places to go

If you only have a car for one day, you will be really busy, but here is a suggested route that will allow you to hit the highlights of the Island.

Go north from Lago Verde and take the Circunvalacion towards Arrecife. Be really careful as you approach the airport. There is a sharp turn to the left, and the speed limit drops to 60KMPH. Police frequently operate a radar trap in this area!!

Continue on the circunvalacion around Arrecife, (be cautious as you get close to Arrecife. The circunvalaction turns left just after a petrol station. The turn off is easy to miss, and if you do miss it, you will end up in downtown Arrecife). Turn towards Tahiche, and you will shortly come to a roundabout with a huge Cesar Manrique mobile/statue in the middle. Turn left, and about two hundred yards down the road on the right hand side is the Cesar Manrique Foundation. Check the place out - it will take about one hour for a quick tour, but it is brilliant.

When you have finished, continue back on the road north towards Tahiche, and turn right at the roundabout heading towards Orzola. Continue up LZ-1 following signs for Mirador del Rio. On the right hand side, you will see an exit for the Cactus Garden - well worth the trip if you are into succulents.

Continue up the road, and if you are beach people, make sure you stop, even briefly, at the beach just south of Orzola.... A wonderful little place to get away from it all.

Continue following the signs to Mirador del Rio. You can plan on spending at least an hour there just absorbing the breathtaking views.

After Mirador del Rio, drive down LZ-10 all the way to Uga, then turn right on LZ-2 to Yaiza. Follow the signs for Timanfaya and head to the Volcanoes National Park. About two miles into the park, on the left hand side, there is a parking lot where you can get a camel ride (and associated tourist photo) around a small area of the park. Really quite the experience.

After the camel ride, continue on to the volcanoes park (the entry is on your left hand side), and learn about the latest volcanic eruptions, and how the Canary Islands were formed.

Going home from there, leave the highway to pass through Yaiza. (Again, be careful of radar traps - another favourite location) It is a beautiful little town, wonderfully landscaped.

And that, my friends, is a full day. Head down to El Cangrejo Roja for a well deserved dinner and enjoy :)