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Lanzarote is well known for its Cactus Garden, Castle of San Jose and azure lake. You can reach Lanzarote by air. There are several cheap flights to Lanzarote from remote as well as nearby countries. There is one more tourist destination that should be visited when you plan a vacation at Lanzarote. It is the Timanfaya National Park. The park is located in Tinajo in Lanzarote and the basic facilities are run by the Director of Conservation.

The main attraction of the Timanfaya National Park is the Fire Mountain or Monta񡳠del Fuego. These fires were born out of the volcanic eruptions that went on for 6 long years from 1730 to 1736. There was not just one or two but several hundreds of volcanoes spanning an area of 50 sq. km. These volcanoes had destroyed a huge part of the island and the last known occurrence was recorded in 1824. But since the rainfall has been scanty in this part of the region it still looks more or less the same as it looked post the eruptions. The region was converted into a National park called Parque Nacional de Timanfaya in 1968.

The National park was enunciated as the best natural set up of volcanic origin in 1974 in the entire Macaronesica region. It is amazing to see the terrain that has got formed due to the volcanic eruptions over several years. The destructive power of the volcanoes is still evident as they show geothermal anomalies compared to the other regions of the island. The temperatures are said to have risen as high as 610 degrees up to 13 m down inside the earth.

It is not just about the volcanoes but also about the effects it has had on the landscape and the soil. The effect has been bad and good. The way the soil responds now is evident in the rare species of plants that are not seen on any other part of the island. It resembles the Martian terrain to a large extent. As you reach the car park you will find some craters. They become evident only when your throw in a paper or a brush, as it catches fire within seconds. Try pouring water in the holes you will see it converting into steam almost immediately.

There are restaurants here that make use of this heat produced by the simmering lava under the surface. It is termed as geothermal heat that is obtained by keeping an iron grill. The National park is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and costs 8 Euro for a tour.