Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote
Timanfaya National Park was a trip I took in July 2013. The visit was part of a tour of the island of Lanzarote of which it has to be said I had little enthusiasm for. They visit to Lanzarote was something that my wife and daughter planned and in the lead up to it was something I looked forward to less and less, I will admit now I was wrong, the island being one the places I have enjoyed visiting the most and look forward to one day getting the opportunity to revisit. One of the many highlights of the trip was the day we took the tour of the island which included the visit to Timanfaya. I did not know what to expect upon the visit as I was aware that the area was still home to an active volcano, but despite the disappointment of finding whilst active there was no lava flowing or bubbles to view the trip was still worth it. There were demonstrations of how close the heat was to the service and a look inside the El Diablo Restuarant, where you could see the food being cooked over an open well of heat.
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Timanfaya National Park was established in 1974 and covers an area 19.72 square miles of the south western area of Lanzarote. The park is regulated with only selected areas open to the public and most viewable only via a coach trip. There is an area for visitors to take camel rides and a restaurant for refreshments when visiting. It was along with the rest of Lanzarote designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993. This is to protect the unique flora and fauna that can be found on the park.
The Volcano whilst active is considered dormant, the last eruption being in 1824. The greatest eruptions to hit the island were through a 6 year period from 1730 until 1736 when much of the landscape around the park was created. During this period the island lost the villages of Tingfa, Mancha Blanca, Maretas, Santa Catalina, Jaretas, San Juan, Timanfaya, Rodeo and Mazo, and much of the land covered by volcanic ash was the most fertile upon the island so it was a time of great hardship. The land is considered to be of great interest to science as it's one of the newest places on earth and they are interested to see how it develops with no major human interaction.
Whilst the volcanic activity is still active, this activity happens just below ground where temperatures can reach between 100 to 600 centigrade at a depth of 13 metres. The park offers a geyser demonstration to show how hot the below surface temperature is. The following video shows the demonstration.
The pictures and video were taken using a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. They can be seen below or alternatively on Clickasnap full size, resolution and un-watermarked.
Timanfaya National Park was established in 1974 and covers an area 19.72 square miles of the south western area of Lanzarote. The park is regulated with only selected areas open to the public and most viewable only via a coach trip. There is an area for visitors to take camel rides and a restaurant for refreshments when visiting. It was along with the rest of Lanzarote designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993. This is to protect the unique flora and fauna that can be found on the park.
The Volcano whilst active is considered dormant, the last eruption being in 1824. The greatest eruptions to hit the island were through a 6 year period from 1730 until 1736 when much of the landscape around the park was created. During this period the island lost the villages of Tingfa, Mancha Blanca, Maretas, Santa Catalina, Jaretas, San Juan, Timanfaya, Rodeo and Mazo, and much of the land covered by volcanic ash was the most fertile upon the island so it was a time of great hardship. The land is considered to be of great interest to science as it's one of the newest places on earth and they are interested to see how it develops with no major human interaction.
Whilst the volcanic activity is still active, this activity happens just below ground where temperatures can reach between 100 to 600 centigrade at a depth of 13 metres. The park offers a geyser demonstration to show how hot the below surface temperature is. The following video shows the demonstration.
The pictures and video were taken using a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. They can be seen below or alternatively on Clickasnap full size, resolution and un-watermarked.
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| The Fire Pit is used as a demonstration to show how hot the temperature is just underneath the surface of the park. |
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| The parks restaurant can be seen to the left of the crater. |
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| El Diablo, created by Cesar Manrique is the symbol of Timanfaya National Park. |
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| The restaurant uses geothermal heat channelled through open pits like this to cook the food served. |
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