The lunar landscapes and alien views of Lanzarote impressed me even on videos, and life turned out to be better than the “Martian” movie. Despite its tiny size, each part of Lanzarote is so surprising that you try to absorb all this unusualness, and then, looking at the pictures, you don’t believe yourself being there.

When and how? My experience in Lanzarote.

I got an idea to visit the island after watching the travel show “Eagle and Tails”, that is very popular in Russia. Fortunately, I was playing a beach tennis tournament at nearby Gran Canaria. So could fly for one day to another island. Experienced travelers of the Canary Islands has confirmed that one day is enough to enjoy Lanzarote. In the end, I decided on a one-day “escape”.

So we took the flight tickets Gran Canaria – Lanzarote – Gran Canaria. Departure at 7 am. Back at 19.30 pm. Fly 40 minutes. 60 euros per person. The plane is more like a bus: there are only 20 seats, but the seat on the ticket is not indicated. The first chooses.

Big advice.

First of all, you need to rent a car. Public transport here is inconvenient, but the roads are straight and new. It’s better to book a car for at least a few days since the island is small and there are not many cars for rent. We took in the company CICAR. The office is at the airport, rent with full insurance cost us 30 euros. +5 euros we paid for gasoline for about 250 km.

What to do in Lanzarote?

• Choose the window seat in the airplane and stare at the lifeless island of Fuerteventura.
• Drive through Lanzarote from South to North and be shocked by the fact that you did not notice how the cold landscapes of the Moon and Mars were replaced by sunny dunes.
• Take walking on the moon picture (landscapes in the south of the island).
• Buy Jamon and all kinds of goodies in a supermarket and have a picnic by the ocean or right in the car in a beautiful place, so as not to be blown away by the wind.
• Collect bottles of sand of different colors from all parts of the island.
• Try to avoid crowding, so as not to spoil the atmosphere of space.

What to see in Lanzarote?

Timanfaya National Park – the main attraction of the island. I was really impressed by Martian landscapes and hot land in the park. And the roads in Timanfaya are so narrow that every time I was delighted when the driver turned a huge bus and managed not to push us into the crater of a volcano or a cliff (yes. you can not enter the park on your car).

Tip: Better to arrive at the opening at 10 in the morning. It was the best thought of the day, already at 11 am the parking was full. And tourists were crowding at the entrance.

Charco de Los Clicos lake. This is an unrealistic picturesque place. The lake is an acid green color, black sand, and frozen lava. It seemed to me that you can stay there forever: climb boulders, dissolve in endless views and collect pebbles and shells.

Volcanic caves of Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes. Concerts are held in both of them, and if you want to feel yourself in the adaptation of Dan Brown, then a concert of classical music in a cave is very much so.

Mirador del Rio is an observation deck in a restaurant overlooking the ocean and the island of La Graciosa, an island where there are no cars at all, everyone rides bicycles and gets to the big land by ferry. Paradise? The view is interesting for its dissimilarity with the south coast. But my advice is not to pay for the entrance. The nearby view is quite the same as the view from the restaurant, where there are also foggy windows.

Lanzarote is a thrilling place or a one-day trip. Fresh, unusual, romantic! But I would not go there for a whole vacation. No matter how cosmic the Lunar-Martian landscapes are, by the evening you begin to notice a lack of greenery and even life.

So my advice is to stay at nearby Gran Canaria. Book one of these hotels near the Las Canteras beach with a beautiful promenade with restaurants and shops. Every year I am shocked how low are the prizes. And then repeat my day escape to Lanzarote and other Canarian islands.

Read also: How to spend One Day in Madrid during the layover?

Don’t forget to subscribe to my instagram @july_choo! I write about unique locations, movies travelling, restaurants, and so on.