How to Get to Timanfaya National Park: Driving, Parking and Tours

Timanfaya is the volcanic heart of Lanzarote: a national park of lava fields, craters and cinder cones created by the great eruptions of the eighteenth century. It is also a place that works differently from most parks. You do not wander in on foot, and you cannot drive around it at will. There is one road in, one visitor area at the centre, and a bus route that takes you through the most spectacular part of the park.

That makes getting there simple in one sense and confusing in another. This guide explains how to reach the park by car from wherever you are staying, where to park, the rules you must follow once you are inside, and when an island tour is the easier way to go.

The road that serves the park: the LZ-67

Everything at Timanfaya is reached from one road: the LZ-67, which links the villages of Tinajo and Yaiza and gives access to all the park’s facilities. Along it, from north to south, you pass:

The Mancha Blanca visitor and interpretation centre, on the Tinajo–Yaiza road, open daily from 9:00 to 16:00.
The El Taro entrance to the Montañas del Fuego, the gateway to the centre of the park.
The Echadero de los Camellos, where the camel rides start, 2.5 km along the road from the El Taro entrance.

If you remember nothing else, remember the LZ-67: whichever direction you come from, you will end up on it.

Driving routes

From Arrecife

There are two ways from the island’s capital:

Via Tinajo: take the LZ-20 to Tinajo, then the LZ-67 towards Mancha Blanca. This brings you in from the north, past the visitor centre first.
Via Yaiza: take the LZ-2 to Yaiza, then the LZ-67 towards the park. This brings you in from the south, past the camel station.

From Puerto del Carmen

From Puerto del Carmen, take the LZ-504 to Tías and continue on the LZ-2 to Yaiza, then turn onto the LZ-67 into the park.

From Playa Blanca and the south

From the south of the island, head for Yaiza and take the LZ-67 north into the park. This is the shortest approach from the southern resorts, and it passes the camel station on the way to the El Taro entrance.

From the north and Costa Teguise

From the north-east and Costa Teguise, the route via Arrecife, the LZ-20 and Tinajo is usually the natural one, bringing you in past the Mancha Blanca visitor centre.

Parking and facilities at Islote de Hilario

The heart of the Montañas del Fuego is Islote de Hilario, and this is where you park. There is free parking and free Wi-Fi there, together with a café, a restaurant, a souvenir shop and toilets. It is also where the demonstrations of the geothermal anomalies take place and where the bus service for the Volcano Route starts.

In other words, Islote de Hilario is the whole visitor area. You arrive, park, watch the demonstrations, take the bus through the lava fields, and perhaps eat at the restaurant, whose grill uses the heat of the volcano.

The rules once you are inside

This is where Timanfaya differs from almost everywhere else.

From the El Taro entrance to Islote de Hilario, you must stay in your vehicle. Stopping or getting out of the car inside the national park is not allowed.
You cannot drive through the lava fields yourself. The most spectacular part of the park is seen from the Ruta de los Volcanes, a bus tour that starts at Islote de Hilario.
On the Volcano Route bus, you may not get off at any point.
Some areas have very high ground temperatures. At Islote de Hilario, stay in the marked areas and follow the staff’s instructions.
Pets are not allowed, except accredited assistance dogs.

These rules exist because Timanfaya is a fragile landscape. The lava fields and the life slowly returning to them are easily damaged, and the park is protected as strictly as any in Spain.

Tickets: book before you drive

Entry to the Montañas del Fuego is by timed ticket. An adult ticket costs €30, a child aged 7 to 12 €15, and under-7s go free. Tickets are valid only for the day and time you book, with no changes or refunds. Be at the ticket office 15 minutes before your slot — once your booked time has passed, access cannot be guaranteed.

One booking gives a single QR code for everyone, so the whole group enters together. If different members of your party want to enter at different times, they need separate bookings.

The practical point for your drive: book your ticket before you set off, and plan the drive so that you arrive at least 15 minutes early. Our guide to Timanfaya tickets and the Volcano Route explains the visit itself in detail.

What you see on the way in

The drive is part of the experience, because the landscape changes dramatically as you approach the park.

From Yaiza in the south, the LZ-67 leaves the whitewashed village and heads north into ever darker country. Old lava flows crowd the road, cinder cones rise on either side, and the colours shift from the ochre of the older ground to the black and rust of the eighteenth-century flows. The camel station appears before you reach the El Taro entrance, with its lines of camels waiting beneath the volcanoes.

From Tinajo in the north, the road passes the Mancha Blanca visitor centre and then crosses the edge of the great lava fields. It is a quieter approach, and a good one if you want to start at the visitor centre and understand what you are about to see before you reach the Montañas del Fuego.

Whichever way you come, the effect is the same: within a few minutes of leaving a village you are in one of the most otherworldly landscapes in Europe. Drive slowly, and remember that once you pass the El Taro entrance you cannot stop the car until you reach Islote de Hilario.

A short history of the landscape

It helps to know why the park looks the way it does.

The lava fields of Timanfaya were created by the eruptions of 1730 to 1736, which covered about a quarter of the island. Villages disappeared under the lava, and new mountains rose where there had been fields. The ground has barely begun to recover since, which is why the landscape looks so raw.

Protection came much later. In 1970, César Manrique and his team worked in the park, designing the visitor facilities at Islote de Hilario, including the El Diablo restaurant. At Islote de Hilario, the ground exceeds 600 degrees only 15 metres down, and that heat is used to cook food. Timanfaya was declared a national park by decree on 9 August 1974.

Knowing that the landscape is, in geological terms, brand new makes the drive in and the bus route far more striking.

Visiting with children

Timanfaya is one of the most memorable days out on Lanzarote for children, as long as you plan around the rules.

Children aged 7 to 12 pay €15, and under-7s go free. They are included in the single QR code for your booking.
The geothermal demonstrations at Islote de Hilario are usually the highlight: the heat of the ground is dramatic to watch.
The Volcano Route bus keeps everyone seated, which makes it easy with young children, but they cannot get off along the way.
The camel rides last 20 to 25 minutes and run from 9:00 to 15:00. Children from the age of 4 pay the same €11 per ride as adults.
Keep small hands close at Islote de Hilario, where some areas have very high ground temperatures.

Timing your visit

Several things at Timanfaya run to fixed hours, and the best day fits them together:

Your Montañas del Fuego ticket is for a specific time; arrive 15 minutes early.
The camel rides run from 9:00 to 15:00, every day except 25 December and 1 January.
The Mancha Blanca visitor centre is open daily from 9:00 to 16:00.

A morning ticket for the Montañas del Fuego, followed by the camels and then the visitor centre, fits comfortably into a day and leaves the afternoon for La Geria or El Golfo.

Is there public transport?

Timanfaya is not a place for public transport. Plan on either a hire car or a tour. The rules inside the park — stay in your vehicle, take the bus through the lava fields — assume that you arrive by car or on an organised excursion.

When a tour is the easier choice

Driving is straightforward, but a tour makes sense if you do not have a car, do not want to book the timed ticket yourself, or want to combine Timanfaya with other parts of the island. The main options:

Timanfaya half-day tour. The Volcano Route by bus inside the national park with a guide, geothermal demonstrations at Islote de Hilario and an optional camel ride, in about 5 hours. The simplest way to see the park itself.

Timanfaya and La Geria. The Volcano Route and geothermal demonstrations, then the La Geria vineyards and the Green Lagoon at El Golfo, in about 5.5 hours. A good pairing, since La Geria and El Golfo are close to the park.

Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes. The Volcano Route, then two volcanic caves in the north of the island, including César Manrique’s Jameos del Agua, in about 9 hours.

Full-day island highlights. Timanfaya’s Fire Mountains and the geysers at Islote de Hilario, a stop at the camel centre, the northern caves, Haría’s palm valley and La Geria wine, in about 9 hours. Tickets can be included or not, so check before you book.

Guided hike across the lava fields. A 9 km guided walk at an easy pace across the lava fields of the Timanfaya eruptions, in the volcano natural park next to the national park, with optional hotel transfer, in about 3 hours. The way to see the landscape on foot.

The tours page lists them all with live prices.

Driving tips

Book the ticket, then plan the drive. Work back from your slot, allowing at least 15 minutes at the ticket office.
Take the road slowly. The LZ-67 crosses lava fields where the views distract, and inside the park you cannot pull over.
Do not stop inside the park. Between the El Taro entrance and Islote de Hilario, stopping or getting out is not allowed, however tempting the photograph.
Fill up and buy water in the villages. Tinajo and Yaiza are the last places before the park.
Use the free car park at Islote de Hilario. There is no need to look for parking anywhere else once you are inside.

What to bring

Your ticket’s QR code on your phone — no need to print it — and enough battery to show it.
Sun protection. The lava fields have no shade, and Islote de Hilario is exposed.
Water, especially if you are adding a camel ride or a walk.
Closed shoes if you plan a guided walk; the volcanic ground is sharp and loose.
A light layer for breezy days at Islote de Hilario.

Planning your day

A simple plan for an independent visit:

Book your Montañas del Fuego ticket for a time that suits your drive.
Drive to the park on the LZ-67, arriving at least 15 minutes before your slot.
Park free at Islote de Hilario, validate your ticket and watch the geothermal demonstrations.
Take the Volcano Route bus through the lava fields.
Eat at the restaurant, or head on.
Visit the Echadero de los Camellos for a camel ride — they run from 9:00 to 15:00, so go in the morning if the ride matters to you.
Finish at the Mancha Blanca visitor centre, open until 16:00, for the exhibitions and the simulation room.

If you are coming from the south, it can make sense to do the camels first, since the Echadero is on the road in from Yaiza, and the visitor centre last, since it is on the way out towards Tinajo.

Combining Timanfaya with the rest of the south-west

Timanfaya sits in a corner of Lanzarote that rewards a full day. Close by are the vineyards of La Geria, where vines grow in hollows dug into the volcanic ash, and El Golfo, with its Green Lagoon beside the sea. Tours pair them because they fit together geographically, and if you are driving yourself, they make a natural loop: Timanfaya in the morning, La Geria and El Golfo in the afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drive through Timanfaya National Park?

You can drive the LZ-67 to Islote de Hilario, but from the El Taro entrance you must stay in your vehicle, and you cannot drive through the lava fields yourself. They are seen from the Volcano Route bus, which starts at Islote de Hilario.

Is parking free at Timanfaya?

Yes. There is free parking and free Wi-Fi at Islote de Hilario.

How do I get to Timanfaya from Puerto del Carmen?

Take the LZ-504 to Tías, the LZ-2 to Yaiza, then the LZ-67 into the park.

Can I get to Timanfaya by bus?

Plan on a hire car or a tour. The visit is designed around arriving by car or on an organised excursion.

Do I need to book tickets in advance?

Yes. Tickets are timed and valid only for the day and time you book, with no changes or refunds. Arrive 15 minutes before your slot.

Can I bring my dog to Timanfaya?

No. Pets are not allowed, except accredited assistance dogs.

How long should I allow for Timanfaya?

Half a day covers the Montañas del Fuego, the demonstrations and the Volcano Route. Add the camel rides and the Mancha Blanca visitor centre, or La Geria and El Golfo, and it becomes a full day.

Where are the camel rides?

At the Echadero de los Camellos on the LZ-67, 2.5 km along the road from the El Taro entrance. They run from 9:00 to 15:00 and cost €11 per person per ride.