The ferry ride from Huelva to Lanzarote was very relaxed. After spending 26 hours on the Atlantic ocean, the fourth-largest of the Canary Islands appeared in front of us.
The weather was great: blue sky and temperatures above 20 degrees celsius. The ferry landed in Arrecife, the biggest city on Lanzarote. After walking around the city for an hour, I quickly left the city headed south to look for calmer areas. Driving through the rocky desert felt like cruising on Mars.
Swimming and biking in the calm South
My ride ended in the afternoon in front of Playa Mujeres.
I parked my van and walked over to Playa Papagayo which looked amazing. Protected by the bay, the beach was really calm.
What a nice place! I stayed there for a few days. After work, I went swimming in the calm bays or explored the mountains behind the beaches with my mountain-bike.
The mountains were perfect for joyful rides in the evening. They were high enough to offer decent downhill rides, yet small enough to come back at sunset for a final refreshing swim in the ocean.
Surfing and biking in the rough West
While the calm water in the south was great for swimming 
, the wild sea on the West coast offered perfect conditions for surfing. 
The beaches were formed by black lava rocks surrounded by white sand.
There were also a lot of Volcanos to explore by bike,
that offered nice downhill rides all the way down to the beach:
At Playa Mejías I met David, a self-proclaimed “Hippie-Hacker”. He currently lives in an old Volkswagen LT.
David organizes temporary, experimental off-grid desert camps for hackers. We had some interesting conversations about technology, vans and life in general. You can learn more about his projects on his website.
Exploring Famara
Still located on the West coast, but further up in the North, I ended up staying in front of the Famara massif.
Mountains in the back, the ocean in the front.
I often took relaxing breaks at Playa de Famara and enjoyed beautiful sunsets in the evening.
After staying at the beach, I drove all the way up to Peñas del Chache which is the highest peak on the island.
The linear distance to my previous spot in front of the beach was only about 50 meters. However, the difference in altitude was more than 600 meters.
The views were amazing. Especially during the sunrise,
and the sunset:
Hiking and relaxing in the North and East
In the North of the island, I hiked around the crate of Vulcano La Corona. At the beginning I brought my mountain-bike, but on the top I had to climb and there was absolutely no reason to carry my bike around the crate. Hiking instead of biking!
The 360 degrees view was amazing and I was able to spot some sand beaches along the East coast where I could take a refreshing bath and relax after hiking the volcano.
I mostly stayed in the countryside but Punta Mujeres invited me to stay. The village seemed very relaxed and there were a lot of public natural pools along the coast where you can relax after having a drink at the bar.
After leaving Punta Mujere, I was close to Arrecife where I had arrived initially. My round trip through Lanzarote was amazing. The island is definitely worth another visit!
I’m looking forward to visit Fuerteventura, the second-largest of the Canary Islands which is only a 20 minutes ferry ride away from Lanzarote.
