Is 8.00am - 4.00pm enough time ?

We will be visiting Arrecife on Sunday 31st December 8.00am till 4.00pm.

We wish to visit the Timanfaya National Park and have looked at a coach tour with Viator. It seems that a coach tour is better ???? as then there is no waiting to get into the park. We don't want to hire a car.

The tour offers a camel ride (not interested) and a short wine tour (once again not interested) .Does any one have experience of what is available ?

Our ship's tour is identical to Viator but costs more !

Any advice much appreciated ..... thanks

"Waiting time to get into the Park"

There's no waiting time & no pecking-order to get to the park visitor centre.

Other than the immediate area of the visitor centre the rest of the Park can only be accessed on a Park bus, and it's probably a queue-jumping facility for Park buses that's being promoted by Viator. I strongly suspect that ship's tours have the same facility.

For the rest of us (we rented a car) you're allocated a number (or a time, sorry I forget which) to take the Park bus. I can't speak for all times or all days, but our wait was very short - in fact not long enough to check out the visitor centre or the quick-fire geyser, or even to grab a coffee - we did that all after the bus ride.

When you take the Park bus ride you'll understand why that's the only way you can tour the park. I used to be a coach-driver & have driven some pretty hairy tracks but nothing like those in Timanfaya Park - hats-off to the drivers.:cool:

Do reconsider renting a car.

The public roads are fine & traffic is light other than along the busy SE coast, and you'll have the freedom to see so much more than things like the camel-ride (yes, pretty naff) or a vineyard. For instance you can continue past Timanfaya on the coastal road to El Golfo, where the volcanic lava reached the sea, creating natural arches & amazing rock formations.

You'll certainly have time for Timanfaya & El Golfo.

If you've had enough of lava at Timanfaya, Istead of El Golfo you could visit Cesar Manrique's house - it's only a short drive from the port.

Of the island's three main resorts, IMHO Playa Blanca is still quite quaint & easy-going & with plenty of relaxing sea-front watering holes, Puerto del Carmen is pretty crowded and Costa Teguise is a concrete jungle.

We rented from Cicar - biggest & best agency in the Canaries - clean late cars, excellent service incl maps & CD, sensible rates & none of the scams that are so prevalent with rental agencies in the US and UK.

JB :)

Thank you for such a detailed reply and a lot of information on Lanzarote - an island we have never visited.

I have just received an e-mail from Lanzarote Experience Tours who can do a tour for 50 euros per person (minimum 12 passengers) Starting at the Hilario inlet there's a demonstration (3 experiments) then to the Park then to Los Hervideros cliffs then to El Golfo. then salt pans and then wine tasting. total 4& a half hours.

We have driven in Europe many times (even in central Florence - very scarey !! ) so we maybe hire for the day. I'll look at the options ,your help has given us lots to consider.

thanks :)

I would also hire a car as it is very easy driving in Lanzarote on good, reasonably quiet roads. I can also recommend CICAR for car hire in all of the Canary Islands.

Check opening times for the places you wish to visit as NYE is a big celebration in Spain and some places may close early.

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Thanks for the information - early closing could be a problem - I'll check it out.

We will be visiting Arrecife on Sunday 31st December 8.00am till 4.00pm.

We wish to visit the Timanfaya National Park and have looked at a coach tour with Viator. It seems that a coach tour is better ???? as then there is no waiting to get into the park. We don't want to hire a car.

The tour offers a camel ride (not interested) and a short wine tour (once again not interested) .Does any one have experience of what is available ?

Our ship's tour is identical to Viator but costs more !

Any advice much appreciated ..... thanks

We were there in November 2014 and another passenger had booked the Viator tour. It was excellent. We skipped the camel ride because by the time we got there, there was no time. (I don't recall that anyone on our bus had requested that we do this!)

The wine tour was interesting and not too long, so if you aren't interested it's not a great difficulty. The site was very pleasant and gave us some different scenery.

Most of our time was in the Park.

Mura

Thanks, Mura - it looks likely that we will have to book a ships tour as Viator are not doing tours on the 31st.

Lanzarotetaxi.com do a South Route tour on their website which you can book, and this goes every day for cruise ship passengers.

John Bull has given you a very comprehensive reply. I have lived on Lanzarote for 25 years and agree, you will have plenty of time to see the National Park whichever way you choose to do it, and it is a must see in my eyes.

However you do the tour, enjoy!!!