Jameos Del Agua Caves In Lanzarote

Caves are boring places unless you like romancing the stones. It’s so dark and gloomy deeper inside the cave that one is afraid of tripping on rocks. Many years ago, I had visited ‘Howes caves’ in Albany, deep down some 156 feet under ground. I remember going down in the elevator. Except for that adventurous boat ride and some carving inside, it was just a dark enclosure.

Therefore when I stood outside ‘Jameos Del Agua’ in Lanzarote, I didn’t know what to expect. I was expecting one more cave with a boat ride. People warned me to be careful while walking down the steep steps. I was in two minds, should I go or should I not? There were wooden rails for support, the minute I stepped down few steps I was transported in a different world. A soft Lute (Pipa) music echoed inside the caves.

The influence of the local artist Cesar Manrique is inescapable on Lanzarote. A Jameos is a collapsed lava tunnel and the Jameos del Agua forms part of the largest such tube in the world. Locals used it as a rubbish tip before Manrique transformed it into a stunning concert venue and nightclub.

I walked down the steep steps, resting at regular intervals at the stone benches and chairs before continuing my walk. Part of the cave is below sea level and therefore it is filled with seawater that percolates through the permeable rock. The pool is inhabited with species of blind albino crab that is unique to Lanzarote.

There was an impressive auditorium inside the cave with proper seating arrangement. If you climb down then you must climb up and that was the difficult part. I needed help to climb up the huge rocks to reach to the other side of the caves. 

I was rewarded with most beautiful view of pristine and bright swimming pool. Few more stone steps up and I need coffee to wet my dry throat and refresh a bit.

Exploring Lanzarote: part 4

Read more of this series at 

Exploring Lanzarote: part 3 

Exploring Lanzarote: part 2

Exploring Lanzarote: part 1

El Golfo in Lanzarote

This is a unique part of the coast where a volcanic crater had fallen forming a spectacular green Lagoon...there was a steep walk to go up to other side to see the blue lagoon and it was too windy, ...I was wearing skirt and you know what...it flew up shamelessly...I immediately ran to souvenir store close by and purchased shorts to avoid more embarrassment....

While I shopped for shorts, rest of the group walked up the hill to see the green lagoon on the other side. It was too late for me to join the group on the top of the hill to see the green lagoon. Later, when I came home, I googled to see what I had missed, my bad! I missed the most beautiful view.

image source:Google

This lagoon is in a semi-circular volcanic crater left by an extinct volcano. The rest of the crater has been eroded away by the sea. The green colour of the water is caused due to microorganisms in the crater.

I sat in the restaurant instead to enjoy a cup of coffee and breathe in beautiful view till the group came back from their short walk up in the hills.

Exploring Lanzarote: part 3

Exploring Lanzarote: part 2

Exploring Lanzarote: part 1

The Mountain Of Fire At Lanzarote

From far they looked like metal cylinders pierced into the ground. I went closer to have a good look. The man with the bucket asked me to stand on one side. It was impossible for me to stand straight without support. The wind was fierce and wild; it was getting difficult to keep my balance. I walked towards a huge rock and rested my back against it. Soon the crowd gathered around the cylinders. The man with the bucket poured the water into the cylinders. In two minutes there was a loud explosion as the spray of water spumed out from cylinders up in the air.

I could never have imagined that there was so much heat under the earth, where I was standing. Just centimeters from the surface the temperature gets as high as 400 degrees centigrade.

A bit further away from these cylindrical pipes was a small crater. The man started to demonstrate the effect of the heat from these craters. He pushed few dry twigs into crater and the twigs begin to burn with flames up in the air.

A restaurant up on the fire mountain has monetized on this idea. The section of this restaurant has a ‘Volcanic barbeque’ where selection of food like meat and potatoes are cooked on a grill over one of the volcanic vents with juices dripping into the crater. I peeped into the crater to feel the heat and saw thick layers of grease from the roasted meat coat the rock.

Exploring Lanzarote: Part 2

Camel Ride At Timanfaya National Park in Lanzarote

I knew I could not walk on those sand dunes but camel ride was a better option. There were about hundred camels, dressed in colorful accessories against the dull brown background, some lazily sitting, other walking, trotting with people shouting with glee. 

From far, they seemed like beautiful geometrical designs, a group of seven camels, walking in a single file, folding into a C-curve at slopes.

Camel ride at Timanfaya National Park in Lanzarote was quite an experience. The landscaped is rugged and dramatic, so much so that it looked like another distant planet, the wind, so fierce that it was impossible to stand without support, with lava sand flying in the air pricking the face like needles. Camels had names like Sophie, Reina, Carmen, etc. They understood orders and walked following instruction, on tracks carved in the sand, going in a single file, bending at the curves forming beautiful patterns in the otherwise barren slopes that had no life except multiple layers of lava from volcanic eruptions. 

Exploring Lanzarote; Part 1