote villa holiday, Fishermans Cottage, Canary Islands
Seafront cottage- off grid -traditional village-costal walks
Lanzarote beach house, Canary Islands
Beautiful Villa 100mt to beach, private plunge pool & Wifi
Canary Islands walking holiday, La Palma
Enjoy the vastly different landscapes on La Palma
Lanzarote villa accommodation, Canary Islands
Lux villa @ Beach, inc Hybrid Car, Tropical Garden, Pool.
Family eco yurt in Lanzarote
Family friendly luxe eco yurts, sea view, next to beach, Car
Gran Canaria walking holiday
A spectacular journey walking across Gran Canaria
Canary Islands walking holiday, El Hierro
Walk the quiet island of the Canaries
Lanzarote eco barn accommodation, Canary Islands
Self-catering eco accommodation, hybrid car, at the beach
Lanzarote yurt holiday with pool
Luxury Yurt with Private solar pool, 1km to Beach/Restaurant
Luxury yurt accommodation in Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Stunning Eco Yurt, beach setting, inc Hybrid Car, Off Grid!
Luxury yurt pod accommodation in Lanzarote, with eco car
Luxury Royale Super Yurt, inc Hybrid car, pool & near beach
Unusual accommodation in Lanzarote, Canary Islands
360º sea/mountain views, cozy studio cottage, couples/family
Lanzarote luxury villa with pool, sleeps 12
Sea views, private pool, ping pong, chill-out & fast wifi
Lanzarote self catering holiday, Canary Islands
Luxury Eco Casita, near beach/restaurants, hybrid car incl.
Canary Islands tour
Unique Co-living Experience in Stunning Tenerife
La Palma walking holiday, Canary Islands
Get off the beaten track in LA Palma, Canary Islands
Walking holiday in Canary Islands
Discover the unique landscape of Lanzarote
Eco lodge in Lanzarote
Eco Lodge at beach, trails, nice relax, year round sunshine
La Gomera painting holiday in Canary Islands
Sketch unique, rugged island scenery with a wonderful hotel
Lanzarote yurt holiday, eco palm yurt
Beautiful Eco Yurt near beach/restaurants/fishing village.


The island of quiet revolutionaries
Michelle has lived on Lanzarote for around 30 years – and co-run the business since 2004 – so we asked her for some insight on tourism in Lanzarote. “The government was quite controlling for a long time,” she says. “They wanted everyone to be kept in the resorts, because the politicians are hotel owners. That’s why you’ll find that there’s not one campsite in Lanzarote. They decided that any tourist bed would be given to hotels.”
That’s when the ardiente Canarian spirit kicked in: “So everyone else on the island ended up going, ‘Stuff you! We’re going to do our own thing.’ I think supply and demand has made that change, and [the government] just had to put up with it, really. It’s not been easy.”
By supply and demand, Michelle means that rural holidays are far more sought-after now than they’ve ever been. Many travellers want to see the islanders’ Lanzarote. It’s a far cry from when Michelle started their journey: “We’ve been doing this for nearly 15 years and it’s changed dramatically. Back then, everybody just went from resort to resort. I wasn’t sure that people wanted to come and stay where we lived – the traditional part. Rural tourism has grown hugely.”
Rural tourism is never going to replace resort tourism in Lanzarote, but it does offer an alternative for travellers who don’t fancy staying in an all-inclusive hotel.
Lanzarote life
Struggling to picture traditional Lanzarote? You won’t find it in most Canary Island holiday brochures. Imagine small-town Spain…but with a twist. Bright pink trees bloom in monochrome villages. Fishermen pull up a wooden crate to their fishing boat, waiting for the right tide. Surfers wander down to white-tipped waves that curl over reefs, while swimmers bob on bathtub-warm water. Villages totally untouched by tourism huddle between the pockmarks of silent, ancient volcanoes.“The people in the Canaries are very special,” says Michelle. “They’re very friendly, especially on Lanzarote because there are only about 140,000 people, so it’s like being in a big village – it’s lovely. Everyone knows everyone.”
When Michelle says you don’t need to lock your doors, she’s not joking. “It’s such a safe place, especially where we are [in Arrieta], because we’re not in the resorts. So if there’s any crime, it’ll be petty crime in a resort – pickpocketing or something. Whereas where we are, we never lock the houses… We have an honesty shop. The whole ethos is refreshing for people coming from the rest of Europe.”
Places like Michelle’s are your chance to experience Lanzarote life. “I think what our guests love is that we are truly showing the beautiful part of the island,” she adds, “and also doing it in a way that isn’t impacting badly on the island, or isn’t getting any kind of negative response. We like it that our guests go and eat locally and support the local village. That’s valuable to us.”
Our top Canary islands Holiday
Canary Islands walking holiday
Visit Teide volcano and walk through the Garajonay Forest
2021: 6 Nov, 13 Nov, 20 Nov, 23 Dec
2022: 15 Jan, 5 Feb, 19 Mar, 5 Nov, 12 Nov, 19 Nov, 22 Dec


Explorations in electric
“I think it’s a shame that people don’t get around the island,” says Michelle, “because it’s very easy to drive, there aren’t that many cars, and the quality of the roads are fantastic.”
Michelle is passionate about using renewable energy. She and her husband didn’t plan to run a tourism business. It grew organically from them wanting to share their experience of living off-grid on Lanzarote. She says: “We lived with wind and solar energy ourselves, so really the business was just an add-on of how we were living as a family. We didn’t start out to set up an eco village. We just set out to live in that way as a family, with our four children.”
As it turned out, guests loved getting the rare chance to live off-grid; it was getting back to nature without sacrificing your comforts. “It’s very funny; people get very worried… ‘Do you have plugs?!’ ‘Do you have hairdryers?!’ We don’t normally put them in the rooms, but if you want one, we’ve got one. People don’t have to suffer to stay off grid.”
To Michelle, the next logical step was including access to an electric car in the accommodation price. “We have Toyota hybrids and our staff use electric or hybrid cars to work, so we have a number of electric cars that we use. There are about five sockets around the island. There’s one in Arrieta, which is hilarious because that’s just a little village…”
But it goes to show – if there’s demand for electric cars and green accommodation, then those travellers’ demands will usually be met…eventually. In Michelle’s mind, the government responds too slowly. “The island’s not big enough to need more power than electric cars give… but it’s such a shame – the whole island should’ve gone like that. It’s mental that it doesn’t; there’s not a reason not to use them. I think the problem is the expense of having an electric car. But ultimately, if the island only had electric cars it’d be perfect.”
“We’ve gone in and thrown out the gauntlet,” she adds, “and we’ll see who follows. But no one follows! No one has done what we’ve done. I can’t understand why no one’s copied us. It’ll happen, hopefully… just very, very slowly.”