Lanzarote (Arrecife)

The island’s capital, Arrecife, lies under the watchful eye of the Castillo San José fortress. Or used to anyway! In the 1970s, the fortress was turned into a modern art gallery (the MIAC). So, it abandoned its previous military function to embrace a new cultural one. It’s now a great place to discover both local and international artists, mainly from the 20th century. 

The Janubio salt marshes, or salt flats, are located at the very southern end of Timanfaya National Park. Salt was an extremely important commodity for the inhabitants of the island, as you can see from the sheer size of the salt marshes. The best time to go is at sunset, where you can admire the ponds as they change colour!

This little island is peppered with volcanic hills as well as valleys. The first valley you should visit is the black valley of La Geria, where vines are cultivated along small stone walls. Then, for something a very different, head to Haria valley, nicknamed the Valley of a Thousand Palm Trees.

One distinctive feature of Lanzarote is the Tunnel of Atlantis, which was formed following the eruption of the Monte Corona volcano.  In several places, the tunnel has caved in, creating jameos (large holes in the roof). Some of these openings have been converted into art and cultural venues such as the Jameos del Agua and the Cueva de los Verdes, which has a concert hall!

Teguise is 15 km from Arrecife and hosts a market every Sunday morning. It’s a great place to find beautiful hand-crafted objects and to buy some of the island’s local produce. Listen to the music as you wander around the stalls and make the most of your visit by popping to see the town’s traditional white houses.

The islanders make lots of different seafood dishes. Why not treat yourself to a plate of lapas! Lapas are limpets cooked in the traditional Canarian way. When you order these little black or white molluscs, they come drizzled with mojo verde, a coriander sauce. 

Finish your meal with a Canarian sweet treat: frangollo. Frangollo is made with milk, honey, almonds, raisins, cinnamon, a touch of citrus fruit and cornflour. It’s not made using gofio, a type of Canarian flour used in many other local recipes. Frangollo tastes a bit like a creamy semolina pudding.