Ninety plus beaches. Year round sunshine. A surreal volcanic terrain. It´s little wonder that Lanzarote, the most easterly of the Canary Islands is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Spain. Attracting around 1.5 million visitors every year.

Tourism first took off on the island back in the 1970´s. As General Franco sought to attract much needed foreign currency by transforming Spain’s hot spots into package holiday destinations. A policy which resulted in large swathes of southern Spain becoming buried beneath a sea of high rise hotels.

Fortunately Lanzarote escaped this fate. Thanks to the intervention of an island born artist called Cesar Manrique. Who campaigned for the considered and controlled development of tourism on the island.

Manrique was born in Lanzarote´s capital of Arrecife in 1919 and was at the vanguard of the Spanish surrealist movement in the 1950`s. Before moving to New York to work and exhibit – where he rubbed shoulders with creative contemporaries such as Andy Warhol.

However, Manrique soon became aware that his beloved island was under threat as hoteliers and property developers began to circle. So he returned to Lanzarote and used his considerable influence on the island to mitigate against the worst excesses of mass market tourism.

As a result the island today is still surprisingly unspoiled – especially in comparison to close Canarian cousins such as Tenerife and Gran Canaria. There are no high rise buildings – as Manrique successfully had any construction taller than a Canarian palm tree banned. And there’s a total absence of adverting billboards – as these were also outlawed.

Consequently – outside of the three main resorts – Lanzarote remains largely as nature intended. Which is fortuitous as the island boasts a great deal of natural beauty. Some of which is unconventional and raw – such as the incredible terrain of the Timanfaya Volcano Park. Scene of a series of huge eruptions in the 1730´s which created hundreds of new volcanic peaks and an eerie lava scape that covers around one quarter of the island.

The north of Lanzarote is a complete contrast to the arid, volcanic region in the south. As here picturesque white washed villages such as Haria and Maguez nestle in the folds of palm packed valleys – such as the aptly named Valley of 1000 Palms. Where locals plant one palm for every new born girl and two for a boy.

Lanzarote is small – measuring just 58km by 38km – so exploring this island of contrasts and discovering its many attractions is easy. With both car hire and petrol much more affordable than in the UK.

Find more Lanzarote tourist information at Lanzarote Guidebook

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