Lanzarote excursion to the Cactus Garden, el Mirador del Rio (the Viewpoint of the River), The Cesar Manrique Foundation, and Los Jameos del Agua.
On our Cesar Manrique excursion, discover the important works of this great Canary artist, who was probably the most important of the 20th century. On this tour, we will visit much of the work that Cesar Manrique left us on his native island, but we will also get to know some stand-out places in Lanzarote where his creativity did not intervene.
We will begin our route by travelling through the wine region of la Geria. We will discover in these lands how the vines grow semi-wet over small volcanic rocks, and how they are protected with walls formed by larger rocks. In short, it is another sample of the ancestral knowledge of the islanders, capable of adapting to the environment with ingenuity.
Our first stop allows us to get to know the Monumento al Campesino (Monument to the Peasant), the first great work of Cesar Manrique that we will see during the excursion. This monument, located in the geographic centre of the island, is an homage to the island’s peasants. Within it, a dog, a camel and a peasant are represented in abstract forms.
The next stop will be at the Cesar Manrique Foundation, the home of the great artist until shortly before his death in 1992. Today, his home has been transformed into a museum to get to know the legacy of this unique artist, who above all was passionate about his native land.
We will continue the tour in Mirador del Río (River Lookout), the best place to contemplate the Chinijo archipelago, which includes the islands of La Graciosa, Alegranza, Montaña Clara, Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste. It is a lookout that Manrique constructed in the year 1974 and is about 475 metres high, blending in completely with its surroundings.
The views and its construction are amazing, so it is not strange that it is often included on top ten lists for the best lookouts in the world.
After visiting el Mirador del Río, we will stop for approximately one hour to have lunch at a restaurant on the way to the Jameos del Agua. The guide will inform you about the type of food, price, and lunch time during the excursion.
In Los Jameos del Agua, we offer the chance to enter this volcanic tunnel, which arose about four million years ago after the eruption of the neighbouring Corona Volcano.
It is an incredible place that is located below sea level and has an interior lake full of filtered water from the Atlantic Ocean.
But this natural marvel multiplies its attraction for being the space where Cesar Manrique’s entire creative capacity erupted, providing it with a pool, gardens, an auditorium and a museum. All of these interventions reflect the link between art and nature that fascinated the artist and, undoubtedly, will fascinate you as well.
Our visit to Los Jameos del Agua will impress you with its beautiful and powerful corners. You can’t leave without also seeing some of its less-known treasures, such as the Tunnel of Atlantis, and without seeing the small albino crabs that inhabit the lake, which are known as “jameitos.”
Our final stop of the day will be in Guatiza to visit the spectacular Cactus Garden, another of the works created by the great protagonist of our excursion. Cesar Manrique recovered an old quarry to create this giant garden, which houses about 1400 species of cactus from the Canary Islands and around the world.
We hope that upon finishing the excursion, you will return to your hotel with the feeling of having spent one of the best days of your holiday in Lanzarote, full of memories of unforgettable places on the island and by its favourite son, the great César Manrique.
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