Timanfaya National Park or Parque Nacional de Timanfaya is a Spanish national park covering the municipalities of southern portion of Tinajo and the northern portion of Yaiza in the southwestern part of the island of Lanzarote. The greatest recorded eruptions occurred between 1730 and 1736. The volcanic activity continues as the surface temperature in the core ranges from 100 to 600 °C at the dept
h of 13 metres (43 ft), which is demonstrated by pouring water into the ground, resulting in a geyser of steam which is an attraction for tourists.There is only one active volcano, Timanfaya volcano which the park is named after. In 1993, UNESCO designated a Biosphere reserve covering the whole of Lanzarote. The national park is one of the core areas of the biosphere reserve. Access to the park by the public is strictly regulated to protect the delicate flora and fauna. There are one or two footpaths, and a popular short route where one can visit by camel. There is a public car park from which one can tour the volcanic landscape by coach using a road that is otherwise closed to the public. Established as a National Park in 1974 to protect the beauty of this fascinating volcanic landscape, Timanfaya should be on every Lanzarote holidaymaker's list! The park's permiter stretches 30km and consists of an area of 51 km, and the park is extremely accessible to visitors, either by hire car or a highly recommended Grand Tour excursion taking in Timanfaya. Grand Tour excursions by coach to Timanfaya are definitely a good idea in the peak summer season as Timanfaya gets pretty crowded and the organised coach tours get preferential treatment, including jumping the queue at the entrance past the hire cars and taking the Ruta de los Volcanes starting at Islote de Hilario on your own coach rather than the organised yellow ones! meaning you can get up close to Lanzarote's Montanas del Fuego (Mountains of Fire). Visitors can get really up close to Lanzarote's Montanas del Fuego (Mountains of Fire). Expect to be wowed by a luna like landscape with dramatic volcanic cones, extensive remains of lava flow or Malpais (bad lands) and little evidence of plant or wild life here, except a few struggling and hardy lichens, the Timanfaya seed endemic to Lanzarote and the park and just a few other species of hardy flora. Likewise on fauna you're only likely to see terrestrial vertebrates at Timanfaya including the Atlantic Lizard and Canary Island Wall Gecko. Birds you may spot include Egyptian Vultures, Cory's Shearwater and the Rock Dove. It's well worth visiting the Mancha Blanca Visitors Centre prior to entering the park for comprehensive information in all languages on how the park was formed and more detailed information on flora and forna you're likely to see.
