Timanfaya is the reason Lanzarote looks like nowhere else. Between 1 September 1730 and April 1736 a chain of volcanoes kept erupting, burying villages and farmland in the south-west of the island; there was another, shorter eruption in 1824. Today about 51 km² are a National Park, and the only way to tour its interior is the Volcano Route at the Fire Mountains (Montañas del Fuego), run by the island council. This guide explains how it works as of October 2026.
Which option should you choose?
| Activity | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|
| Official Fire Mountains ticket (island council website) | — | €30 |
| Timanfaya National Park half-day tour, with entry and pickup Book | 4.4★ (2,855) | €59 |
| Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes with tickets Book | 4.5★ (2,910) | €89 |
| Guided hike among the volcanoes beside Timanfaya Book | 4.8★ (990) | €47 |
Tickets: online only, with a time slot
- Price: €30 per adult; children aged 0 to 6 go free. There's a special rate for Canary Islands residents.
- Where: on the island council's Art, Culture and Tourism Centres website (cactlanzarote.com). There's no ticket office.
- Compulsory time slot: you choose a day and time between 9:00 and 15:45. Be there 15 minutes early; if you arrive outside your slot the ticket is invalid, and there are no changes or refunds.
- If a slot doesn't show, it's full: try another time or day. In summer, at Easter and on long weekends, buy several days ahead.
- Download your ticket before you set off: mobile coverage in the park is unreliable.
Before the current system you could just turn up and queue: in July 2025 the local press reported hundreds of cars at a standstill on the road between Tinajo and Yaiza waiting to get in. Time slots avoid those waits, as long as you stick to yours.
Getting there and parking
The entrance is on the LZ-67, the road between Yaiza and Tinajo that crosses the Parque Natural de los Volcanes. From Playa Blanca it takes about 25 minutes, a little longer from Puerto del Carmen or Arrecife. At the El Taro junction you head up to Islote de Hilario; from there you can't leave your car until the car park, which is on a slope, so open your doors carefully.
There's no public bus to Timanfaya. Without a car, the alternative is a tour with entry included: the half-day tour€59 · 4.4 or the one that adds Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes€89 · 4.5.
What you see inside
- Volcano Route: a coach circuit of about 35-40 minutes through craters, lava flows and lava fields, with recorded commentary on the eruption. Coaches leave roughly every 20 minutes and are adapted. You don't get off during the route.
- Geothermal demonstrations: at Islote de Hilario, staff pour water into a pipe sunk in the ground and it shoots out as steam, and dry brushwood bursts into flames in a pit. They're included in the ticket.
- El Diablo restaurant: designed by César Manrique, it grills meat over a pit that uses the volcano's heat and has a glass-walled dining room overlooking the lava field. It doesn't take reservations: if you want to eat, go as soon as you park.
- Experiencia Insólita: a small-group guided visit (€59.90) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8:45, lasting about two hours, adding a climb up Montaña Rajada, the Tinecheide refuge and a tasting. Book online.
Camel rides leave from the camel station beside the LZ-67, on the way from Yaiza to the park, and aren't part of the Fire Mountains ticket: you pay separately on the spot.
Free: visitor centre and ranger-led walks
The Mancha Blanca Visitor and Interpretation Centre, on the Tinajo-Yaiza road (km 11.5), opens daily from 9:00 to 16:00 and is free: rooms on volcanism, an eruption simulation and a walkway over the 1730-1736 lava.
The National Park also runs free guided walks, the only ones that enter areas closed to the public:
- Tremesana Route: about 3.5 km and 2 hours, easy.
- Coastal Route (Ruta del Litoral): about 10 km and 5 hours along the coast, demanding, with few dates.
Places are very limited and are booked through the National Parks reservation centre (reservasparquesnacionales.es); the park's leaflet sets age limits and requires closed footwear. If you can't get a place, the private guided hike in the Parque Natural de los Volcanes€47 · 4.8 crosses the lava around the park on foot.
When to go
- The first slot of the morning is the coolest and has the best light for photos.
- Spring, autumn and winter are comfortable. In July and August, at midday, the Islote de Hilario area is an oven with no shade.
- Combine it with La Geria and El Golfo in the afternoon: they're less than half an hour away.
Practical tips
- Closed shoes: the ground at Islote de Hilario is uneven and slippery in places.
- Pushchairs: hard to manoeuvre; a baby carrier is better.
- Pets: not allowed, except assistance dogs.
- Water, cap and sun cream: the only facilities in the park are the restaurant and café at Islote de Hilario.
- Stay within the permitted areas: it's a protected site and the lava crumbles easily.
In one sentence
Buy your ticket online for the first slot, arrive 15 minutes early and keep the afternoon for La Geria and El Golfo. More ideas in what to see in Lanzarote.
