The Caldera Blanca volcanic crater is one of the most beautiful mountains in Lanzarote and a prime example of volcanic landscapes.
At 459 m above sea level, it is not the highest, but with a crater diameter of over 1.15 km, it is by far the widest on the island.
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The name of the volcano - White Crater - suggests the appearance of the mountain.
Time has dried its slopes to a beige-yellow-white colour that contrasts sharply with the surrounding landscape of black lava fields stretching as far as the eye can see. These fields were created by huge eruptions in the 18th century in the neighbouring Timanfaya region, but they didn't reach high enough to engulf the 5,000-year-old Caldera Blanca volcano, so they loom over the landscape like a lonely white beacon.
The fertile soil at the bottom of the crater turns green with grasses after each rain and fills a small lake.
Trek to Caldera Blanca
The mountain is one of the few landscapes of volcanoes in the southwest of Lanzarote to which an official hiking trail leads. The trek starts at the end of a dirt road about 1km long leading from the village of Mancha Blanca, where you can park your car. It continues on through the blackness of the dried lava fields and after a while it will lead you to the foot of the slopes of the Caldera Blanca, which you will climb to the top.
The ride is comfortable and, thanks to the low height of the volcano, there are no dramatic elevation changes to worry about.
- Length of the route (round trip) - 9 km
- Time - approx. 2.5 to 3 hours
- Route map
How to get there
The most comfortable route is by rental car, which will really take you to the edge of the dirt road into the lava fields. From Arrecife you will drive about 21 km to get here.
You can take a bus to the centre of Mancha Blanca, which will extend the whole journey by about 2.5 km in total. Buses from Arrecife line 16 and from inland Teguise line 53 stop here.
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