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Canary Island
Photo: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Lanzarote is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean 130 km west of North Africa and 1000 km southwest of mainland Spain. With a population of 156,112 in 2022, it's the fourth largest of the Canary Islands, about half the size of its neighbour Fuerteventura. It has stark volcanic scenery and has been a biosphere reserve since 1993.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Fat Tuesday
The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and Lent, and many towns hold a carnival. (Literally, say goodbye to meat, carne vale.) It's usually in late February but varies with the date of Easter, which follows a part-lunar calendar.
A triathlon held in May: swim 3.9 km, cycle 180.2 km and run a marathon of 42.2 km, back-to-back. The Lanzarote event is one of over fifty qualifying triathlons for the world finals in Hawaii. The race organisation had been based in Puerto del Carmen but moved to Club La Santa on the west coast.
A pilgrimage and fiesta around the Saturday closest to 15 September. People dress up in traditional peasant garb and make their way towards the church in Mancha Blanca – from all over the island, though San Bartolomé is a common starting point for a 9 km hike. The legend goes that in 1836 the lava was halted there when an effigy of the Madonna was carried towards the flow.
sauce
There are several types: mojo picón is hot and spicy from red chillies usually paprika, mojo verde is from green pepper or coriander (cilantro), and mojo hervido (boiled) is from spices and lemon. Some souvenir shops sell premade mojo in jars.
wrinkly potatoes
These are cooked unpeeled in salt water then baked dry and served with a mojo sauce.
A flour substitute from cereals such as wheat, maize or barley. It might be a starter dish as a patty of moist dough, or form a pastry or pie base.
A plant that is 30–50 cm tall, native to Yemen and cultivated in many dry climates. It can't tolerate freezing but is popular as a decorative house plant. (Many countries forbid its import, but it's on sale in your local garden centre.) It's been seized upon by the wellness industry, and Aloe Vera products are touted all over Lanzarote. Its juice contains acemannan, used as an ingredient of cosmetics and as a rub-on remedy whose medicinal value has yet to be demonstrated. No such uncertainty mars its skin and other parts, which are downright poisonous and carcinogenic. Fortunately, most commercial products contain such miniscule amounts of Aloe Vera that no harm can result. The island is strewn with Agaves with leaves hacked off by tourists mistaking them for Aloe Vera, a wonderful example of nature using camouflage to promote safety.
By ferry
Lanzarote has three main ports, offering connections to other islands in the Canaries, as well as Spain mainland.
By rental car
If you are in the possession of a driver's licence, a rental car is the best option for discovering the island—see Canary Islands#By rental car for more information.
By taxi
Taxis are plentiful and drivers are friendly and honest. There are fixed prices for common routes, otherwise meters are used.
By bicycle
Cyclists may use almost all asphalted roads, except for a few sections of LZ-1 and LZ-2 that have frontage roads or historic loops.
By thumb
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
San Bartolomé · International · ACE
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