Yaiza Femes Salinas de Janubio Uga Puerto Carmen Lanzarote Holiday Walking Guides

The Lanzarote Map we used was the AA Island Series: no.9 - 1:50,000 and if you use a GPS it must be set to WGS 84
The above map aligned well using Orzola at the Ferry mark [N29°13'24 W013°27'09] and the base of the Lighthouse at [N28°51'21 W013°52'21]

Yaiza - Femes - Yaiza Dreaded aerials/transmitter sites. Once spotted - and of course they are always really high up on a hill or mountainside - there really is no choice but to go and walk up to them.

The aerials (608 metres) above Femes are visible for miles around in the south of Lanzarote and this very enjoyable - reasonably strenuous - but not too complicated walk which starts and returns at Yaiza is around 13.5kms. It should be noted that it can be extremely windy once you climb up to the ridge and if the weather is quite windy down in Yaiza it may well be quite hazardous to try this walk since although track you do cross a narrowish ridge which seems to act like a wind tunnel in the area where it's height dips.

We were up there one day and could hardly stand up against the wind - and when the frequent gusts hit us it was very very difficult (in fact we decided to give up). The other point to note is to check if there is low cloud around, the aerials and upper parts of the area can be blanked out and therefore again pick another day for the walk.

The walk involves a 7km constant upward climb to the masts - always on a wide track (so no vertigo implications), a walk back down on a zig-zag to Femes, a walk on a really nice path followed by a quite steep but short climb back up to the ridge and finally a wander back down part of the original track into Yaiza. Start the walk from the church and take the La Degollada road out of Yaiza, just on the outskirts of the village you come to

fields and also a road going off sharp left, take this road as it goes between houses on it's left and fields on the right - after about 500 metres the road crosses a junction and then becomes a track.
Continue on up this track to reach a ruined windmill on your left and a 3-way track junction - take the right hand track as it continues to climb up to the ridge. Later just after a stone ridge the track forks - stay on the right hand side and simply follow this main track to the now visible aerials.

Once up at the site the views are fantastic with the saltpans, Timanfaya and lots of craters and cones all clearly visible.

On the far side of the aerial buildings there is a path dropping down to a cave house - but going down to this is a waste of time since all that is there are two locked wooden doors. Returning down the track from the aerials take the right hand track which zig-zag's you down towards Femes - at a track junction go left and at the next track junction turn right and loop on down to eventually a tarmac road ending up on the main Femes road.

Once at the main road turn left and walk out of Femes - just after leaving the village and the last houses there is a double road junction on the left - continue with a stone wall on your left and as you get to the end of the wall a track goes off to the left - this track skirts the back of the fields and eventually becomes a really nice small rocky path.

Follow this path as it heads towards two trees halfway up the hill - the path is marked with cairns once it leaves the field edges.
Just stay on this path as it eventually climbs back up to a ridge. Now for a nice surprise - join a main track and turn left to walk up an awfully steep track of only about 100 metres but wow... as the track sort of flattens it bears right to arrive back up at the stone ridge (mentioned above on the outward trip). Turn right and simply retrace your steps down into Yaiza.

Salinas de Janubio to Punta Gorda This straightforward walk is pretty well flat and gives the opportunity to explore lots of coves and small inlets, and also to watch the sea crashing in on the coast - maybe it's difficulty lies in the distance (around 17km there and back) but also because underfoot you are quite often walking on small rocks which does tend to start hurting the soles of your feet after a while - our feet were certainly a bit sore by the end of the walk even though we had small walking boots.

Park in the large car park above the beach at Salinas de Janubio then head across the very black sandy beach to the small car park on the other side. Here you will find a path which almost immediately forks - take the lower path and continue along following the coast until you eventually arrive at a track. Continue in the same direction on the track and just keep going along the coast - quite soon arriving at the desalination building. Here the track has collapsed into the sea so you need to walk to the left and then round the de-salination plant to then pick up the track again.

The enjoyment of the walk is in leaving the track and just walking as close to the sea as you can - there are huge rocky inlets and rock pools etc. to have a look at - and in places (when the sea is rough) the way the waves crash in is really spectacular. The walk ends at Punta Gorda - which is where the rotting Atlantic del Sol exists but obviously you can opt to return sooner or continue on a while further if you wish - you can of course keep going to the lighthouse and ultimately Playa Blanca if you are doing a one way trip.
Having walked tightly around the coastline going, we opted to pick up the track and walk it back to Salinas de Janubio but again this is a matter of choice. Note the track and in fact the area is littered with small rocks around here and is quite awkward to walk on.

Uga to Puerto del Carmen This is 17.5 km of really great walking - one longish continual climb plus two quite steep climbs and then a walk down into Puerto Carmen - so it could be described as strenuous from both climbing and distance points of view - especially in hot weather.

Starting off in UGA by the church take the main road which goes to La Geria/Teguise - at the crossroads turn left and taking this small road you will see it changes to a track ahead of you which climbs steeply up to rejoin the main La Geria/Teguise road (this is just to avoid the big loop on the main road). Turn left and after a few yards turn right onto a grey/black track heading into the valley with fields populated with grape vine rock enclosures either side. The track goes quite gently upwards heading towards the Guardilima - which of course has to be climbed. The track slowly bends to the right in front of this little hill and crosses over a ridge and then starts going down - to the left are really good views of Timanfaya Park and La Geria road and lava. As the track goes down from the ridge the fields end and there is a more open area on the left, also a path heading left towards Guardilima. Follow this path across a rough field to a wall and from here take a now visible track heading straight up the side of the Montana - the track soon becomes a scree-path and becomes very much steeper - eventually it becomes a zig-zag which carries on steeply up to the summit.

The views up here are tremendous - you can see everywhere. Vertigo is not really an issue since at the top by going slightly to the right the area is actually quite flat and does not create a problem.
Return the same way - in fact going down was found to be far more difficult than the climb since the scree is quite slippery - so perhaps walking boots and a trekking pole are a good idea. Back at the original track turn right to go back a little way to take a track off to the left heading up towards some buildings - this is quite a stiff climb and takes you up to the top of Montana Tinasoria - really this is not to be missed since again the views are brilliant - also even if windy there are large rocks which can be used as windbreaks to have a rest/drink/picnic.

From here there are two options - return back down to the main track and turn right to go on down towards the coast or continue on round the top of the hill to pick up the main track further back. It is unclear if there is right to do the latter however we saw several people ahead of us taking this route and did this ourselves as follows: From the top of Montana Tinasoria continue on the track which soon dives steeply down into a flatter area then slowly swings right and climbs back up - the track suddenly ends as you come to fields. There is a well trodden path which drops down and along the fields on the black sand (this is the part where we are not sure if access is actually ok) to eventually arrive back on the main track.

Turn right and head back again up and over the crest passing the Tinasoria and then the Guardilima turn offs - and continue down towards now visible houses in front of you and the flat coastline (and to your left Puerto de Carmen) in the distance.
A little way from the houses leave the track on a sandy path on the right to then join another track - turn right down this and continue on down now with villas both sides of you and maybe like us obtain a small dog for a pet as well.

Continue down crossing a tarmac road and then about two minutes later bear left round a villa (San Miguel) - soon after this as the road bears right there is a large abandoned house on the left and also a tarmac road joins also from the left - continue on down the road heading towards the sea.

Around two minutes later arrive at a tarmac road - there is a huge concrete rain-water collection area (and presumably underground reservoir?) on your left. Turn left along the road but quickly take a gravel track on the right to join another tarmac road slightly below, turn left on this and follow it until the main road is reached. Continue left on the main road towards the petrol station - after around 10 minutes from leaving the concrete reservoir cross the main road to take a tarmac road opposite heading for the coast - follow this narrow road round through villas to eventually meet the Puerto del Carmen road.

Turn right passing a restaurant and a gift shop and just as the main road bends carry straight on along another small road - go straight on at the first junction, at the next junction turn left and after a few yards right onto a track which goes down through a newly bulldozed gully to arrive at the Puerto Calero-Peurto del Carmen road. Cross this tarmac road to continue on a track opposite - this track winds round a little and goes through a barranco to ultimately arrive at a dead end by some closed iron gates which are on the left. But it is not a dead end - just to the right of the wall walk on a small path above the barranco to at last arrive near the sea. Now simply continue going left along the coastline and heading back into Puerto del Carmen.

Yaiza, Femes, Salinas de Janubio and Uga to Puerto del Carmen - Lanzarote Holiday Walks Guides and Photos.