Great all-seeing eye of Lanzarote, or incredible walk over crater.
In a previous article we told about the Path through the volcanoes craters. But we were displeased due to the fact that we had to observe all the beauty through the bus tinted windows. We started searching Google for other ways to have a look on the panorama of the beautiful cluster of 32 craters that have been ejecting lava from the underground for six years in succession. We found two more official routes in the information center. Fortunately, pedestrian. But unfortunately they were far enough away from the main craters. So we weren’t interested.
But we found a giant crater in Google Maps (this can’t be avoided when viewing maps). Looks like all those 32 little ones altogether.
And it’s obviously incredible on the relief map. 440 m high, 560 m in diameter. The good news is that this crater is outside Biosphere Reserve. You can walk anywhere and most importantly, anytime.
So we were happy to start looking for the way of getting there.
We couldn’t get used to this tough and sharp ground around covered by hardened lava several meters deep.
We found the map, made it clear what is what and decided to see the sunset. And yet some landscapes around.
And that’s how the largest crater looks like from the main road laid amid the hardened lava. No step aside – because there’s no way to.
A number of incredible craters can be seen all over Lanzarote. Like this one. Such a beautiful relief!
We finally waited for 16:00 when the sun was going to decline and went to the largest crater. We were told that it would take up about 60 minutes to go from the parking site.
Its such easy to do than Ascending the Teide volcano peak on Tenerife island
The path, sometimes barely visible, stretched through lava traces. Sharp stones – the large, the small.
We went through two-meter walls of hardened lava. Not a soul nearby. The last two people were returning to the parking site.
Here you walk past such fantastic landscapes and frightening at the same time and realize you’re alone on the planet after the Apocalypse. None infrastructure, even a bird or a tree. Somewhere far away we could see a strip of ocean and mountains. That’s all!
Sometimes we saw in amazement a tree or a bush.
We saw vegetation at the foot of the smaller crater upon reaching it.
And empty land again. The crater was becoming closer and seemed quite high. The path took more than we were promised.
This crater is one of those places we really would remember. It is surrounded by humble silence – some big emptiness. Sleepy kingdom. We want to go quietly, not to wake something extraordinary by chance. It’s difficult to convey such feelings that arise for the first time since you see such environment for the first time.
We were walking for quite long and finally came to the foot of the great crater.
We were met by terrible cracks in the crater walls. As if it was going to crush into pieces due to pressure from inside.
Then having moved a little further we spotted more vegetation on the surface and less frightening appearance, without cracks.
And finally we began to climb up. We found a tiny path and headed to the top.
It looks friendlier around, no sharp hardened lava from this side.
The crater outer walls are layered, which formed a path. But the higher we were going the less visible the path signs were becoming. The stones were crumbling so you have to go carefully and watchfully.
Almost culmination of our ascend! What a sweet moment! Like a big eye in emerald green from inside. We haven’t seen such a beauty in any of the craters!
It was just splendid! Such a moment in complete silence for a few kilometers and lying down was so soft somehow! We felt like dozing off here. And this silence echoing by echo from the crater bottom like a natural lullaby! Another memory we want to bear in mind always.
We climbed up to the altitude of 200-300 m. This ascend is almost like a vertical one!
Such incredible feelings – to be an ant on this hill with abysses on both sides. It’s magical here!
The sun was setting lower and we have not yet reached the highest point. It was more difficult to move further because the rock underfoot is unstable and it crashes.
We climbed to the top edge of the crater.
The crater walls are just incredible. The texture completely different from other sides.
We haven’t timed well a bit. We began climbing the crater later than needed to. We should have allocated more time here. But during the daytime no such unforgettable atmosphere would be felt.
We hoped to see Volcanoes road panorama from here – it was an unattainable desire 🙂 The sun was just at the set over the horizon and only embraced us in its rays, not allowing to look afield)
But the scenery here is still cool! Another crater is visible!
Crater like an eye! All-seeing eye of the Earth.
A steep abyss at the bottom with a fantastic mountain to the sides, and warm sun and silence. It’s rare to plunge into such calm and pleasant silence. There are no birds, no infrastructure, the ocean is far away, the wind ceased, and sheep are grazing the grass.
Somehow, we thought – and what if someone sometime builds in the middle of the eye – a sleeping facility? That would be something fantastically cool 🙂
Much as we would like to stay there, but it would be foolish to get back along subtle paths, and most importantly down the unstable stones in total darkness.
Though we did stride halfway in the dark. But the main thing is that we had come down from the crater and go to the single path to the parking site.
It was incredible adventure! And perhaps the most astonishing on all of the Canary Islands.
Useful information about Canary Islands:
How to travel between the Canary Islands: Ferry and Aircraft
How to rent a car on Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote
More about Lanzarote:
Another Canary Islands:
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