Timanfaya Half Day, No Shop Stops: Hilario, Volcano Route, El Golfo

Half a day across the south of Lanzarote, with entry to Timanfaya National Park in the price and no commercial stops anywhere in it. At the Islote de Hilario three demonstrations show what the ground is still doing a short way down. The geothermal anomaly keeps the shallow rock hot enough to be useful, and food is cooked on that heat. The El Diablo restaurant, designed by César Manrique, looks out over the whole thing, and there is time for a coffee. The Ruta de los Volcanes goes into the most protected part of the park by minibus, because private cars are not allowed in. Nobody gets out of the vehicle either. It takes about half an hour, with stops for photographs through the windows. The camel station is a 30-minute stop. The ride is optional and paid on the spot. On the coast, Los Hervideros for around twenty minutes, where the swell goes into the cliffs and comes back up through them. Then El Golfo, a hydromagmatic volcano the sea has eaten into the shape of a Roman theatre, with the green lagoon at the foot of it. The Janubio salt pans and beach are seen from the road. La Geria is last, where the guide explains why the vines sit in holes, with Malvasía to taste. The group is 25 people at most and the excursion runs in one language, occasionally two. The guides are Canarian and certified by the regional government, and the minibus has air conditioning and free WiFi.