The cycle traveller

On two wheels in the lunar setting of Lanzarote

The island in the Canary Islands archipelago, in the middle of the Atlantic, has focused on tourism, without neglecting sustainability, betting on cycle tourism: a 180 km cycle path, which can be extended to 300 km, within everyone's reach with gentle climbs amidst lava and volcanic cones. The only risk is the wind...

5 May 2025

6' min read

"On the first of December 1730, between nine and ten in the evening, the earth suddenly opened up near Timanfaya, two leagues from Yaiza. The first night a gigantic mountain rose from the bosom of the earth and from its summit rose high flames that continued to burn uninterruptedly for nineteen days. Shortly afterwards a new chasm opened up from which a river of lava flowed out". Thus begins the diary of Don Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo, parish priest of Yaiza, a small village in the interior of Lanzarote, archipelago of the Canary Islands, Atlantic Ocean, off the African coast of Morocco, a remote fragment of Europe belonging to the Kingdom of Spain.

Curbelo was an eyewitness to a terrifying phenomenon: one of the most violent volcanic eruptions of modern times, which reshaped the face of Lanzarote, giving it its present-day appearance. Dozens of villages were destroyed. A large part of the island was flooded and submerged by rivers of incandescent lava. The eruptions lasted six interminable years: from 1730 to 1736. Then, just under a century later, new eruptions came back to ravage the island in 1824. After the cataclysm, 140 extinct volcanic cones and hundreds of square kilometres of lava fields, the so-called malpais, remained.

In bici tra i vulcani di Lanzarote
Photogallery25 foto

Where the primordial power of volcanoes, active until the day before yesterday, reigns

In this strip of land, discovered by Europeans in 1312 thanks to the Ligurian navigator Lanzerotto Malocello, it is the primordial energy of volcanoes that makes and breaks. However, the events that have shaped the landscape do not date back to remote eras. The entire Canarian archipelago emerged twenty-five million years ago from the depths of the Atlantic. But the current appearance of Lanzarote is the result of intense volcanic activity less than three centuries ago. In a geological time perspective, it is like saying the day before yesterday.

While in Leipzig, Bach was composing the Well-Tempered Clavier, poor Curbelo watched in terror as the forces of nature, both destructive and creative, were unleashed, prompting the curate to ask the ecclesiastical and civil authorities for permission to leave the island, at least temporarily, since a decree by Philip V, King of Spain, forbade the approximately 4,000 inhabitants to seek refuge elsewhere.

It should be made clear at the outset that Lanzarote is on the circuit of international mass tourism, particularly from Germany, Great Britain and Northern Europe. Tourism arrived in the 1970s, more or less coinciding with the end of the Franco regime in Spain. And it was an opening aimed at intercepting the large tourist flows generated by the advent of low-cost airlines, which suddenly made the once remote and inaccessible Canary Islands a destination within everyone's reach. The pleasant climate twelve months a year makes the archipelago a favourite destination for pensioners from Northern Europe.

An artist against skyscrapers

In 2024, fifteen million visitors chose the Canary Islands for their holidays. The impact in terms of urban development, consumption of land, water and other natural resources has been enormous. In the course of barely half a century, the landscape has changed radically. On Lanzarote, fortunately, much less than on the other islands of the archipelago. Or rather: not so much by luck as by the intervention of César Manrique, an architect, painter, sculptor, native of the island, ecologist and forerunner of sustainable development, who since the 1970s has fought to avert the worst and prevent the coasts of Lanzarote from being filled with skyscrapers over the sea, as happened in Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

The local population and politicians have listened to him. In all of Lanzarote there is only one (albeit small) skyscraper. It is in Arrecife, the island's capital, and houses a five-star hotel. The other pueblos have chosen a different development with low buildings of one or two storeys, all built since the 1970s and all using the same technique: reinforced concrete for the structure, cement blocks for the walls and a coat of white plaster for the façade.

If, therefore, the villages are of very little interest, without history and almost indistinguishable from one another, outside the villages nature continues to give its best. Lanzarote attracts by the dramatic force of its landscapes: by the volcanoes and lava fields; by the ocean, the air, the light, the colours and the wind, which here easily exceeds 100 kilometres per hour. The journey is worth it. What's more, if you buy your tickets in good time, the flights cost very little.

The 'green' turn and the bet (won) on cycling

For the past fifteen years or so, the local government has been trying, successfully, to give a 'green' twist to tourist development by focusing on sports and cycling in particular. Thus the Via Insular Ciclista de Lanzarote was born. It is a mixed route of about 180 kilometres, mostly on paved roads shared with motor vehicles and partly on cycle paths.

Investment in infrastructure dedicated to cycle tourism has therefore been modest. And yet the island attracts cyclists from all over Europe, mostly from northern Europe, who find here a magnificent playground where, thanks to the mild climate, it is possible to cycle (mostly on asphalt and with racing bikes) even in the middle of winter.

On the island there is a lot of respect for cyclists. The speed limit on the Via Ciclista is 60 kilometres per hour. Motorists are generally well-mannered, which makes it easier for cyclists to coexist and allows them to venture relatively peacefully off the Via Ciclista.

In the saddle five days for a slow cycle tour

The tour is advisable in a counter-clockwise direction so that you always ride on the sea side. Some people bring their own bike on the plane. But most two-wheeled tourists prefer to rent it on site. There are many shops that offer this service, providing bikes of medium and even medium-high standard.

The loop around the perimeter of the island, with detours inland, is about 300 kilometres. It can be cycled in stages over five days, imagining a slow cycling pace that allows you to admire the scenery, visit places, stop for a meal, a swim in the ocean or to linger at viewpoints.

Yes, the viewpoints. The tops of the volcanic cones offer several. There are no major reliefs. The maximum height remains below 700 metres above sea level. There is no peak like the Teide volcano in Tenerife, which goes as high as 3,700 metres. On Lanzarote, the route is undulating with gentle climbs. It is suitable for cyclists even if they are not super-trained. If one opts for a pedal-assisted bike, then the sporting commitment becomes that of moderate physical activity.

Landscapes evoking the moon

Among the vantage points not to be missed is the Mirador del Rio, a magnificent café-restaurant with terraces, designed by César Manrique. From there, the view of the islet of La Graciosa is breathtaking. Not to be missed is the ascent into the Timanfaya Volcanic Park, one of the island's main attractions, where you ride between volcanoes and lava fields.

Once at the top, visits to the inner area of the park are only allowed on dedicated buses. At the end of the tour, the local restaurant offers grilled chickens and sausages cooked in the volcanic heat rising from the bowels of the earth. Also not to be missed is the wine-growing district of La Geria, where the tenacity of the local winegrowers has succeeded in cultivating vines thanks to a system of small basins dug into the lava sand and protected from the wind by semi-circular dry stone walls. Each hollow houses a vine plant.

Not to be missed are the traces left by Manrique, who enjoyed modelling the landscape of the lava tunnels with his artist's hand, as for example in the Jameos del Agua and the Cueva del Los Verdes. Visit his two house-museums in Haria and Tahiche as well as the Jardin de Cactus, a former lava pozzolan quarry housing hundreds of varieties of cacti.

The lava deserts, craters and volcanic cones of this island evoke lunar or Martian landscapes. Not for nothing did the European Space Agency choose Lanzarote as one of the training camps for its astronauts. Those who want to take a dip in the sea must be very careful. The Atlantic is treacherous. There are not many places that lend themselves to a peaceful swim.

If you have a day to spare, take a ferry from Playa Blanca on the southern tip and look out over Fuerteventura. The dunes of Corralejo beach will give you an almost Saharan experience. Enjoy the ride!