Volcano Tours in Spain: Teide, Timanfaya and La Palma
Four Canary Islands and 73 experiences. The only Spanish volcanoes that still erupt sit 1,000 km off the mainland, in the Atlantic.
Spain has volcanoes on the mainland and sells tours at none of them. The Campo de Calatrava in Ciudad Real and La Garrotxa in Catalonia are real volcanic fields with real cones, and between them they account for exactly zero of the 73 volcano experiences on sale in this country. Everything happens a thousand kilometres offshore, in an Atlantic archipelago closer to Morocco than to Madrid, on ground that is still moving. La Palma erupted for 85 days in 2021. Tenerife carries the highest mountain in Spain and a permit system that most of the internet still describes incorrectly. The islands are close enough that one operator sells La Palma as a day trip from Tenerife, and far enough apart that the two are not the same holiday.
What follows compares the four islands rather than explaining any one of them. The detail of a single day, the meeting points, the fares and the things operators leave out of the price, sits on the island pages below. The question this page answers is the one people ask first and rarely find answered: given a week and one flight, which island do you want.
Choose a destination in Spain
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Tenerife
Teide tours on Tenerife: the cable car and the summit permit, stargazing in the national park, quad and buggy rides on the lava fields.
41 experiences in 4 destinations -
Lanzarote
Volcano tours on Lanzarote: Timanfaya's fire mountains, the lava caves at Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes, and the vineyards of La Geria.
21 experiences in 3 destinations -
La Palma
La Palma tours: the Tajogaite cone and the lava fields of the 2021 Cumbre Vieja eruption, which ended on 13 December that year.
7 experiences -
Gran Canaria
Volcanic Gran Canaria: the Bandama caldera, Roque Nublo and the craters at the centre of the island.
4 experiences
Volcano Travel Experiences in Spain
Teide Cable Car and Roques de García from the North
The cable car is closed to anyone with heart problems, to pregnant women and to limited mobility, and footwear rules apply. An hour at the top, seven in all.
Teide Cable Car to 3,555 m, One Hour at the Top
The cable car reaches 3,555 metres and you get exactly one hour up there, lunch not provided, before the bus takes the group down to the Roques de García.
Teide in Thirty Minutes, and the 800-Year Drago at Icod
The stop inside Teide National Park is about thirty minutes, enough for Las Cañadas and the Roques de García, and the drago at Icod is put at over 800 years.
Teide, Masca and Garachico in a Private Mercedes V-Class
A Mercedes V-Class and an official Canary Islands guide of twenty years, on a route you can rearrange. Teide, the Roques de García, Masca, Garachico, Icod.
Teide Stargazing with Dinner, and a Laser Tour of the Sky
Dinner up the mountain, sunset above the clouds, then planets and deep-sky objects through the telescope. Leave a phone number for the meeting instructions.
Teide Star Safari: Dinner at 7 Cañadas, 2,130 m, Starlight Guides
The dinner is three Canarian courses at Restaurante 7 Cañadas, 2,130 metres up, and the guides who run the telescopes afterwards are Starlight-certified.
Teide Summit at 3,718 m by the Telesforo Bravo Permit Path
The Telesforo Bravo path to 3,718 metres needs a park permit, which the operator applies for, so the booking is not confirmed at once. Non-refundable.
Teide Sunset and Stargazing at 2,000 m, with Smartphone Astrophotography
Telescopes at around 2,000 metres, a laser pointer for the constellations, and the guide helps you photograph the sky through the eyepiece with your phone.
Teide Sunset by Quad, Above the Cloud Line
The quads climb until the cloud is below the road and the sunset happens above it. One limit to check before booking: 160 kg maximum per quad, not per rider.
Teide, the 16-Metre Drago and the Roque de Garachico
Eight to nine hours out of southern Tenerife, with the Drago Milenario at over 16 metres tall and the Roque de Garachico standing 300 metres offshore.
Teide, the Drago of Icod, the Lava Pools of Garachico and Masca
The route takes in the Drago of Icod at over 1,200 years old, the lava pools left at Garachico and the pirate refuge of Masca inside the Los Gigantes cliffs.
Teide, Then Bodegas Monje: Three Wines and a Terrace
Teide first, then Bodegas Monje at El Sauzal, where the vines are worked by hand at 600 metres. Lunch on the terrace with three Canarian wines. Private.
Teide, the Pirate Valley at Masca and Ycoden Daute Isora
The circuit runs in the other direction from Puerto de la Cruz: Teide first, then Masca and its pirate legend, and free time for lunch in Ycoden Daute Isora.
Teide via Vilaflor, with Lunch at Garachico and Masca Last
The break at Vilaflor comes before the park, lunch is at Garachico rather than Icod, and Masca and its ravines close the day. Orotava Valley on the way down.
Teide with Five Hours in the Park: Roques de García
Eight hours in total, five of them inside the park, with the Roques de García and the Árbol de Piedra. Pick-ups from Puerto de la Cruz or Santa Cruz.
Tenerife with a Geologist, Four Seats in an SUV, Photos After
An official guide who is also a geologist, an SUV with four seats and no more, and the photos sent on afterwards. The route is decided once you are in the car.
Ten Hours Across Lanzarote: El Golfo, Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua
Ten hours Monday to Friday, from the Green Lagoon at El Golfo up to free time at Jameos del Agua, with the Corona volcano above Haría. Lunch not included.
The Baby Volcano and a Lava Cave in Teide Park, Pick-Up Included
An easy walk to the Baby Volcano with 360-degree views, a lava cave and old flows on the way, free minibus pick-up and 20 to 30 photographs afterwards.
The Queen's Shoe and 12 Million Cubic Metres of Lava, Small Group
A small group instead of a coach, with the Queen's Shoe rock, the Pino Gordo pine, and Pico Viejo, which put out 12 million cubic metres of lava in 92 days.
The Short Timanfaya Run: Volcano Route, Hilario, Camels Extra
The volcano route and the geothermal demonstrations at the Islote de Hilario in a short south run. The camel ride is optional and paid at the camel station.
Timanfaya Half Day, No Shop Stops: Hilario, Volcano Route, El Golfo
Park entry included, 25 people maximum and no commercial stops. The Volcano Route is minibus-only and nobody gets out, then El Golfo and the green lagoon.
Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes Without Queues
Four sites in a day with no queueing, plus Haría, La Geria with a tasting and the camel track. Entry to the Cueva de los Verdes depends on the option booked.
Timanfaya, the Longest Lava Tube and the Blind Albino Crab
A full-day bus tour of the volcanic sites, with one of the world's longest lava tubes at Cueva de los Verdes and the blind albino crab at Jameos del Agua.
Two Telescopes at Minas de San José: Watching and Photographing
One telescope to look through and a second shooting astrophotography that is emailed to you, in a small group at Minas de San José, above 2,000 metres.
Ratings collected by Civitatis, Tiqets, Viator and Tripadvisor