Volcan El Cuervo

or
Volcano of the Crow
or
Caldera de los Cuervos

Lanzarote holiday planner quick facts and ratings:-

8/10 – Overall rating

9/10 – walking and exploring
9/10 – natural beauty
7/10 – access and parking (except in high season and weekends)
1/10 – local amentities

Drive times

20 minute drive time from Costa Teguise
20 minutes drive time from Puerto del Carmen
40 minutes drive time from Playa Blanca

Brief description:

The Volcan El Cuervo is a nearly perfect example of an untouched volcano. Walk around and into the cone of a large volcano. Marvel at the other worldly landscape all around.

History and Formation:

Located in a dramatic landscape of recent and significant volcanic eruptions you can explore the Volcan El Cuervo. Look on in awe the vista of this geological marvel of cooled lava rocks and flows reaching out as the eye can see. Set in an un earthly landscape you will find the Volcano el Cuervo. This extinct volcano has hardly changed since a time when Lanzarote was a roaring inferno. Six solid years of constant volcanic activity, molten flowing lava and explosive eruptions made a spectacle not to be missed.

The most recent eruptions in Lanzarote ended in 1824 just 200 years ago. The main active period when this area was created lasted a devastating 6 years from 1730 to 1736. What was once an inhabited and fertile part of Lanzarote was completely decimated in this period.

Many Lanzarote residents fled to Cuba and parts of South America, some stayed and endured. The Timanfaya area of the island had constant volcanic ash clouds that completely blocked the sun. Residents were forced to move to parts of the island were survival was still hard to at least possible.

Before the large scale Timanfaya eruptions this whole area was known as ‘Vega de las Vacas’ or ‘Plain of the cows’. The area was fertile allowing growth of grains like barley, wheat, rye, lentils and peas. This was all destroyed and the missing crop and grazing areas had to be recreated else where.

Location and parking

Found in the area of Lanzarote called ‘El Parque Natural de los Volcanes’ or ‘Natural park of Volcanoes’.

Located in the province of Tinajo near the road LZ-56 you will find this monumental volcano. Turn off the LZ-30 onto the LZ-56 then enter the parking area about one kilometre further along the road on the left.
There is a clear path that take you to the volcano. Along the route you will find several information boards about the volcano and local fauna.

Visiting the ‘Volcan El Cuervo’

See first hand a real volcano just as it was when formed over 300 year ago. Marvel at the landscape with the freedom to explore. There are few locations in the whole world where you can have such a close up and tactile interaction with recently formed volcanoes and lava formed rocks.

Remember to take some good walking shoes, water and apply sun screen. The path is uneven and not suitable for a baby buggy. In the high summer season go early to miss the crowds.

When crowds are low the walk and visit will last around 60 minutes.

Head out of the parking area along the path towards the volcano. As you get near to the volcano the path will split into two. Take the left path to first circle the volcano then arrive at the single entry point of the cone. Access is pretty level, if a little uneven, via a pass that takes you inside the caldera.

A much shorter route to the entry pass of the volcano is to go right at the split in the path. After about one hundred yards you will see the entry to the heart of the volcano.

Further information:

Nearby is also located two more volcanoes called ‘Montana Negra’ (Black mountain) and ‘Montana Colorada’ (Colorada mountain). These can be included in your walk around the area or split into several days.

The Volcanic Natural Park occupies an amazing forty square miles. The area is considered one of the best examples of laval flows and lichen fields in the world. Studies have been made here to understand how life first began on out planet.