Taxi tours in Lanzarote

[4js]

Having difficulty finding tours in Lanzarote from cruise port.  Are taxis readily available and if so will they take you on a tour to multiple places. Thank you for any input or suggestions 

[VMax1700]

On 3/26/2024 at 1:48 AM, 4js said:

will they take you on a tour to multiple places.

Of course they will.  But the fare will be on the meter unless you arrange a fixed price for day/half day/ 3 hours etc before you start.  Also, the driver is a taxi driver and not a tour guide so you will probably not receive any information on the trip.  Driver may or may not speak english.

I would think that taxis will be available at the port but will know for certain when we dock there next month.

[sleepingcat]

Lanzarote is a volcanic island, so it's pretty much brown sandy soil and rocks everywhere, apart from where there is cultivation. so driving around to sightsee is not a great idea. that said there are (at least) three really good things to do, depending on your preferences.

 

the top attraction is the volcanic area, which has active hot outlets (ok not the right word!), and is a national park. we went on an arranged tour, but I think any taxi would take you up there for a pre agreed price. you'd want to be there quite a while. 

 

we were in Lanzarote on a port day this January. We went to two places, the Cesar Manrique cactus garden (amazing, pretty, interesting, nice cafe and views), a very short drive from the port. Followed by the Cesar Manrique foundation, interesting museum/cultural centre, lots of personal history about the artist and his work. This was about a four hour ship arranged tour, but I felt we were rushed in both places, so doing it yourselves would allow you to spend the time better. 

 

Apart from that the island has beaches, catamaran trips, the kind of thing you could do on any of the islands. Personally my least favourite of the Canaries, though most cruises have a port call there, so we ve been a few times. 

 

In case it's your first visit, be aware that the islands are very different from each other, despite being so close. La Palma and La Gomera are our favourites, green, lovely nature , lovely scenery. 

[John Bull]

I disagree with my feline friend (no right or wrong, just different opinions).

We've found Lanzarote the most interesting of the Canary Islands, and it's one of our go-to places for a winter break.

And whereas @sleepingcat prefers green & verdant islands, we prefer the more-dramatic scenery of Lanzarote.

 

Yes the volcanic area, Timanfaya, 20 miles / 45 mins from the port in Arrecife. There's a visitor centre where you can watch ther restaurant's chicken being cooked over the natural underground heat, and demonstrations like a bucket of water poured into a hole bored in the ground which provides a mini-version of Old Faithful. Included in the entrance fee is a bus tour over the convoluted hilly lava on a narrow one-way road just for the park's buses.

Beyond the park you can drive across the volcanic fields to the coast at Los Hervideros, where the lava entering the sea has left some amazing rock formations. And just up the road from there, the "green lagoon" at El Golfo.

Playa Blanca is a pleasant & interesting resort to round-off your day.

 

Or 16 miles / 25 mins north of the port, Cesar Manrique's Jameos del Agua and the nearby underground tube (Cueva de los Verdes) left by molten lava. 

 

Or much closer to the port the other Manrique Cesar sights mentioned by sleepingcat.

 

Because of waiting time at the sights, these will be expensive by taxi - even pre-booked - especially if you want to make the most of the day by combining places.

 

But rental cars are inexpensive & available at the port if pre-booked, and other than in Arrecife the roads are easy and traffic is light. Best-known, highly-rated and very customer-friendly rental agency is Cicar, who we have used on many occasions on most of the islands- clean late cars, map, informative CD, and none of the usual cons & add-ons employed by rental agencies worldwide. (Most rental cars n Europe are shift-stick - if you need auto-shift be sure to specify)

 

JB 🙂

 

Edited March 30 by John Bull

[4js]

Thank you to all who have responded with such helpful information.  I will be looking to take a tour.