5 Excellent Excursions to Try in Lanzarote

So you're on holiday in Lanzarote or are planning to stay there in the future. First of all, great choice! If you've never been here before then you're in for an awesome surprise, and if you have then you probably know how great the island is.

Secondly, I want to give you some inspiration for excursions you can do while you are here to make your holiday even more amazing, and so you can get the maximum experience out of this unique and beautiful island!

 

Rent a Bike and Go Trail Biking Along the Coast

Lanzarote is a superb location for literally 'getting on your bike' and just heading off for a ride. It is a rare day that the sun isn't shining, and the temperature warm. The landscape and views are also incredible, and going by bike is the perfect way to take in some of the incredible views that Lanzarote has to offer.

You will be able to go further and for longer than a walking excursion, but you will get more of a feel for things than if you drive around, it is the perfect middle ground.

You will feel the wind in your hair, and the warming rays of the sun on your face, as you ride along the coastline trails. You will be able to take in some stunning sights of beautiful beaches, unbelievably blue ocean, and the rugged and unique volcanic landscape of Lanzarote.

The contrast between the interior of the island with its ancient volcanoes and preserved lava fields contrasts amazingly with the blue ocean and sandy beaches.

You can either rent a bike and head out on a route of your own choosing, or alternatively, you can choose to take a guided tour with a well-established company. Either way, both options are great. You will feel energised, see amazing sights, and return with great memories!

Take a Wine Tasting Tour 

Despite the rugged and difficult landscape, the grapevine growing conditions are actually very favourable on Lanzarote due to the year-round sun and warmth. Through clever use of the volcanic rock to overcome the lack of rainfall, and stone walls protecting the vines from the wind, vineyard owners are able to produce substantial grape harvests.

These grapes are then used to produce some delicious wines, especially dry, semi-sweet and sweet whites. These wines are then sold at the various Bodegas that are connected to the vineyards.

There are a variety of different companies that offer wine tasting tours, one of which is with Eco Insider Tours which takes you to three very distinct Bodegas in La Geria. This is a brilliant tour with excellent guides, a great selection of some of the best wines in Lanzarote, and a superb snapshot of the wine-producing region.

This is a fantastic tour on which you will learn plenty about wine production, the history of the island and more of what makes Lanzarote so unique! After all that delicious wine, the tour even ends with a visit to a traditional family-run restaurant with amazing food.

Stunning Sailing Excursion from Puerto Calero to Papagayo

Being such a small island, you are never far from the beautiful, blue Atlantic ocean that surrounds Lanzarote. There are so many different options from swimming and snorkelling, to surfing or scuba diving. 

One amazing excursion that I fully recommend if you love to be out on the water, is a stunning catamaran sailing excursion from Puerto Calero harbour, to the stunning beaches of Papagayo. This particular catamaran cruise is run by a company called Catlanza, and it is absolutely brilliant. The staff are all really friendly and speak a variety of different languages to cater to different tourists. 

While onboard all the drinks including alcoholic beverages are included in the price. After you reach Papagayo the anchor is dropped and you can swim and go snorkelling around the boat where you will be able to see hundreds of fish in the clear blue waters. This is particularly cool if you dive under the water with goggles, and take an underwater camera. 

Everyone on board also has the option to have a ride on the back of a jet-ski which is seriously fast and exciting. After a while, you are provided with a lovely lunch of pasta with either vegetable or tuna sauce, plus more drinks. The beach backdrop is stunning, and the waters around the boat crystal clear. Hopefully, you will be lucky with the weather like we were, as there was barely any wind, and a bright blue cloudless sky.  

Rent a Car and go for a Drive

Lanzarote is a fairly small island, so if you want to be able to visit many of the sights and major tourist attractions all in one day, then renting a car and going for a drive is a great choice. There are a huge number of different car rental services on the island. 

The cars on offer vary in size and price, but all are relatively new and very well maintained. You can easily drive around the whole of Lanzarote in a day or alternatively drive to a number of different locations, stopping along the way for food, drink, shopping and sight-seeing.

One option that I took recently was a drive from Costa Teguise on a South Eastern route of the island. We stopped off at Playa Honda first to have a walk along the huge, sandy beach and calm waters. There is an abundance of different cafes with beautiful sea views while you enjoy tapas or a cafe con leche. Playa Honda is also a good spot for shopping as it has the Deiland Shopping Centre. 

Next, we stopped off at Playa Quemada which means burnt beach. It gets this name from the black pebbles on the beach which literally look like they have been burned in a fire. This is a really lovely place to stop as it is off the usual tourist track, so it is lovely and peaceful with just a few traditional restaurants overlooking the sea. There is a cliff backdrop, and gentle waves lapping at the shore.

From there we headed to the seaside town of Playa Blanca, one of the main touristic places in Lanzarote. It is full of life, with a big port from which ferry's head back and forth to Fuerteventura all day, a wide variety of shops and plenty of places to eat and drink. 

We had a wander around taking photos of the beaches and various sunny sights and then settled down for dinner overlooking the Playa Blanca Marina overlooking various luxury yachts.

All in all, this was an awesome day out which we decided to end with a visit to the capital city of Arrecife. We wandered around as the sun was setting, down the pretty high-street and around El Charco De San Gines, one of the best-loved places in the city. 

This is a tidal inlet of seawater, which is packed with fishing boats of all sizes. Surrounding this area is a multitude of lively cafes, bars and restaurants which are frequented by locals and tourists. From there we walked to the new luxury Marina for a coffee and then drove back to Costa Teguise. This is the route we took but of course, with a car you have the freedom to explore the whole island!

Catamaran Cruise Around La Graciosa

I know I've already mentioned one catamaran cruise, but this one is totally different and equally as good. This excursion is run by Líneas Marítimas Romero, and involves a trip on one of the largest commercial catamarans in Europe! 

First of all, you will be picked up from your hotel by bus and transported to the small port town of Orzola. From there you take a 25-minute ferry ride to the port of Caleta del Sebo one of the only villages on the tiny island of la Graciosa. 

Once you arrive you can take a stroll around this enchanting place which is like stepping back in time. There are no paved roads, only sandy tracks with the only vehicles being Land Rover Defenders which transport tourists around. There are cafes, restaurants and bars and some beaches here. The best is definitely yet to come though.

After a wander around the village, you board the luxurious and impressive catamaran for a sail along the amazing coast of la Graciosa. The island and Lanzarote were once connected, so the water which separates the two, known as El Rio, is quite shallow. 

As you sail closer to shore you will be able to see the sea-bed clearly and the huge array of fish swimming around. During your cruise, you will be provided with a mojito, and as many beers, wines and soft drinks as you want. There is also Spanish tortilla and bread snack, and later a delicious freshly prepared paella, with fresh fruit for dessert.

First of all, you are taken to see the awesome Montaña Amarilla (yellow mountain) with the Playa Cocina (kitchen beach), and then the crew drop anchor next to Playa Francesa (French Beach). You can swim to the beach to sunbathe or stay on the boat, and there are a variety of activities such as snorkelling, sea kayaking, and water trampolining. 

You can enjoy two hours at this stunning beach with its crystal clear water, before heading back on board for lunch. The crew are all really friendly and there is even singing and dancing on board at the end which is great fun!  

All of these excursions offer unique experiences and allow you to see different amazing aspects of the island. Of course, there are also many other excursions and things you can do on this incredible island. This is just a snapshot of what you can do. 

If you are looking for a great place to stay while you are on holiday in Lanzarote, then I would definitely recommend the wonderful Apartamentos La Peñita (https://www.lapenitalanzarote.com/) which are located right in the centre of Puerto del Carmen, only a few metres from the beach, bars, restaurants, shops and many other fantastic amenities.

If you enjoyed this article and found it useful then please share on social media below, and leave me a comment of any other excursions or things to do that you recommend!