What to do in Yaiza?

– A must. Timanfaya. The Geria. Las Salinas de Janubio.
– Where to eat? La Bodega de Santiago (Yaiza), Casa Pedro (Playa Blanca), Colacho cuisine (Playa Blanca), El Museo de la Sal (Playa Blanca) Casa tonare (The Gulf).
– Cultural Spaces. Stratvs Wineries, Art Gallery Puerto Calero and Canary Cetacean Museum.
– For children. Kikoland the Princess Yaiza (Playa Blanca). Submarine Voyage (Puerto Calero).

The municipality of Yaiza was the path that was taken by the Norman sailors when they first arrived to the Canaries in 1402. This eventually led to the start of the archipelago conquest. The conquerors entered by San Marcial del Rubicon, one of the islands coastal strips on the southeast coast of the island where here there are very good coastal conditions. In actual fact most of the southern territory is a natural protected area, for example; el Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches and el Parque Nacional de Timanfaya.

The town’s capital is Yaiza. It is located in a pleasant corner of Lanzarote and is greatly cared for and graced with some fabulous views of the nearby Montañas del Fuego (a visit is highly recommended). A stroll through this town is a pure pleasure. Its traditional architecture remains intact and what stands out are the numerous white houses and their soft green porches.

Other recommended visiting points are; the church of Los Remedios (XVII century) and the house of Benito Pérez Armas, these are now part of the towns cultural centre. Timanfaya is one of the most visited national parks in Spain therefore Yaiza receives a lot of tourism as it is its neighboring town. You can enjoy some fine cuisine in La Bodega de Santiago. Approximately three miles north of Yaiza you will reach the town of Uga. This town is also very charming and has similar characteristics to Yaiza. Uga has the best factory in the world for smoking foods such as fish and ham and in Spain is known as Ahumadería of Uga. Smoked salmon is a popular delicacy requested from all over the world.

La Geria and Las Salinas Janubio

Yaiza´s main economical drive is tourism with the rest of its livelihood being based on agriculture. Great appreciation must be given to the work laborers who maintain the magnificent natural surroundings of La Geria in such good condition. During the volcanic eruptions of 1730-1736, the plant Vid began to cultivate within the area of La Geria due to the volcanic ashes. Today its scenery is spectacular and it is one of the most unusual postal images to be seen on the island.

La Geria is well known for its fine Malvasian wine. In Lanzarote most of its wine is produced here. The vineyards surround the natural valley of La Geria. This is ideal for those wanting to go on a wine tour with a visit to Stratvs a must. Here they give you an excellent educational talk in explaining the winemaking process. You will become entranced by the landscape of this area, we recommend El Chupadero an excellent wine and tapas tavern.

Another picturesque beauty that can be added to the collection is that of Las Salinas de Janubio. With thanks to its enormous 440,000 square metres of land, it is here where the main lake of Janubio (southwest coast) produces salt. In actual fact, the property owners of this unique area are planning to create it as a cultural hotspot. Due to the closeness of the salt lakes to the black sandy beach of Janubio it creates spectacular.

The view from Femes overlooks and creates a perfect snapshot of Janubio Las Salinas and the southern coastline of Lanzarote. Femes is nestled between the orographic of the Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches. From this viewpoint it is possible to observe the neighboring villages of Maciot and Las Breñas as well as to see Playa Blanca, Isla de Lobos and Fuerteventura. From this viewpoint you will come across two restaurants serving daily traditional homemade dishes. Here there are also some very interesting hiking routes in and around this part of the countryside. We would like to recommend you two walking routes that lead you through the barren scenery of Los Ajaches: Femes to Playa Quemada and Femes to Papagayo.

El Golfo, Los Hervideros and Charco de los Clicos

The proximity of the coast allows those visiting Yaiza to sample numerous restaurants where fresh fish is served.  However, if we were to choose there is nothing better than to enjoy it on the coast of El Golfo. Timanfaya is nestled on the southwest coast of Lanzarote, the perfect visiting itinerary would be to visit Montañas del Fuego to then go on to Los Hervideros and to finally end up at Charco de los Clicos. The curious sailor town of El Golfo has a hive of restaurants with views overlooking the southwestern fringe of the island. When strolling through the village you will see the mysterious figure of Charco de los Clicos. This is due to the fanciful volcanic shapes that have been created giving it a mystic airy feel being said the reason that it has inspired the film director Pedro Almodóvar.

You cannot fail to witness the movement of the fickle waters of Los Hervideros near El Golfo. This stretch of coastline is inundated with magma that has reached the sea and has become transformed into solidified rock. In itself, it is simply magnificent.

When the water hits the coast with great force it creates the image of boiling water due to the formation of orifices caused by such impact. There is a route that allows you to tour this part of the island giving you the opportunity to see this phenomenon up close. Please take precaution, you could get wet.

Land of beaches

The pacific coast villages of Playa Quemada and Papagayo host the two best beach stretches and coves of the southern district. Playa Quemada is a fishing village. It is very quiet and most of the time the residential houses are used either for the weekend or over the summer months. To the south of this town you will come across coves and black sand beaches. It´s Well is outstanding. Due to this the beaches of Papagayo as well as Famaras beach are the best in Lanzarote. To top it off the Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches is magnificent. It is situated only a few miles from Playa Blanca and is road accessible allowing you to observe the crystal clear waters and whilst looking out to sea you can spot the Isla of Lobos and Fuerteventura. There are designated nudity areas and its weather conditions throughout the year allow for a safe and relaxing swim.

On the west side of Playa Blanca, about two miles north of Pechiguera Lighthouse you will reach Los Charcones. These are a series of natural pools that have created one of the most attractive coves on the island.

The seas closeness to the coast has allowed for the construction of two marinas. Puerto Calero and Marina Rubicon are the two main nautical sports centres that are surrounded by a wide range of cuisine and shopping facilities. Puerto Calero is a residential-tourist area with two major cultural venues, el Museo de Cetáceos de Canarias and la Galería de Arte Puerto Calero. Marina Rubicon is embedded in Playa Blanca, a former fishing village and now one of the three tourist resorts of Lanzarote. Its fleet accommodation is the most modern and luxurious of the Canary Islands.