# 10 days in Lanzarote: the north of the island

> A week after arriving in Lanzarote, we decided to spend a whole day exploring the north of the island.

Source: https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/en/blog/10-days-in-lanzarote-north-of-the-island/
Published on 15 January 2020

A week after arriving in Lanzarote, we decided to spend a whole day exploring **the north of the island**. We had read that there were a multitude of natural sites to see or places to visit, in particular linked to the very famous César Manrique. Indeed, the north of Lanzarote lets you discover the coasts, villages, museums and of course, breathtaking viewpoints: impossible to get bored during this day!

## What to see in the north of Lanzarote

### Stratified City

[On the LZ-1 road](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Stratified+City/@29.0455847,-13.5169498,13.19z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xc4623cd1ca2398b:0xa2a0d68ac57b1518!2sLanzarote!3b1!8m2!3d29.0468535!4d-13.5899733!3m4!1s0xc489fab5bddcf3f:0x693a138eb2e8220d!8m2!3d29.0567324!4d-13.502841), we came across this **geological curiosity** by chance, which can make you think of the landscapes of the American west. This natural site does not appear in the travel guides, so we were almost alone parking on the side of the road to discover these **big volcanic rocks**. It is a dream playground for taking lovely photos that are a bit out of the ordinary when you come to Lanzarote.  
So, if you get the chance to take this road to go to the Jardin de Cactus for example, remember to stop at this site!

![Blocks of pale rock and a brown volcanic cone under the clouds](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-02-824403f8.webp)

![White stone chimney standing in front of a brown volcano](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-03-6ab79807.webp)

![Silhouette standing on top of a layered rock formation](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-04-f64fad39.webp)

![Tiny walker on a platform of eroded pale rock](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-05-37f700ab.webp)

![Tuff wall hollowed with cavities suggesting arcades](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-06-0f2ec0cb.webp)

![Couple sitting on a block of stone facing the volcano](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-07-f6eb52bf.webp)

### Jardin de Cactus

After this astonishing stop, we set off again towards the **Jardin de Cactus**, which we wanted to visit as soon as it opened at 10am to avoid the crowd. It is one of the best-known sites on the island, so expect a lot of people: you cannot imagine what it must be like in high season, in the middle of summer! Adult entry costs **6.50€** – there is also a [package](https://www.cactlanzarote.com/fr/cact/jardin-de-cactus/#1457042228125-fab4f72e-eebd) for visits to the sites of the artist César Manrique.

The garden is not huge but we still spent two hours there, taking our time to wander and take lovely photos.

![Columnar cacti lined up on the black volcanic gravel of the garden](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-08-ef9df082.webp)

![Cacti standing around a column of red stone](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-09-0853249d.webp)

![Close up of a pale green cactus bristling with spines](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-10-cb721741.webp)

![White windmill with a red roof overlooking the cacti of the garden](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-11-5d016b7d.webp)

![Prickly pear laden with pink pads](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-12-4bc8be5a.webp)

![Clump of soft green cactus in front of the blurred windmill](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-13-33b72863.webp)

![Column of red lava framed by slender cacti](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-14-6ee6e605.webp)

![Couple holding hands on the path lined with cacti](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-15-e5b22a65.webp)

### The coastal villages

Following the LZ-1, we stopped at **Arrieta** and at **Punta Mujeres**, two typical seaside villages. There is not much to see really in Arrieta, apart from **La Casa La Juanita**; but if you fancy a little break, it is a pleasant place to get some fresh air. We preferred the small town of **Punta Mujeres** with its traditional white houses that stand out against the turquoise of the sea. There was nobody in the streets, we were literally the only tourists walking around there!

![White village stretched out at water level under a cloudy sky](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-16-072d74c9.webp)

![Red and white house overlooking a turquoise natural pool](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-17-9dab7e02.webp)

![White facade covered with flower pots facing the ocean](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-18-515ad72a.webp)

![White houses behind black rocks and turquoise water](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-19-7baba2b8.webp)

![Turquoise lagoon edged with foam in front of the white village](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-20-b5905182.webp)

### The northern tip: Mojón Blanco, Caletón Blanco, Orzola

We decided not to visit the two César Manrique sites in this part of the island: Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes – the number of cars in the car parks having put us off. As soon as we had passed these two places, the landscape changes completely and vegetation appears along the road. We then decided to park in a car park to take a closer look at the white sand beaches of **Mojón Blanco**.

![Straight road running between pale sand and a lava field](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-21-b0dc97d3.webp)

![White sand scattered with blocks of black lava at the ocean's edge](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-22-62a5abaa.webp)

![Straight road pointing towards the brown massif of the north](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-23-ee3a0209.webp)

There is no waymarked path to get onto the sand, so you have to walk and climb a bit over the volcanic rocks that lie before the beach. It is a landscape we had not yet seen on the island and it made us say again that Lanzarote has more to offer than volcanoes as far as the eye can see.

![Hiker standing on black rocks facing the ocean](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-24-716762f9.webp)

![White sand dune dotted with green tufts](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-25-3abd3a00.webp)

![Couple posing on a white beach lined with black rock](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-26-49f32fbc.webp)

![Circles of black stones set on the white sand](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-27-cd40c4fa.webp)

We then followed the road as far as **Orzola**, the northernmost village in Lanzarote. It is here that you can take a ferry to the island of La Graciosa. At the exit of the village, we took a dirt road that led us to the **Orzola beach**, very popular with surfers. It is a pebble beach below high cliffs over which paragliders fly: if you want to try this activity, this is where you have to come.

![Beach of dark pebbles at the foot of a high brown cliff](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-28-802c1995.webp)

![Foaming waves breaking at the foot of the ochre cliff](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-29-e8c058d9.webp)

_A small departure from this day’s itinerary_: we went to **Caletón Blanco** on our second to last day in Lanzarote because we had not stopped there after Mojón Blanco. This is a lagoon into which the sea comes in and where it is possible to walk at low tide.

![Black rocks breaking the surface of shallow water in front of the cliff](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-30-621f4291.webp)

![Shallow transparent pool under a cloudless sky](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-31-d9c577fe.webp)

![Reef of black lava ringed by turquoise water](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-32-08f8661c.webp)

![Woman standing on the pale sand among the blocks of lava](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-33-43244ae6.webp)

![Silhouette reflected in the wet sand at low tide](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-34-5a5bd97b.webp)

### Mirador del Rio

After Orzola, we headed towards the very famous **Mirador del Rio**, another of César Manrique’s architectural works and also an unmissable viewpoint over the island of La Graciosa. So we parked in the car park and walked along the **LZ-202** road which is to the left of the Mirador: we chose not to pay to go into the monument (which houses a café) because the view is exactly the same next to it.

The photos speak for themselves: the view is spectacular.

![Man leaning on the wall of the viewpoint facing the neighbouring island](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-35-fdaae707.webp)

![Flat island and strait beneath the edge of the cliff](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-36-297d67dd.webp)

![Woman in a floral dress gazing at the island from the viewpoint](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-37-ab4b39be.webp)

![White village and harbour of the island below the cliff of the viewpoint](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-38-7912b499.webp)

![Strip of pale sand separating the lagoon from the ocean](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-39-0f12de83.webp)

![Brown hill of the island ringed by a turquoise lagoon](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-40-a26e271a.webp)

![Turquoise bay straight below the edge of the cliff](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-41-e72bfc96.webp)

### Mirador del Guinate

We had spotted another Mirador, a little further along the LZ-201, less well known than the one del Rio. The **Mirador del Guinate** is at the end of a dead-end [road](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mirador+de+Guinate/@29.1953183,-13.500772,14.85z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0xc48a0d6e493cb1b:0x8b8267513c6e45c7!8m2!3d29.1847302!4d-13.5011619): we were almost alone there! It offers a different viewpoint over the cliffs and the island of La Graciosa: it is worth going there.

![Green ridge of the viewpoint opening onto the island offshore](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-42-016ebb3d.webp)

![Woman from behind on a white wall in front of the strait](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-43-0f563592.webp)

![Lichen covered cliff dropping towards the deep sea](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-44-3976b2e3.webp)

### Casa Museo de César Manrique

During our visit to the César Manrique Foundation in Arrecife, we had bought tickets combined with the artist’s **Casa Museo** in **Haria**, in the north of the island. So we stopped in this peaceful little town inland, to visit César Manrique’s house. Unlike the Foundation, the Casa Museo does not draw crowds and there were only about ten of us wandering through the house and the grounds. Photos are forbidden inside the house, so the surprise is total!

The visit is really interesting and lets you get to know the artist better, his inspirations, his way of life and his works, as it is even possible to discover his studio.

![Blue pool lined with palm trees in the artist's white house](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-45-153d7c50.webp)

![Terrace and turquoise pool opening onto the artist's patio](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-46-ae922363.webp)

Haria is in the middle of nowhere, in a green valley of palm trees. The **LZ-10** winds through this **Malpaso valley** and offers magnificent viewpoints over a landscape we had not yet seen up to then…

![Fields cultivated in a chequerboard in the hollow of the green hills](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-47-6dfd200c.webp)

![Green valley running down towards a white village in the distance](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-48-ff078038.webp)

![Volcanic cone overlooking the white houses of the valley](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-49-bbb28f77.webp)

![Rolling hills and a white town facing the ocean](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-50-ecf4eb4d.webp)

![Long flat coast unrolling beneath the edge of the plateau](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-51-35c6c5f0.webp)

### Mirador del Bosquecillo

It was on the blog [Notre Monde à Deux](http://notremonde-adeux.fr/visiter-lanzarote-1-semaine/) that we had found this other viewpoint, over the Famara cliffs. Indeed, you have to type “[El Bosquecillo](https://www.google.com/maps/place/El+Bosquecillo/@29.1265223,-13.5159491,16.05z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0xc48a06a6ed0c43b:0xd658de245ce64911!8m2!3d29.1260935!4d-13.521603)” into Google Maps to find the road, first tarmac then dirt. We chose to park the car on the part that is still drivable and to do the rest on foot (_it climbs a bit!_). This place is not known at all to tourists, only to locals, so we were alone for the end of the day! The photos surely do not do justice to the grandeur and the beauty of the place… the viewpoint is so high that you can see the sea on the other side of the island, beyond the tip. Incredible!

![Woman sitting on the wall in front of the great sandy bay](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-52-e5cd09ad.webp)

![Crescent bay and beach bordering the village below](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-53-37d90211.webp)

![Arms raised on the wall facing the bay at the end of the day](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-54-31dd196e.webp)

![Green rocky spur dropping sheer into the sea](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-55-95f080a4.webp)

![Couple sitting on the wall running along the cliff road](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-56-75684384.webp)

## What we thought of the north of Lanzarote

This day in the north of the island was without doubt one of our finest discoveries in Lanzarote and remains a must-see for us. The landscapes are quite simply impressive, we could have stayed for hours admiring them. It is in the north that we visited the finest viewpoints, in particular the Mirador del Rio and the Mirador del Bosquecillo.  
**So, even on a short stay on the island of Lanzarote, do not miss this northern region which offers a breathtaking diversity of landscapes!**

Organising a trip to Lanzarote? Read [all our articles about the island](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/en/destinations/canary-islands/)!

![Woman standing on a wall overlooking the island, closing image of the article](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/10-jours-a-lanzarote-le-nord-de-lile-57-640f0f2e.webp)
## 4 comments

- **Nicole Noël**, 18 April 2020
  Les jardins de cactus , les paysages merveilleux et la casa del museo de Manrique doivent être un ravissement pour les yeux
  - **Marie** (Voyage sur la comète), 18 April 2020
    Le nord de l’île est magnifique : on recommande vivement d’y passer au moins une journée ! 🙂
- **isapixelvoyages**, 29 March 2022
  je suis revenue de Lanzarote il y a quelques semaines, et j’ai été émerveillée par cette île. Comme vous j’ai découvert stratified City tout à fait par hasard, et je me suis régalée pour les photos ! Merci pour la belle balade et vos photos, j’y retrouve tout à fait le Nord le d’île, à ceci près que je ne suis pas trop allée sur la côte; donc je la découvre sur vos photos (j’ai plutôt exploré la côte sud et ouest).

  Je suis actuellement dans le tri de mes photos et quelques articles à venir bientôt sur mon blog !
  - **Marie** (Voyage sur la comète), 29 March 2022
    Merci pour votre commentaire Isabelle ! Cela vous donne une occasion de retourner à Lanzarote car le nord de l’île vaut le coup d’oeil 🙂 Au plaisir de vous lire sur votre blog. Marie