South Lanzarote Tour: Timanfaya, El Golfo and La Geria in One Day
What a south Lanzarote tour covers, which bookable tours include Timanfaya, El Golfo and La Geria, what is extra (wine, camels, lunch) and when to drive it yourself.
A south Lanzarote tour puts the island’s three volcanic sights into one compact loop: the Fire Mountains of Timanfaya, the Green Lagoon at El Golfo and the vines dug into black ash at La Geria. For most first-time visitors the Lanzarote: Timanfaya National Park & La Geria Tour covers all three in half a day, with hotel pickup and the €30 park ticket in the $73 price. Wine tasting and lunch are not included.
Timanfaya shows you the eruptions of 1730 to 1736, El Golfo shows the same volcanic rock meeting the Atlantic, and La Geria shows how farmers learned to grow grapes in it. Those three stops sit within a few kilometres of each other in the south-west, so the day is mostly lava and very little motorway.
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The tours that cover the south
All prices are per person and come from the GetYourGuide listings; check the listing for your pickup point before you book.
| Tour | Price | Rating | Timanfaya | El Golfo | La Geria | Lunch | Wine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timanfaya National Park & La Geria Tour | $73 | 4.5 · 782 | Route of the Volcanoes, ticket included | Yes | Stop | No | Not included |
| South Tour: Timanfaya National Park | $95 | 4.4 · 74 | Route of the Volcanoes, ticket included | Yes | Stop | Included | Not included |
| 4x4 Volcanic & Coastal South Adventure | $79 | 4.4 · 103 | Visitor centre only | Yes | Winery stop | No | Small courtesy sample |
| Timanfaya and El Golfo for Cruise Passengers (Mornings) | $71 | 4.6 · 1,081 | Route of the Volcanoes, ticket included | Yes | Stop | No | Not included |
| Arrecife: Timanfaya and Green Lagoon for Cruise Passengers | $57 | 4.6 · 2,155 | Route of the Volcanoes, ticket included | 5-hour option | 5-hour option | No | Not listed as included |
The $73 Timanfaya and La Geria tour is the one to book from a resort. It picks up at 25 points across Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca, spends about 75 minutes inside the park, then stops for around 20 minutes each at the El Golfo viewpoint and in La Geria.
The $95 South Tour adds lunch to the same three sights. Pay the extra $22 if you would rather not hunt for a restaurant in Yaiza afterwards; with only 74 reviews, its rating rests on far less evidence than the $73 tour’s.
The $79 4x4 trip suits a different reader. It goes off-road from Volcán del Cuervo to La Geria, adds a swim stop at Papagayo beach and a small courtesy glass at a winery, but it stops at the Timanfaya visitor centre and does not drive the park’s Route of the Volcanoes. Book it for the beach and the dirt tracks; for the Fire Mountains, pick one of the coach tours.
If you arrive by ship, the two cruise tours leave from the port at Arrecife. The $57 Green Lagoon tour reaches El Golfo and La Geria only on its 5-hour option, which is also the one with an optional camel ride at €11 for 25 minutes.
Timanfaya and the Fire Mountains
Timanfaya is the reason to come south, and every tour above except the 4x4 spends the longest stop there. At Islote de Hilario, park staff drop brushwood into a pit that catches fire from the ground’s heat and pour water down a borehole that returns as a jet of steam. Then a park coach drives the Route of the Volcanoes through the protected interior, where you cannot walk or drive on your own.
The €30 adult ticket is sold online for a timed slot. On a tour the operator holds that slot for you, which in July, August, Christmas and Easter can matter more than the transport. Our Timanfaya National Park guide explains how the visit works, and the tickets and entrance fee guide covers prices for every age.
The camels at the Echadero de los Camellos, on the road into the park, are paid separately on every tour that stops there. The South Tour’s listing names the ride and marks it as not included.
El Golfo and the Green Lagoon
El Golfo is a fishing village on the coast just west of Timanfaya. The draw is Charco de los Clicos, the Green Lagoon: a pool of bright green water inside half of an old volcanic crater, between a black sand beach and the Atlantic. The lagoon is protected, so you see it from the marked path and the viewpoint above, and you cannot go down to the water’s edge. Tours stop for about 20 minutes, which is enough for the view and a photo.
La Geria and its volcanic vineyards
La Geria is Lanzarote’s main wine country, and it looks like no vineyard you have seen. Each vine grows in a hollow dug down through the black ash to the soil underneath, sheltered from the wind by a low semicircular wall of stones. Thousands of those hollows run across the slopes between Uga and Masdache.
The coach tours stop for about 20 minutes to look, and the GetYourGuide listings for the $73, $95 and $71 tours all list wine tasting as not included. The 4x4 trip’s courtesy glass at a winery is the only pour included on the tours above. For a proper tasting, book the Hiking through La Geria: where volcanoes become vineyards walk, $54 and rated 4.9/5 from 215 reviews, which ends with Malvasía wine and local cheese. With a car, the bodegas along the LZ-30 sell tastings on the spot.
Yaiza
Yaiza is a whitewashed village on the edge of the lava field, and the easiest place in the south for lunch or a coffee. It is also the start of the From Yaiza: Timanfaya Express Tour with No Queues, $72 and rated 4.6/5 from 379 reviews, which suits a self-driver who wants the park without queuing for a slot at the gate.
Los Hervideros and the Janubio salt pans
South of El Golfo, the coast road passes Los Hervideros, where lava ran into the sea and left cliffs, caves and channels. On a rough day the waves force their way into the rock and blow out as spray. A little further on, the Salinas de Janubio salt pans spread out below the road in a grid of shallow pools.
None of the tours above lists either place among its stops, so plan on a car if you want them. At Los Hervideros, stay on the walkways and well back from the edge, because waves surge higher through the channels than they look from above.
Booking a tour or driving yourself
Book a tour if you want pickup, a guide and the Timanfaya slot handled for you, or if you do not want to drive. The $73 half day costs roughly twice the €30 park ticket and adds the pickup, the guide and two more stops.
Drive yourself if you already have a rental car and want to choose your stops. Buy your Timanfaya slot online first, because there are no gate sales. Then add El Golfo, Los Hervideros, Janubio and a bodega in La Geria at your own pace. The park’s coach still takes you around the Route of the Volcanoes. If you are staying in Playa Blanca, our guide to volcano tours from your resort shows which tours start closest.
The itinerary to aim for
For a first visit: Timanfaya, then El Golfo, then La Geria. That order puts the park in the morning, before the midday heat on the lava, and leaves the vineyards for the drive back. Anything beyond those three, such as Yaiza, Los Hervideros or Janubio, is a bonus.
If you would rather walk on the lava than watch it from a coach window, look at the volcano hikes. For the months with the most comfortable heat, see the best time for a Lanzarote volcano tour.
South tour or full island tour?
A south tour keeps you in one corner of the island and gives the volcanic sights more time. A full-island tour adds the lava caves and César Manrique’s sites in the north at the cost of a much longer day on the coach. If volcanoes are your priority, and you would rather not spend half the day driving, the south is the better pick. If you have only one sightseeing day and want the caves too, compare the options in our guide to Lanzarote island tours, which also lays out a two-day north and south plan.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a south Lanzarote tour?
The $73 Timanfaya and La Geria tour runs as a half day. Its listing gives about 75 minutes inside the park and 20 minutes each at El Golfo and La Geria, plus up to 75 minutes on the coach each way depending on your pickup point. Check the listed duration for your hotel before you book.
Are camel rides included?
No. The camels at the Echadero de los Camellos are paid separately. The cruise tour from Arrecife offers a 25-minute ride for €11 extra on its 5-hour option, and the South Tour’s listing marks the ride as not included.
Is wine tasting included?
Not on the coach tours: the $73, $95 and $71 listings all mark wine tasting as not included, and they stop in La Geria to look. The 4x4 trip includes a small courtesy sample at a winery. For a real tasting, book the La Geria hike with Malvasía and cheese, or visit a bodega with a car.
Does a south tour include Los Hervideros?
None of the tours on this page lists Los Hervideros or the Janubio salt pans as a stop. You need a car to see them.
Is a south tour better than a full island tour?
If volcanoes are your priority and you want less time on the coach, yes. If you also want the lava caves in the north and have only one day, a full-island tour covers more ground.
Still deciding between formats? Our guide to choosing a Lanzarote volcano tour compares hikes, coach tours and buggies side by side.
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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