Lanzarote: the Mystic Isle
26/07/2007
Of all the popular holiday resorts, few can have such a varied – and frankly different! – geography as Lanzarote.
One of the main Canary Islands and just 60 miles off the coast of Africa, it was created by a series of volcanic eruptions, the last in 1824, and this has endowed parts of the island with a moonlike landscape – most notably in the area of the Timanfaya National Park. The government has protected the nature of the island well: In 1993 UNESCO declared it a "World Biosphere Reserve”.
The Canary Islands are also called the “Fortunate Islands” or “Islands of eternal spring” thanks to their weather conditions: Lanzarote enjoys a sub-tropical climate with temperatures between 20ºC during winter and 30ºC during summer. Tourism has inevitably become the main industry with the towns of Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca being the main tourism areas.
Nowhere is very far on the island, it is only about 40 miles north to south and 14 miles at its widest point. It boasts the cleanest of all beaches in the Canaries, with “banderas azules” (blue flags) awarded to seven of their beaches, their golden sand carried on winds from the Sahara.
It is impossible to imagine Lanzarote as it is today, without thinking of César Manrique. He was an architect, ecologist, construction advisor and planner of urban developments, outliner of landscapes and gardens, painter, sculptor, and one of the pioneers of modern art in Spain. He made it his task to transform the island before the increasing amount of tourists overwhelmed and disfigured it permanently.
He was able convince the local government to ban the construction of high buildings and the use of billboards that would harm the beauty of the natural landscape. Then set about creating the seven tourist centres of Lanzarote, using the local volcanic rock his design and construction produced structures which blended into the surrounding areas with great effect. His whole life was dedicated to the culture of the island.
There are no shortages of fiestas in Spain or the Islands. Apart from the national “official fiestas”, every village has a patron saint, and on that saint’s day the whole village has a holiday.
Years ago it was the tradition when a child was born for a palm tree to be planted. If a boy was born, two were planted! All of which has helped make Haria one of the most pleasant areas on the island, as it is now situated in “The Valley of 1,000 Palms”.
Your local travel shop will be able to offer a wealth of different holidays to Lanzarote, or you could find out more one of the tourism sites in the web. You could also find out direct from husband and wife team John and Iris Heath who offer a small selection of privately owned holiday villas and apartments to offer, some of which are away from the main resorts, providing a break from the hustle and bustle. Their website is linked below or call 0034 928 823091.