Last Updated on 8th February 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
Save for a few photos, I knew little of what to expect from Las Grietas Lanzarote, an unusual geological rock formation not far from Arrecife Airport in Lanzarote. Here’s how to visit Las Grietas, as well as what to know before you go.
What is Las Grietas?
Las Grietas is quite literally translated into English as ‘the cracks’ and the rock formation is just that: a crack in the cliffside that you can walk through. The crack was caused when the volcanic plates of Montaña Blanca cracked.
While you can only wander for 20 metres or so between the rock face, the site is reminiscent of a very miniature version of Antelope Canyon in Arizona or the Grand Canyon in Arizona and remains one of the less-visited geological formations in Lanzarote.
How to visit Las Grietas Lanzarote
Las Grietas is a relatively hidden gem when it comes to photo spots in Lanzarote and, even during our visit in the spring half term, there were only a handful of other people at the site, meaning that we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
Both the parking and access to the site itself is free. With this being said, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to see Las Grietas and would instead plan to see the site en route somewhere else.
The nearby roundabout on the way towards Arrecife is home to one of César Manrique’s unique ‘wind toys’. Another cool photo spot nearby is the Palma Inclinada, which is a leaning palm tree. Unfortunately, as of 2022, the leaning palm has been destroyed.
The rock formation isn’t visible from the roadside and, when we first pulled up in the car park, we weren’t even sure we had come to the right place! There are no signs to indicate that you’ve arrived so you’ll have to rely on Google maps to know when you’ve arrived!
The parking is on the right hand side on the road from Tias to San Bartolomé, and las Grietas is on the other side of the road. Like many other sites in Lanzarote, such as the Stratified City, the parking is slightly off road and so is a bit gritty.
The road you have to cross to get to Las Grietas so be mindful of this when crossing the road- I probably wouldn’t visit with young children for this reason alone.
The walk up to the geological formations is a volcanic sand track and is moderately difficult, but only takes a few minutes from the roadside. Sturdy and comfortably footwear is an absolute must, as is closed footwear- the volcanic rock is quite sharp, not to mention slippery.
You can walk through the mini canyon to take photos or admire it from above. We visited in the middle of the day (as this was the only time that our schedule would allow) so the lighting wasn’t fantastic as it was hard for our cameras to differentiate between the stark contrast of the shadows of the canyon and the bright blue sky. Mid-morning or mid-afternoon would probably be a better time to visit.
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