Larger-than-life Lanzarote legend César Manrique left his imprint all over the island, but nowhere more so than the north. The architect was inspired by the region's extraordinary geology. This tour takes in three iconic sights – the Green Caves, Jameos del Agua and Mirador del Rio. David, one of our local guides, says, "the north of the island was a canvas for Manrique's palette. As he used to say, “the north is still the traditional Lanzarote.”
First up are the Green Caves, where a maze of galleries and stairways lead you to a natural auditorium. These caverns – 16 have been discovered so far – are air bubbles that are linked by a tunnel created by the lava flow from a volcanic eruption. During the 1960s, the Cabildo of Lanzarote commissioned Jesús Soto to adapt the cave system for visitors, creating one of the island's most fascinating attractions. The influence of Manrique is, however, even more pronounced in the Jameos del Agua. Here, he harmonised this roofless volcanic cave, adding rock gardens and a glassy lake, filled with blind, white crabs found only in Lanzarote.
Also on the agenda is Mirador del Rio, one of Manrique's most sci-fi creations. Not only does this viewpoint blend in seamlessly with its surroundings atop a 470-metre-tall cliff, but it boasts wow-factor vistas across to the island of La Graciosa. Next, you'll head to Haria, an oasis of green known as the “Valley of a Thousand Palms,” scattered with whitewashed houses and surrounded by peaks. If you book the tour option that includes lunch, you'll sit down for a meal made from locally sourced ingredients in a typical Canarian house here, too.
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