About Lanzarote

The Canary Islands are made up of 7 small Islands, which lie off the coast of Africa. They are the nearest places to Northern Europe with any real hope of sunshine in the winter season. The flight from Gatwick airport in the UK will take around 4 hours.

The weather in the Canaries rarely dips below 70 degrees, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean never fall below 64 degrees, and so makes visiting the Islands an attractive destination for year round holidaymakers and sun worshipers.

Lanzarote is formed of 7 municipals: Arrecife (Capital), Teguise (Former Capital), Haria, Tias, Tinajo, Yaiza and San Bartolomé.

Lanzarote is one of the smaller Canary Islands, measuring 307 square miles (795 sq km). It is around 37 miles (60km) from North to South and just 12.5 miles (20km) at its widest point. It is a volcanic Island with moonscapes of craters and volcanoes, caused by a series of volcanic eruptions on the Island between 1730 and 1736. The area, in the southwest of the Island, is now a national park called Timanfaya. Timanfaya National Park is breathtaking and is just one of the Islands 'must-see' attractions. Incidentally, this was where the James Bond film 'Moonraker' was filmed.

There is more to Lanzarote than the glorious beaches, spectacular landscapes and sunshine. The Island boasts a wonderful community, with Islanders still making a living from fishing and agriculture. Given that the Island has virtually no rainfall, this is a massive achievement. The Islanders grow onions, watermelons, potatoes, cereal, squash, corn, tobacco, tomatoes and also produce Lanzarote's Malvasia wine. Arrecife is the home of the largest fishing fleet in the Canaries.

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