The Fire Mountains of Lanzarote

1 - Lanzarote is a Spanish island. It is one of the Canary Islands, located off the coast of Morocco to the west. Lanzarote has around 156,000 inhabitants. With a warm climate all year round, the island is a popular tourist destination. The largest towns on the island are Arrecife, Teguise, Haria, Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen.

2 - The Canary Islands are in the Atlantic Ocean. They were formed by volcanoes over a period of about 20 million years. The oldest island, Fuerteventura, formed about 22 million years ago, and Lanzarote about 15 million years ago. Gran Canaria, Tenriffa, and Gomera formed later. The youngest islands, La Palma and El Hierro, formed about 1 to 2 million years ago.

3 - One of Lanzarote’s most popular attractions is Timanfaya National Park, with its breathtaking landscape shaped by volcanic craters and lava fields. The last volcanic eruptions on Lanzarote took place in the 18th century. The Timanfaya volcano erupted between 1730 and 1736. Large parts of the island were covered in lava. Almost a dozen villages were destroyed. Another, smaller eruption took place in 1824. Lanzarote has remained volcanically quiet ever since.

4 - Timanfaya offers visitors several demonstrations. They are designed to show the intense heat beneath the earth's surface. For example, water is poured into boreholes in the ground. Shortly afterwards, an impressive jet of steam erupts. Dry plant material is placed in a hole in the ground and soon catches fire. At the nearby restaurant, heat from deep underground is used to grill meat and fish. A bus tour takes visitors through the "Fire Mountains".

5 - The other landscapes of Lanzarote also reflect the island’s volcanic origins. To grow wine, holes are dug in the volcanic ash and filled with soil. The vines are planted in the holes, which are surrounded by a semicircular stone wall to protect them from the wind.

6 - Dromedaries have been bred and used for centuries. In the past, they were used as pack animals. Today, tourists can take tours and excursions, riding on a camel’s back through the island’s unique landscape.