LANZAROTE, VOLCANIC PARADISE. PART I: EXPEDITION TO LA GRACIOSA

La Graciosa is a small island just off Lanzarote. If you are a regular reader, you will be familiar with the Mirador de El Rio, one of Lanzarote's tourist gems, which overlooks this island. This island is a protected natural area, it is practically virgin and one of the most striking things about it is that there are no tarmac roads and you can't access it with your vehicle in order to preserve it.

The only urban nucleus of La Graciosa is Caleta de Sebo, with only 718 registered inhabitants, and it is there where we find the port, some restaurants and the few hotels/pensions that the island has.

There is only one way to get there: take the ferry from Lanzarote. To do so, we must go to the northern town of Órzola. In the port of this small town you will find several ferry companies with different timetables that will take you to Caleta de Sebo in 30 minutes. The Ferri ride is beautiful and allows you to go around the cliffs of Lanzarote, so I recommend you make this trip first thing in the morning to enjoy the soft light after sunrise, which is the best way to bring out the terracotta tones of the volcanic rocks. In this way, you will also be able to visit the whole island of La Graciosa without haste and enjoy its nooks and crannies.

Views of Lanzarote from the Ferri to La Graciosa

Once in La Graciosa we have three options for getting around: cycling, walking or renting a Jeep tour. We opted for the bike option. There are many places right next to the harbour where you can rent a bike and you will be asked a basic question: normal bike or electric bike? Well, this is where we err on the side of many travel blogs... And this is why I prefer to be clear: it is worth paying the extra charge for the electric bike. La Graciosa seems to be a flat island, with no big slopes. Even if you ask the rental companies, they will give you this information. Don't listen to them... Although it is true that the island is quite flat and doesn't have big slopes, the route to visit it completely is hard. We are talking about a 20 km bike route, on dirt tracks where you are constantly going up and down small slopes. If you are not used to cycling, don't hesitate, electric. It will make the route much easier, less tiring and you will be able to enjoy the views better.

Another important thing to bear in mind before leaving the village is to stock up on plenty of cold water. You won't be able to buy water on the 20 km walk around the island as there is not a single bar or restaurant outside the small town centre. All you will find are volcanic rocks, paradisiacal beaches and roads, lots of paths.

Once we have decided on our means of transport around the island and have water to hydrate ourselves, it's time to get going and explore. The whole route is very well signposted and starts by heading north out of the village.

The first stop is about 4km from the village and is easy to find as there will be bicycles in the wooden bike rack. Once there you will walk through some small dunes until you reach a beach with a volcano. You have arrived at the famous Caleta de Corral. From there you can start to see the only red volcano on the island, which is located at Playa de las Conchas.

On our way to Caleta de Corral

To reach it we will have to continue walking/pedalling towards the north and at the end of a long straight road we will come across another wooden bike park. Leaving it to the left and going down the dunes of fine white sand we will arrive at Las Conchas beach where we will be able to enjoy the views of the volcano Bermejo. Note: there is the possibility of walking up to the top of the volcano along a path that starts at the bike park and will take you about 25 minutes to reach the top.

This beach is perfect for lying on the sand, enjoying the views and cooling off with a swim, and at the end of this beach there are rock formations with a natural arch that has been shaped by the waves.

To continue our circular route to the island, we will have to leave behind the bike park at Playa de las Conchas and take the turning to the left. A few kilometres further on we stop again at another bike park to enjoy the views of Lambra beach and, if we continue walking, we can reach other natural rock arches at El Castillo.

Following the path, you will pass a sandy path, where you have to be careful if you are on a bike as it is quite slippery. This path is beautiful, bordering the coast and starting to see the cliffs of Lanzarote in the distance. Continuing along the path, we border Aguja Chica and Aguja Grande on the east side, the two volcanoes in the centre of the island, and we will arrive back at Caleta de Sebo.

If we still have enough energy left, we can continue with another route through the southern part of the island to visit El Salado beach, the French beach and the yellow mountain. We succumbed to the smells of the restaurants and decided to take a relaxing afternoon to recharge our batteries and stroll around Caleta de Sebo before our return ferry left.

It is definitely a little paradise worth a visit if you are in Lanzarote. You will enjoy the unspoilt scenery while you explore and enjoy a very entertaining walk.