Our third Canary Island to visit was Lanzarote. This island is very young and totally different from the other two. The island is in its entirety since 1993 a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

I opted for the “National Park of Timanfaya & Salinas del Janubio” tour.

On our way in we saw a herd of camels waiting to take tourists on rides.

Our first stop was at the park visitor center. We got there just after they opened the entrance station.

There were already lots of cars lined up to get in, but they hold them down the hill until there is a parking space at the visitor center. Luckily the buses can go around the line of cars and go right up the hill. At the visitor center they demonstrated how just a few inches deep in the ground it is very hot – he gave us a handful of gravel which we immediately dropped because it was HOT!

Then we move to a place where he put some dry brush that had spontaneous combustion from the heat – couldn’t get a decent picture of that. Then, we moved to the third station where they put some water down a pipe and within 3 seconds it erupted like a geyser.

We waited for the gift shop open so we could get a few souvenirs – for me another magnet for the refrigerator. Then we got back into our bus and drove along the scenic road through the park. The road is a one-way loop, and no one is allowed to drive their own car. If you come in a car, you have to tour on one of the parks buses. Prevents any stopping along the route and keeps everyone moving. But then the only photos you can take are through the bus windows. They do occasionally pause for photos. I took most of my photos with my cell phone because I can hold it closer to the glass and reduce the amount of glare and reflections.

Most of the park is part of an eruption that occurred between 1730 and 1736, occupying approximately a quarter of the island's surface. The park is an area of just over 50 km² where more than 25 volcanoes can be seen, as well as perfectly preserved lava fields, lapilli and volcanic scoria. The scenery was amazing and the sky beautiful. 

After the National Park, we went to the Salinas del Janubio, a salt mine dated from 1895 and the biggest in all the islands. They pump in sea water then after about a month they start collecting the salt, pile it up and let it dry out.

Bordering the natural park is the La Geria area, an example of a perfect symbiosis between humans and nature. In La Geria, Lanzarote farmers devised a unique agricultural system that enabled them to cultivate lands scorched by volcanic ash. These ashes, called "picón" in the Canary Islands, retain ambient humidity at night and filter it into the soil below, while insulating the soil during the day. A lower limestone layer prevents water from penetrating into the subsoil. The system makes it possible to grow vines in a sub-desert climate. To achieve this, farmers had to search beneath the lapilli for the buried soil, plant vines there, cover them with layers of picón, and build volcanic rock walls to protect the vines from the area's strong winds. This resulted in an exceptional landscape, where the accredited Lanzarote wines are produced, mainly from the Malvasia grape.

César Manrique Cabrera (24 April 1919 – 25 September 1992) was a Spanish artist, sculptor and nature activist from Lanzarote. He had a major influence on the planning regulations on Lanzarote following his recognition of its potential for tourism and lobbied successfully to encourage the sustainable development of the industry. One aspect of this is the ban of high-rise hotels on the island, which do not fit the aesthetic harmony that should cover the entire island, according to Manrique. Those high buildings that were built before the ban are generally keeping with the use of traditional colors in their exterior decoration. Homeowners are encouraged to protect this visual unity by keeping the exterior of the houses white (with specific colors for the woodwork).

Next, we sail a short distance to Morocco with calm seas at sunset.