Canary Islands

10 days in Lanzarote: the west of the island

We devoted a day and a half to the south-west of Lanzarote. That is enough to discover each of the sites in depth, as we even went back to a few of them.

13 January 2020

We devoted a day and a half to the south-west of Lanzarote. That is enough to discover each of the sites in depth, as we even went back to a few of them. The LZ-703 between the Salinas de Janubio and El Golfo is not to be missed for its wild coastline. We also really liked the sandy beaches of the south, which you find nowhere else. But you should know that this is where most of the hotels and resorts are concentrated, so the southern coastline is much more built up and inhabited – nevertheless, it still keeps a certain charm. So here are all our recommendations to visit in the west of Lanzarote!

What to see in the west of Lanzarote

Map of Lanzarote marking the stops in the west of the island

Yaiza

To begin our day in the west of the island, we stopped in the small village of Yaiza, lost in the middle of the volcanoes on the LZ-2. So we walked around this little town which has a pretty church with a wooden ceiling and a main square which was hosting a large-scale model of the island of Lanzarote.

Square shaded by palm trees in front of the white town hall of Yaiza

White house with a tiled roof under a large gnarled fig tree

White rooftops of the village in front of the hills and the ocean

White houses clinging to the lava flows and the red cones

White church with a bell gable on the corner of an empty street

Salinas de Janubio

The Janubio salt pans are one of the places we preferred during our day in the west of the island and in Lanzarote in general. We recommend two main spots to admire them: the viewpoint from below, in the car park of the salt shop, and a viewpoint up high, on the LZ-701. The most spectacular view is the one from the top of the cliff, along which we walked to see the salt pans from different angles. Here again, we were alone on the site!

Chequerboard of salt pans and blue lagoon seen from the cliff

Row of evaporation pans beside the Janubio lagoon

Beige salt pans separating the lagoon from the ocean under a clear sky

Man standing alone on a lava mound facing the salt pans

Green lagoon ringed by brown earth and dry scrub

Woman sitting on a rock above the salt pans

Couple posing in front of the salt pans and the volcanoes on the horizon

We came back to the Salinas de Janubio on another day, at sunset to enjoy the lovely warm colours on the pools, with the reddish volcanoes in the background.

Close up of the pink and white salt pans

Deep blue lagoon and volcanic mountains at the end of the day

Low light over the salt pans and the red cones behind

Los Hervideros

After having lunch at the Janubio salt pans, we got back on the LZ-703, a magnificent road that runs along the sea. It is possible to stop on the laid-out verge along this road to admire the landscape. One of the best-known places around is the Hervideros coastline which holds caves into which the sea water rushes at high speed. So we parked in the big car park provided and followed the trail which gives different viewpoints over the caves.

Black cliffs and white foam at the foot of a volcano

Turquoise waves crashing on the basalt rocks

Lava arch carved out by the sea, red volcanoes behind

Jagged coast of Los Hervideros pounded by the swell

Chasm where the sea rushes in under the volcanic rock

Path of black gravel towards the sea and the volcanic cones

Woman in a white dress standing on the lava field

El Golfo – Charco Verde

We were wondering where the tourists in Lanzarote had gone… we found them at El Golfo, at the Charco de los Clicos site (Charco Verde). The (free) car park was full of cars and coaches, which can be scary at first sight! You then have to take a small waymarked path to arrive at the viewpoint from which you can admire this famous green lake.

To enjoy the place, we took another path, to the left when you are facing the car park, coming back from the lake. Being on the cliffs gives you a lovely view over the sea, the village of El Golfo below and the beach. The chance to take lovely photos, this time with nobody in them.

Emerald green lagoon at the foot of an ochre crater

Beach of black pebbles and red rocks facing the ocean

Fishing boats pulled up on the black sand of the village

White village on the rocky point battered by the waves

Woman on the red cliff overlooking the bay of El Golfo

Marina Rubicón

At the end of the day, before going to Mujeres beach, we stopped at the Marina Rubicón marina. This very chic-looking harbour is also a small shopping district with brand-name boutiques. It is also here that the hotel The Volcan is located, which reproduces the island’s architecture. Marina Rubicón is not a must-see in Lanzarote either, but we enjoyed walking around the harbour and on the jetty.

Wooden jetty leading to the sailing boats of the marina

Boats moored in front of the white houses of the harbour

Ochre watchtower at the top of a red cliff

Flowered walkway between the white buildings, volcano on the horizon

View from above over the marina and its hundreds of masts

Playa Mujeres

We went to this Playa Mujeres beach twice: a first time, at the end of the day, to admire the sunset, and a second time in the middle of the day to enjoy the sun. To get there, you have to take a long dirt and stone track (watch out for the hire car!) and pay 3€ per car for the preservation of this protected area, which stretches as far as Papagayo. But as we were there in the evening, the “toll” hut was closed, so we went through without paying: good to know if you come at nightfall!
We loved coming to this huge beach of fine white sand where there was practically nobody. It is possible to take the paths that climb the cliff to get a view over the beach from above. Quite simply magnificent!

Long deserted beach of pale sand at the edge of the ocean

Dark cliff and pink clouds above the sand

Smiling young woman on the beach in the evening light

Setting sun reflected on the sea from the cliff

Silhouette at the end of a sand ridge between two bays

Crescent of golden sand and turquoise water seen from above

During the day, the sea is a dazzling turquoise blue: you would think you were on a paradise island! Here again, we went up high to admire the beach as a whole…

Bay edged with sand and sailing boats offshore

Foam at the edge of a beach under a sky of heavy clouds

Woman on the dirt path overlooking the bay

Playa del Papagayo

One of the most famous views in Lanzarote is the one of Papagayo beach, in the south of Lanzarote. From Playa Mujeres, you have to carry on along the dirt track for a few kilometres and park in the big (free) car park at Papagayo. We then took the path that leads to the cliff to get the view from above, over the cove. The place deserves to be known: it is splendid!

Turquoise cove and bathers between the cliffs of Papagayo

Cove enclosed between ochre cliffs, towels on the sand

Rocky point plunging into the clear water, sailing boats at anchor

Woman in a white shirt looking at the bay and the sailing boats

Turquoise water lapping the ochre rocks of the cove

Femés

On the LZ-702, coming from Uga, we made a short stop at the Mirador de Femés, a tiny village that overlooks the whole region. The viewpoint is on the church square, but we had parked a little below, in the bend. Even though you can see very far, all the way to the sea, we were not captivated by the very arid and monotonous landscape either, but the view is still worth it!

White church and palm trees on the village square of Femés

Woman sitting on a low wall facing the valley

Playa Quemada

The fishing village of Playa Quemada is on a side road that leaves the LZ-2. A few white houses and seafood restaurants line the pebble beach, deserted in January. The beach is very peaceful… the ideal place for a break in the sun.

Road running along the pebble bay and the white houses

White house covered with red and pink bougainvillea

Prickly pears in fruit in front of the sea and the cliff

Blue and white boat pulled up on the pebble beach

Our favourite place to eat in the west of Lanzarote

Mirador de Las Salinas: an excellent fine dining restaurant with a stunning view over the salt pans, not to be missed! There is plenty of choice on the menu: typical tapas and starters, paellas, risottos… We went there twice for lunch, the dishes are so good and the view from the terrace so pleasant. We paid 55€ then 64€ for two, for starter-main-dessert-water.

Terrace sheltered by an awning overlooking the salt pans

Salt pans seen from the flower garden of the restaurant

Table laid with a red candle in front of the picture window

What we thought of the west of Lanzarote

This is once again a region of the island that we loved exploring! You can easily spend two days visiting this part of Lanzarote, if you take your time to stop in front of the different landscapes. Our favourite goes to the Janubio salt pans where we went twice, in the middle of the day and at sunset: the colours were just incredible.
We advise you not to miss the Costa de Papagayo and its white sand beaches, the Janubio salt pans and the los Hervideros coastline!

Organising a trip to Lanzarote? Read all our articles about the island!

Closing banner The west of Lanzarote over a beach of golden sand

2 comments

Thank you for your comment! Marie & Romain

Nicole Noel18 April 2020

Le Charco Verde , les plages de sable blanc et la fondation César Manrique donnent vraiment envie de partir à leur découverte

J’ai bien apprécié également le déroulement du programme , le budget précis et je pense que le loueur Sixt va avoir de nouveaux clients s’il existe à Ténérife en septembre car , pour cause de coronavirus , notre voyage a été reporté . Merci à Marie pour son blog précis , documenté , varié et ses belles photos

Marie18 April 2020

Merci pour le gentil commentaire Nicole ! Sixt existe bien à Tenerife, notamment dans les aéroports. On recommande vraiment Lazarote, c’est une île incroyablement riche 🙂