Lanzarote

Lanzarote's most spectacular sight, the eerie 51-sq-km Parque Nacional de Timanfaya sprawls around the Montañas del Fuego (Mountains of Fire) formed by the calamitous six-year eruption that rocked the south of the island from 1730. Almost entirely bereft of life – apart from 200 species of lichen – this bare moonscape is an otherworldly vision in copper, black and grey, with thin soil trickling down volcanic cones to meet fields of frozen-in-time lava and a boiling magma chamber 4km beneath the surface.

The only inhabited island of the far-flung Chinijo Archipelago, just north of Lanzarote, gorgeous sand-dusted Isla Graciosa was officially named the eighth Canary Island in 2018. Though still administered from Lanzarote, La Graciosa – with its sublime white-gold beaches, barren volcanic landscapes, world-class surfing, and low-key hiking and water sports – feels worlds away.

The island was first populated in 1867 by seven families. Today, virtually all its inhabitants live in the tranquil harbour village of Caleta de Sebo, where the Órzola boats dock, seafood restaurants cluster and streets are carpeted with silky golden sand. On windy days Caleta de Sebo feels like a cross between a bare Moroccan village and a sand-swept Wild West outpost. Behind it stretches 28 sq km of scrubland, interrupted by five minor volcanic peaks and scattered all-natural beaches. There are no sealed roads here: bicycles, walks or battered Land Rovers are the only ways to get around.

Forget any preconceived notions of what wine country should look like. On Lanzarote, you won't find neat lines of vines painting the hills with green stripes. Instead, here, sprinkled across the abstract volcanic landscape, are small crescent-shaped stone walls, behind each of which hides a low-growing vine happily sheltered from the wind. Local viticulturists have found the deep, black lava soil, enriched by Lanzarote's shaky seismic history, perfect for growing grapes, though the yield is low and the toil is high.

Most wines produced here are dry malvasías, though muscatel and other grapes are also cultivated. The island's two main wine-growing regions sit side by side, on the eastern side of Timanfaya: La Geria, flanking the LZ30 northeast of Uga, and the Tinajo–Masdache area. Check out www.dolanzarote.com for details on Lanzarote's bodegas.

Upon returning definitively to Lanzarote, César Manrique built his spectacular house and creative centre, Taro de Tahíche, into the lava fields just outside Tahíche. It’s a real James Bond-style hideaway, with whitewashed walls, a sunken pool, bursts of bougainvillea and cacti, and white- and red-leather seats slotted into cavelike dens; upper levels are inspired by traditional Lanzarote architecture, while subterranean rooms are crafted from five huge air bubbles left by flowing lava. Manrique lived here from 1968 to 1988.

One of Lanzarote's most magical beaches, wild, sandy, dark-gold Caleta de Famara is a sweeping all-natural throwback, where surfers tackle some of the Canaries' best waves, overlooked by the majestic volcanic Risco de Famara cliffs.

In the late 19th century, the Spanish armed forces set up gun batteries overlooking El Río (the strait separating Lanzarote from Isla Graciosa), 2km north of Yé. César Manrique left his distinctive mark in 1973, ingeniously converting the gun emplacement into a spectacular, cave-like, 475m-high lookout point. The interior is washed in white, with spider-like iron installations adorning the ceiling. Vertiginous views sprawl across sweeping lava flows – frozen in time – falling to the ocean, and Isla Graciosa sparkles across the water.

Within the bare, protected volcanoscapes of the 30-sq-km Monumento Natural Los Ajaches, the Punta del Papagayo promontory is one of Lanzarote's (and, dare we say, the Canaries') most beautiful natural spaces. The coastline here, leading southeast from Playa Blanca to Punta del Papagayo, is peppered with pristine golden-sand coves and beaches bathed by gentle turquoise waves, while rust-hued volcanic peaks rise to up to 560m behind.

Papagayo is, understandably, extremely popular and, sadly, there seems to be no limit on the number of cars allowed into the reserve per day. Arrive early if you hope to have the sand to yourself for a while, and tread lightly. The access road is more of a dirt track, but quite manageable in most cars; you'll pass a ticket checkpoint (€3 per vehicle) along the way.

Eminent Canarian author Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa once described Haría as the most beautiful village in the world. Although a tad exaggerated, the village does have a pretty bucolic setting, nestled in a palm-filled valley punctuated by splashes of brilliant bougainvillea and poinsettias. In the 17th and 18th centuries, locals traditionally planted a palm tree to celebrate a birth (two for a boy, one for a girl). Later, this North African–style oasis became a popular spa for wealthy Canarians, and its modern-day streets are lined with wooden balconies, stone walls and bright-green shutters.

The central pedestrian avenue, Plaza León y Castillo, is shaded by eucalyptus trees and turns into a superb Saturday morning craft and produce market, while the final home of the great César Manrique, on the outskirts of town, draws visitors in droves.

Lanzarote's original capital and one of the oldest towns in the Canaries, Teguise simmers with a North Africa–meets–Spanish pueblo feel. This intriguing mini-oasis of low-rise whitewashed buildings is set around a central plaza and restored 15th-century church, and surrounded by the bare arid plains of central Lanzarote, 12km north of Arrecife. Though firmly on the tourist trail, Teguise's old town is a delight to explore, with good restaurants, a handful of lively bars and a string of monuments testifying to the town's dominance until Arrecife took the baton in 1852. On Sunday mornings, a mammoth tourist-oriented market takes over.

The small northern fishing village of Arrieta, 6km east of Haría, is a low-key, blink-and-you'll-miss-it beachy highlight of Lanzarote. Centred on a popular stretch of sand and backed by typical whitewashed homes and apartments, the lightly touristed village is known for its wonderful seafood restaurants and, immediately north, the glinting natural pools at Punta Mujeres.