Cesar Manrique Art & Jameos del Agua Shore Excursion from Arrecife Lanzarote

This Arrecife shore trip explores the spaces and art Cesar Manrique created out of Lanzarote's volcanic landscape. Highlights include the Jameos del Agua Cave, Cueva de los Verdes, and Mirador del Rio.

Cesar Manrique was fascinated by Lanzarote's volcanic terrain, which others saw as an arid, inhospitable desert. For him, the island's volcanic character was synonymous with beauty, and it was out of respect and gratitude for the environment where he grew up that he developed his work. Though he described himself primarily as a painter, Manrique also worked as a sculptor, architect, town planner, landscape artist, and conservationist, and all of those disciplines show up in what you see on this tour.

After meeting your guide, about 30 minutes from the port, you arrive at the Jameos del Agua Cave, Manrique's first and arguably most spectacular project on the island, completed in 1966 as the first of his Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism. The cave sits inside a volcanic tube formed by the eruption of the Corona volcano, a lava tube system that runs more than 3.7 miles, one of the longest in the world. Manrique built a natural auditorium into the volcanic rock with exceptional acoustics, and the site is also home to Munidopsis polymorpha, a blind, albino, freshwater crab species found nowhere else on Earth, discovered living in the cave's saltwater lake.

Next you visit the Cueva de los Verdes, part of the same Corona volcano lava tube system, more than 3 miles long overall. In 1964, a roughly 1 mile section was prepared with lighting and walkways for visitors, and the dramatic lighting design gives the caverns a theatrical effect as you move through them.

After this visit there is a stop for lunch before continuing to Mirador del Rio.

Finally you visit the Mirador del Rio, another of Manrique's projects, a viewpoint built directly into the island's northern cliffs overlooking the narrow strait toward La Graciosa. Manrique considered this piece one of his clearest expressions of building in harmony with the lava rather than against it, an oasis-like structure integrated into the cliff face itself.

After seeing these examples of natural and human-made art working together, you return to Arrecife.

Mobility: this tour is not suitable for wheelchairs.

• Mobility: Due to uneven surfaces, steps, and walking distances, this itinerary is not suitable for guests using wheelchairs. Please contact us for alternative sightseeing options, including private driving tours that may better accommodate your needs.