Camels, crabs and cacti
8:30am Saturday 21st March 2009 in Leisure By Jenny Minard
ATTRACTION: Visitors can take a camel ride around the Volcano Park at Timanfaya
With year-round sunshine, Lanzarote in The Canary Islands is perfect for families and couples who need a break in the sun.
With sandy beaches, fascinating volcanic landscapes and a coast screaming out for you to sample the watersports, there is plenty to see and do.
We stayed at the four star Sands Beach resort in Costa Teguise with a private beach, complete with lagoon and a promenade leading to the centre of the town.
The apartments centre around their own swimming pool and there are enough sunbeds for all, so no getting up early to lay your towel out.
The spotlessly-clean self-catering apartments have their own patio or balcony — with furniture for al fresco dining. They each have a kitchen, complete with dishwasher, toaster and all the utensils you’ll ever need. With a supermarket shop on site, eating in has never been easier.
If you don’t fancy cooking then there are deals to go half-board in the Hacienda restaurant.
The resort is perfectly placed for a range of activities if you fancy getting out and about.
An aquapark is great fun for children, while snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing, windsurfing and boating are just some of the watersports on offer. For those who prefer to stay on dry land there is golf, mountain biking and horse riding.
For many tourists a visit to Lanzarote just isn’t complete without a camel ride around the island’s main attraction, the Volcano Park at Timanfaya.
Riders can sit in an English Chair so that two people can hitch a ride at the same time. These camels are used to providing passengers with a genteel ride — although woe betide the unsuspecting rider wearing perfume or after-shave.
This will improve the camels’ mood no end, as they find scent a powerful aphrodisiac.
When the sun goes down there is still plenty to do.
At the resort there is entertainment at the Soleil Bar in the hotel or for something more lively, hop over to the capital city of Arrecife where there are plenty of bars.
You can take a walk along the Avenida Maritima and watch the sun go down with a cocktail. If you fancy a day trip then the cactus garden is a must. Designed by local artist Cesar Manrique it is a centre for all weird and wonderful cacti. The site is an amphitheatre of volcanic stone, with terraces showing almost 1,500 different species of cacti.
Another must is the Los Jameos Del Agua in the north of Lanzarote.
This consists of volcanic galleries and caverns, and a Tunel de la Atlántida — an underwater tunnel which runs along the inner part of the Atlantic Ocean.
This leads to a lake, home to tiny, blind white crabs (Munidopsis Polomorpha) — crustaceans which usually live in deep sea. Scientists are still trying to work out how they can live in the Jameos.
At night when it is illuminated, it is an even more spectacular sight and there is an auditorium where ballet, plays and concerts are performed.
Flying with Jet2 you can opt for Jet2plus. From £24.99 per person, you get a range of perks such as priority check-in and access to the VIP lounge. With a hot meal on the plane, plenty of leg room and entertainment, including hand-held screens you are certain to have a comfortable journey.
