Cueva de los Verdes vs Jameos del Agua: Which Should You Visit?
Two ends of the same lava tube, two very different visits. Prices, length, what you actually see, and which one to choose if you only have time for one.
They are the same tunnel. The La Corona volcano erupted around four thousand years ago and left a lava tube running from the crater down to the coast and out beneath the sea — and Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua are two sections of it, a few minutes’ drive apart.
If you want the cave, go to Cueva de los Verdes. If you want the architecture, go to Jameos del Agua. One is a kilometre of raw, unlit volcanic tunnel with a guide and a good trick at the end; the other is what César Manrique built when he was handed a collapsed section of the same tube. Most people who do only one and later regret it wanted the cave.
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Side by side
| Cueva de los Verdes | Jameos del Agua | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Unlit lava tunnel, guided on foot | Collapsed tube redesigned as a public space |
| Adult ticket | €16 | €20 |
| Child (7–12) | €8 | €10 |
| Typical visit | 50–60 minutes, guided | 1–2 hours, self-paced |
| Route | About 1 km underground | Pool, gardens, auditorium, museum |
| Guided? | Yes, in fixed groups | No — you wander |
| Underfoot | Uneven rock, steps, low ceilings | Steps, but paved throughout |
| Book if | You came for the volcano | You came for Manrique |
Prices are the operators’ published rates at the time of writing and are for entry only.
Cueva de los Verdes: the actual cave
You walk about a kilometre into the tube in a guided group, with the lighting doing very little except keeping you on the path. The chambers reach up to forty metres high in places, the roof is ribbed where the lava drained away in stages, and the guide explains what you are walking through — including the fact that islanders sheltered here from Berber raids, which is the reason the passages were mapped in the first place.
There is an optical trick near the end that the guides refuse to spoil, and it is genuinely worth the ticket on its own. Ask nothing in advance.
The visit is fixed and guided, so you go at the group’s pace, and the ceiling is low enough in stretches that tall visitors will duck. Wear something with grip: the floor is uneven volcanic rock, not a paved walkway.
Jameos del Agua: what Manrique did with a hole in the roof
A jameo is a collapsed section of a lava tube — a skylight the size of a courtyard. Manrique took one, kept the rock, and put in a garden, a brilliant white swimming pool, a restaurant and a 600-seat auditorium inside the tunnel itself. It opened as the first of his art-and-nature centres and it is still the most photographed interior on the island.
The natural lake in the lower jameo holds Munidopsis polymorpha — tiny blind albino crabs found nowhere else on earth, living in seawater that seeps in through the rock. They are the island’s emblem, and the reason you are asked not to throw coins in the water.
It is self-paced, largely paved, and easily an hour or two if you sit with a drink. It is also, unmistakably, a designed space rather than a wild one.
Which one, if you only do one?
Choose Cueva de los Verdes if your interest is the volcano itself, you want a guide, you have children old enough to enjoy a dark tunnel, or you are already doing Timanfaya and want the underground counterpart to it. It is also the cheaper of the two.
Choose Jameos del Agua if you are interested in Manrique and how the island was designed around its landscape, you want somewhere to linger rather than a fixed tour, you are travelling with anyone who would struggle in a low, uneven tunnel, or you want lunch built into the visit.
Do both if you have the north of the island for a day. They are minutes apart and the tickets are separate, so the practical question is whether you want to buy two entries and manage the timings — which is precisely why the combined tours exist. The full-day island highlights tour covers both alongside Timanfaya, and the Timanfaya, Jameos and Cueva de los Verdes day trip includes every entry ticket in the fare. Our breakdown of the combined tour →
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Cueva de los Verdes or Jameos del Agua?
For the volcanic experience, Cueva de los Verdes — it is a real, guided kilometre inside a lava tube, and it is €4 cheaper. For architecture, design and somewhere to spend an afternoon, Jameos del Agua. They are different kinds of visit rather than better and worse versions of the same one.
How much do the caves cost?
Cueva de los Verdes is €16 for adults and €8 for children aged 7 to 12. Jameos del Agua is €20 for adults and €10 for children. Under-sevens go free at both. Several guided tours bundle the entry fees, which usually works out cheaper than buying both separately plus transport.
How long does each visit take?
Cueva de los Verdes is a guided walk of 50 to 60 minutes. Jameos del Agua is self-paced and most people spend one to two hours, longer if they eat there.
Are the caves suitable for children?
Yes, though Cueva de los Verdes is dark, uneven and has low sections, so it suits confident walkers rather than toddlers. Jameos del Agua is much easier underfoot and has the blind white crabs, which children tend to remember longer than the architecture.
Can I visit both on the same day?
Easily — they sit a few minutes apart on the same road in the north of the island. The friction is two separate tickets and the drive up from the resorts, which is why most visitors do them as part of a north-of-the-island tour rather than independently.
Is there anything left of the lava tube outside these two sites?
Yes. The La Corona tube runs for several kilometres and continues out under the sea as the Túnel de la Atlántida, one of the longest known submarine lava tubes anywhere. Only the two sections above are open to visitors.
Both caves appear on several of the island tours we list — see which volcano tour suits you or browse all Lanzarote volcano tours.
Stand on the Fire Mountains
Guided hikes across the lava fields, coach tours with Timanfaya park entry, and the lava tubes of the La Corona eruption. Free cancellation on every tour listed here.
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