Playa Blanca & Surroundings

Conveniently located to start off our exploration tour of the southern Lanzarote is Playa Blanca, once a tiny fishing port, which in recent years has grown – and is still growing – beyond recognition into Lanzarote’s third largest tourist resort, with a regular ferry connection to the neighbouring island Fuerteventura. Yet, despite of this development and its many restaurants, bars and shops, the village has retained its genuine charm and tranquillity.

Several beautiful, calm beaches have made this resort very popular with families. One of the best – yet too small considering the number of people coming to Playa Blanca – is its main central beach, located at the end of the harbour. This pleasant, sheltered beach has golden sand and clear waters and provides fabulous views over northern Fuerteventura and the in front lying islet of Los Lobos, only separated by 11 km (7 miles) from Lanzarote. Two new beaches have recently been built to make up for the lack of space on the main central beach. The more exposed Playa Dorada, situated to the east, is extensive and its facilities include restaurants, snack bars, shops and all kinds of leisure and water sports activities. Sheltered by two moles and backed by subtropical greenery is the charming Playa Flamingo, located to the west. The three beach areas of Playa Blanca are linked by a pleasant promenade, running all along, lined with restaurants, snack bars, cafés and shops. Only a few steps away from the sea, behind the promenade, you will find ingeniously designed modern hotels and attractive holiday apartment complexes.

Further inland and parallel to the waterfront, there is another shopping street – partly closed for traffic – leading to a square at its eastern end, where the town’s parish church stands.

But there are still more options for beaches in the near surroundings of Playa Blanca. If you continue along the promenade eastwards you will eventually arrive at the Castillo de las Coloradas, an old watchtower, whose present construction dates from 1769, but it is believed that the original construction on the same site was a small castle, built by Jean de Béthencourt in the 15^th century. The coast between here and Punta de Papagayo – the southernmost point of the island – is a chain of idyllic coves and paradisiacal beaches featuring fine pale golden sand and warm, crystal clear water, which can be reached by car or boat. As there are very few facilities available, bring your own food and enough water with you…. and don’t forget the sunshade!

This area is part of Los Ajaches Nature Reserve that can be accessed by a minor road from Playa Blanca. It was created in 1994 and comprises a bird protection zone. Remains of the island’s first European settlement – San Marcial del Rubicón, founded in 1402 by Jean de Béthencourt – can be seen nearby on the edge of a cliff.

If you follow the promenade westwards from Playa Blanca, it takes you to a path leading to a lighthouse – the Faro de Pechiguera. The curiosity is that there are actually two lightouses – a low older structure and a tall new one, which was the first one to be built in execution of a project by Manrique, who planned the construction of several lighthouses around the coast. This project was – probably due to financial reasons – never completed.