Walking & Hiking In Lanzarote: The 9 Best Walks For Views & Fun!

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Last updated on May 22, 2023 by Wandering our World

With great weather all-year round and a stunning volcanic landscape, Lanzarote is one of those destinations we keep returning to. We’re not the only ones returning year after year too, as this island has become a must visit destination for sun seekers as well as hikers and walkers.

Lanzarote is famous for its unique volcanic landscape and the dramatic colours created as a result of it – all of which has made this island a great place for walking and hiking.

As we truly believe the best way to see this special part of the world is to discover the island by foot, we felt compelled to share with you the best walks in Lanzarote. (Recommended: Camping in Lanzarote).

To make things easy, we’ve split our favourite walks in Lanzarote into short, mid, and long range trails, and detail them below!

Each one has something that makes it special – be that spectacular views, deserted beaches or the opportunity to walk in the scars of past dramatic volcanic activity.

Expect moonscape landscapes, and an island like no other.

iStock.com/Balate Dorin

Hiking In Lanzarote: Four Fantastic Short Range Walks

1. Puerto del Carmen to Puerto Calero

This trail between two towns should take around 45 minutes to an hour to complete, and will have you walking along clifftops on a spectacular piece of Lanzarote coastline.

Expect gorgeous sea views across to the island of Fuerteventura, plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities in the sea and on land, and the chance to grab a well earned drink or meal in the charming town of Puerto Calero which has plenty of excellent cafes and restaurants.

There’s some lovely sunbathing and fishing spots along the trail too, so many places to enjoy the sun on your stroll. The walk itself isn’t too difficult, but as there are steep parts in places make sure you wear proper shoes. Plus, if you don’t want to walk back you can return to Puerto del Carmen by bus or water taxi.

You can find a great detailed description of the walk, showing you where it starts and each stage, by clicking here.

The marina in Puerto Calero (iStock.com/pkazmierczak)

2. Volcán Montaña Colorada

This 2 mile loop trail is accessible to all abilities and ages, and will take you around a little volcano that sits in moon-like surroundings (see photo below!). On the walk look out for a massive rock around 6 meters high and 5 meters wide that stands out in the otherwise flat landscape besideVolcán Montaña Colorada – this rock was spewed out by the volcano during the last eruption!

In fact this volcano is still active, and lies in the Timanfaya Volcanic National Park – a volcanic wasteland made up of lava and eruption debris. It’s incredibly unique, and well worth visiting. Just make sure you take water and sunscreen as there’s very little shade.

The walk is well signposted and there’s a small gravel parking lot at the start of the trail. To get there take the LZ30 Road and turn off at LZ56 going northwards. About two miles along that road on the right hand side you will find the parking spaces.

iStock.com/sssanchez

3. Monte Corona

This is another volcano hike, but this one will take you up to the peak and is little known amongst tourists.

Situated in wild rural Lanzarote, this 2 mile hike is easy but has some difficult parts, and you will need proper footwear because of the uneven lava-carved landscape that you’ll be walking on.

Reaching the crater isn’t too difficult despite it’s elevation of 609m, and getting there will take you through centuries-old farming land as well as wild flowers. The ascent to the peak is well worth it as the views into the massive crater, as well as the panoramic views of the north coast, are fantastic.

The trail, which should take 1-1.5 hours to complete, starts at the ancient village of , and you can park at the pretty church in the village. See a map of this fantastic little Lanzarote hike here.

iStock.com/aprott

4. La Laja – Playa de La Cocina

This hike is actually on La Grasico, the island that sits just over a mile off Lanzarote’s northern coast. First get the ferry from Órzola to Caleta de Sebo inLa Grasico. Beside this town is La Laja where this 4 mile hike on Lanzarote’s sister island begins.

The walk follows the southern coastline of the island, and will take you past two wonderful beaches. One of those, Playa de La Francesa, has gorgeous turquoise water and is a great spot for sunbathing and swimming. The walk ends at the foot of Montana Amarilla – a 175m hill that you can climb if you wish, and which has great views across to Lanzarote.

In total this walk (without climbing Montana Amarilla) will take around an hour and a half. You can find a map here.

iStock.com/ielanum

Hiking in Lanzarote: Three Fantastic Mid-Range Walks

5. Caldera Blanca

This 6 mile hike takes you to a massive extinct volcano, and because it lies outside of theTimanfaya Volcanic National Park there’s no restrictions on hiking up to the crater edge and circling the caldera.

The trail starts at the lava fields and zigzags through it until you reach the base of the volcano. The ascent – which will take you to an elevation of 458m – can be a little tough in places, making this a moderately difficult hike. However at that height you get some fantastic panoramic views of the island and out across the Atlantic.

You will then reach the crater’s edge and the massive green-tinged caldera which you can walk around, but be careful of strong winds and wear proper shoes as the edge is uneven. We advise only walking around the volcano’s crater if the weather is good.

This trail will take 3-4 hours in total, so can easily be finished by midday. You can see directions for reaching the start of the trail, and more details about this walk, by clicking here.

iStock.com/KarlosXII

6. El Golfo – Playa Paso

We love this 6 mile walk in Lanzarote because it has it all: volcanic craters, wildlife spotting opportunities, seaviews from dramatic clifftops, and to finish it off, it ends at the stunning black sand beach of Playa Paso.

Half of the trail runs along a clifftop and the flora and fauna here – especially the birdlife – is some of the best on the island. You will need proper footwear though as the path is quite rocky and the lava fields are sharp underfoot, but all in all it’s an easy hike.

Expect an astonishing contrast of blue against black as waves crash against lava sculpted rock. This is probably our favorite walk in Lanzarote, and usually takes 2-3 hours in total. You can see a map of it here.

iStock.com/photomaru

7. Playa del Risco

This 6 mile hike is a looped trail, and will take you through forest and salt flats to a lovely little beach called Playa del Risco which has gorgeous turquoise water and good sand for sunbathing. This beach isn’t well known by tourists, so you will likely find it deserted when you arrive. A rarity for any beach in Lanzarote.

The hike is difficult in places, so you will need to have a decent level of fitness and good footwear. Along with a private beach this hike will expose you to fantastic views over to Lanzarote’s sister island of La Graciosa.

Expect this hike to take around 3 hours to complete, but you should definitely take some time to enjoy Playa del Risco. See the trail map here.

iStock.com/nuture

Hiking In Lanzarote: Two Fantastic Long Range Walks

8. Caleta de Famara – Pico Maramajo – Peñas del Chache Loop

This 12.5 mile hike takes you from the famous surfing spot of Caleta de Famara and it’s huge black cliffs up to Pico Maramajo, and then on to Lanzarote’s highest mountain Peñas del Chache, before looping back round to the start.

The peak stands at 670m tall, and as you would expect, it has some of the best views in Lanzarote. The hike has some steep parts in places, but if you have a decent level of fitness it shouldn’t cause too many issues.

In total expect this hike to take around 5-6 hours to complete – well worth it for the views alone. See a map of the trail here. As hiking in Lanzarote goes, you can’t get better than this one.

iStock.com/MarquesPhotography

9. Ruta Ciclista del Norte de Lanzarote

As you may have guessed from the name, this 40 mile trail is primarily used by bikes, but is also walked by expert hikers who want challenging terrain. This loop trail spans nearly half of Lanzarote, and is one of the best ways to see the island’s unique geology that’s been formed by thousands of years of volcanic activity.

Expect beaches, volcanos, clifftops, spectacular sea views and more as you traverse Lanzarote’s north. You’ll hike through Corona Volcano as well as the pretty towns of Haria and Teguise.

This route will take two to three days and you’ll need to either sort out accommodation on the way or camp. Wild camping in Lanzarote is officially illegal, however free campsites exist on the island. Some people do wild camp too, and you can learn more information on camping here, and see a map of the full trail here.

Recommended For Hiking & Walking In Lanzarote

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  • Wandering our World

    Hi and welcome to Wandering our World! This article was written by one of the Wandering our World team - a team of travel enthusiasts who live around the globe.