A photographic journey through Lanzarote, the Unique Island
Our island is a breathtaking spectacle of landscape and light, so if you are a photography enthusiast, don’t forget your camera. You will soon realise that on Lanzarote, capturing the sublime comes naturally, as it has for the many artists who have immortalised its singular beauty. Lanzarote is not merely seen; it is contemplated. Its light does not illuminate; it reveals. If you like photography, visual creation and the art of the moment, we suggest the following tour of the island’s iconic landscapes and spaces:
Charco de los Clicos: An Almodovarian embrace
Filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, who recently shot a film in Lanzarote for the second time (Bitter Christmas), is one of our most loyal visitors. It was precisely while reviewing a photograph of Charco de los Clicos, taken years earlier, that he discovered an embracing couple he had not noticed when he took the shot. This anecdote inspired the script for Broken Embraces, a film that revels in Lanzarote’s dramatic landscapes, like this striking green lake surrounded by black sand with the blue Atlantic as its backdrop.
If you’ve decided to follow in Almodóvar’s footsteps and capture your own impossible palette of colours in Los Clicos, reserve the afternoon for this, when the setting sun transforms the volcanic rock into liquid copper here in the south of the island. And while you are in the area, make the most of your visit with a revitalising swim on the beach of Papagayo, have something to eat in one of the fresh fish restaurants in Playa Blanca or go shopping in Marina Rubicón or Puerto Calero. In these southern latitudes you can visit a natural gem: Los Hervideros, a series of volcanic cavities sculpted by the raw power of the ocean.
On days when the sea is rough, you can witness the ocean forcing plumes of spray through them, resembling smoke coming out of a chimney. Nearby we also find the emblematic saltworks of Salinas de Janubio, which stand as living history, preserving ancestral traditions. For the discerning gourmet, the ultimate souvenir from Lanzarote is a small jar of fleur de sel, the delicate texture of which is created by the stark contrast between the cool night and the warm day.
The island of Saramago. João Francisco Vilhena
A Janela de Saramago (Saramago’s Window) is a project by Joao Francisco Vilhena that illustrates, through photographs and texts from Notebooks of Lanzarote, the Nobel Prize winner’s passion for the island where he lived for the last years of his life. Not only did the Portuguese photographer capture José Saramago on his walks around Lanzarote; his images also convey the writer’s bond with the volcanic landscape.
This collection of portraits – of a man who viewed the world from A Casa, his residence, “with the peace he needed to think and write” – helps you to open your own personal window onto Lanzarote. Walk in the footsteps of Saramago and Vilhena: La Geria, the cliffs of Famara, Charco de San Ginés and the paths through lava fields where a Nobel literature laureate found his inspiration.
Teguise and its colonial corners
Cobbled streets, magnificent wooden doors, stately buildings, hidden courtyards… Every corner of the Villa de Teguise holds an image to be treasured. Art and architecture are woven into the fabric of what was the capital of Lanzarote until 1852, and since 2019, has been one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain.
To explore its architectural landmarks is to walk through legendary chapters of the island’s history : the Palacio Spínola, the 18th-century residence of the military governor, now housing the Casa-Museo del Timple, dedicated to the characteristic Canarian string instrument, and the 15th-century Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, which conserves a copy of the image of the Virgin, the original having been stolen by pirates in 1618.
And this very legacy of piracy is on fascinating display at Castillo de Santa Bárbara, a museum with rooms dedicated to the looting suffered by the island, the weapons used and the famous pirates who sailed the waters of the archipelago, such as Sir Francis Drake himself. This magnificent building’s viewpoints offer panoramic vistas of Lanzarote.
Through the lens of renowned artists
We take great pride in counting among our artistic community the acclaimed winner of the 2025 National Photography Award, Carmela García, who has on several occasions turned her highly personal, reflective and transformative gaze upon her native island. In 2023, the MIAC Castillo de San José (Castillo San Jose International Contemporary Art Museum) hosted the exhibition Gabinete de sueños, a show that reaffirmed her commitment to highlighting the realities of marginalised groups from a gender and queer perspective.
Another major name in Spanish photography who has also captured magical moments on Lanzarote is Álvaro Sánchez-Montañés, who won the AENA Foundation Award for his shot of a plane landing at César Manrique Airport. It is common to see a legion of plane spotters (aircraft photographers) from across the globe on the beaches near the aerodrome or on the cycle path as it passes through Guacimeta, all drawn by the unique opportunity to capture aircraft on what is one of just a few runways that pass so close to the public.
The seabed: a living canvas of textures, colours and shapes
While the land of Lanzarote is celebrated worldwide for its bare desert-like beauty, its seabed is admired for the very opposite: a hidden, ancient and forest-like universe of unknown expanse. If you like diving, get ready to discover one of the most spectacular destinations for underwater photography in Europe.
The biodiversity beneath the waves is near infinite: a volcanic geology of reefs, lava tubes, caves and basalt platforms, and habitats teeming with Atlantic fauna, all set against the crystal-clear waters that bring out the deep blue and ochre tones of the volcanic seabed.
It is no surprise that the Atlantic waters surrounding Lanzarote have even attracted residents like marine communicator Cristina Camacho, who describes Lanzarote’s marine life as “among the most impressive in the Atlantic”. Our advice is to come and see it for yourself.
Lanzarote, volcanic catwalk
Lanzarote itself is a natural stage that has long captivated the worlds of art, film and fashion. International haute couture brands and top designers have often chosen locations such as Jameos del Agua, Timanfaya National Park, Cueva de los Verdes and Jardín de Cactus for their presentations and advertising campaigns. So, do you dare to show your followers your creativity? The best photograph of Lanzarote is still waiting to be taken. The secret of its beauty is yet to be revealed.