Playa del Papagayo, an iconic beach on the south coast of Lanzarote near Playa Blanca, is one of the most popular on the island and attracts visitors all year round.

Although the name 'Papagayo' evokes the name of a parrot, it actually probably comes from the Portuguese name for the fish Xyrichtys novacula, which was caught here during the days of Portuguese rule.

The cheapest hotels by the beach

Papagayo beach attracts tourists with its raw natural environment completely free from human interference. It is located in an enclosed rocky cove, where the emerald clear water contrasts sharply with the brown-yellow colour of the desert environment.

You can enjoy the fine golden sand and the water in the enclosed cove is almost always as calm as a swimming pool. The bay's rocky bottom and jagged shores also make for good snorkelling conditions, although the Canary Islands' underwater life is not the richest.

There are no facilities directly on the beach, but two small restaurants are open during the day on the reef just above the bay.

How to get there

Papagayo Beach is about 4.5km south of Playa Blanca and there are three ways to get here:

By car

By car, you can drive almost directly to the beach or the cliff above it, and there's a convenient path leading down from the car park. There is a large free car park, the road to it from Playa Blanca is dusty but accessible to all cars, see the route map.

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By boat

Boat taxis leave from the old wharf in Playa Blanca (not the ferry port) to Playa del Papagayo about 4-5 times a day.

On foot

The last option is a coastal walk along the footpath, which runs 4.5km one way from the old port in Playa Blanca. The path is comfortable more or less on flat ground, see the route map.