March 29th, 2010 by admin

There are plenty of great holiday destinations in Spain. From the breathtaking and surreal architecture of Gaudi´s Barcelona through to the fantastic beaches of the Costa del Sol. But few can match the dramatic scenery of the volcanic island of Lanzarote – which was forged by fire during the 18th century.

Lanzarote is part of the seven strong island chain called the Canaries that is owned by Spain. Even though it is in fact located much closer to Africa and the coast of Morocco. Many hundreds of miles south of the Iberian Peninsula.

The Canaries were first conquered by Spain in the early 1400´s and today are the second most visited region in the country. Accounting for around 10 million tourists every year. The majority of whom flock to the larger Canary Islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Lanzarote is the third most popular of these islands – with around 1.4 million visitors a year.

The terrain here is totally unlike the rest of the group – as Lanzarote is dry and arid. Little wonder when you remember that the Sahara desert is just 100km away. And further explained by the fact that Lanzarote gets little in the way of rainfall – which averages out at just 8mm per month. Whilst temperatures average out at 21 Celsius all year round – making the island an ideal destination for both winter and summer holidays.

Flights to Lanzarote from key markets such as the UK take just four hours – and return tickets are now cheaper than ever before. As there is completion on this route between operators such as Ryanair, easyJet and Monarch. Resulting in returns that start at around €100.

Accommodation on the island is equally good value – with apartments and villas in Lanzarote  available for rent from €180 per week. And an abundance of good quality hotels offering reasonably priced rooms are available too. Even car hire in Lanzarote  is good value – with rental rates starting from €15 per day, reflecting the year round season on the island.

A hire car is vital for visitors keen to explore – as the local bus service doesn’t run to quite a few of the main attractions. Such as the Timanfaya National Park – which is where the eruptions in the 18th century took place. Creating 300 new volcanoes and a solid carpet of lava that covers around 200km square. This really is Lanzarote´s hottest attraction – as the temperature beneath the earth’s surface here still reaches close to 400 degrees. Event though these volcanoes are now all dormant.