Lanzarote shore excursion from Arrecife: three coach tours, what fits the time in port, and what happens if you are late
Updated October 7, 2026 · 8 min read
The short answer: the most-reviewed shore excursion is the Timanfaya and Green Lagoon tour from Arrecife – €49, 4.6 out of 5 from 2,154 reviews, with a 2.5-hour version and a longer 5-hour version that adds the lagoon, the vineyards and a camel ride. If you have more time ashore and want the geothermal demonstration, the Timanfaya and El Golfo morning tour is €61 and 4.5 hours, with 1,076 reviews at 4.6 out of 5. A newer 4-hour tour built for cruise passengers is €40 and has no reviews yet. Which one you can take depends on one number: the “all aboard” time in your ship’s programme.
See times and prices for the Timanfaya and Green Lagoon excursion
| Excursion | Duration | from | Rating | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timanfaya and Green Lagoon for cruise passengers | 2.5 to 5 hours | €49 | 4.6 from 2,154 reviews | coach, guide, Timanfaya ticket |
| Timanfaya and El Golfo for cruise passengers (mornings) | 4.5 hours | €61 | 4.6 from 1,076 reviews | coach, guide, Timanfaya ticket, wine tasting |
| Lanzarote shore excursion for cruise passengers | 4 hours | €40 | not yet rated | coach, host, audio guide, winery visit |
The one question that matters
Your ship leaves at a fixed time, and these tours do not move it. A tour you book yourself is run by the tour operator, not by your cruise line. Cruise lines usually hold the ship for excursions they sell and run themselves, and usually do not for ones you booked on your own. Check your own line’s terms before you rely on either, because the practice differs.
So the arithmetic is yours to do: take the “all aboard” time from your daily programme, subtract the tour’s full duration, and ask whether the margin is comfortable. The tours state 4 or 4.5 hours or, for the first, 2.5 to 5 hours. A reviewer reports a run from 10:00 AM to about 3:15 PM, getting back in time for the ship.
Per the itineraries, the coach drive from Arrecife to the volcano area is about 30 minutes each way, and the stops are fixed: Timanfaya takes roughly an hour, the Green Lagoon 20 minutes, La Geria about 20 minutes. If your ship docks late or you tender, do the calculation again.
Where the guide waits – and why it matters
All three meet at the cruise terminal, and the pages disagree on where, because Arrecife has more than one berth.
The Timanfaya and Green Lagoon tour says the guide waits about four minutes past the police checkpoint at the cruise terminal. A reviewer notes a last-minute change of berth, and that the coach was still easy to find. The El Golfo tour lists two pickup locations, one on Avenida de los Mármoles, and a reviewer reports that at La Marina the pickup is in car park P3, where you look for a bus with the sign “Central de Reservas”. The reviewer arrived early and the guide came at 8:40 AM; the page does not promise a time, so check the confirmation.
The €40 tour is the most precise: if your ship docks at the Muelle de Cruceros (Marina de Arrecife), you meet at Parking 3, about 100 metres outside the port area. If it docks at Los Mármoles, you meet at the roundabout about 200 metres beyond the port security barriers. The guide wears a World2Wander badge or holds a sign.
Save your meeting instructions on your phone before you leave the ship.
Timanfaya and Green Lagoon, €49
The best-documented excursion. The 2.5-hour version is the park; the page says the camel ride, the Green Lagoon and the visit to the vineyards belong to the 5-hour version only. The ticket for Timanfaya National Park, an English, German or Spanish guide, an air-conditioned coach and insurance are included. Food and lunch are not, and the camel ride is an extra €11 for 25 minutes.
A reviewer who took the longer option says the tour left enough time at each stop, and lists the camels, the magma experiments and the Timanfaya tour as highlights. Pushchairs: baby carriages are not allowed on the coach, but foldable ones may go in the luggage compartment.
See availability and prices for the Timanfaya and Green Lagoon excursion
Timanfaya and El Golfo, €61
Four and a half hours: a 30-minute drive, 70 minutes at Timanfaya including the live geothermal demonstrations at Hilario’s plateau and the volcano route, 20 minutes at the Green Lagoon, 20 minutes in La Geria with a wine tasting, and the way back. The guide speaks Spanish, English, German or French. The page states that the coaches are not adapted to wheelchair users.
For €12 more than the first tour you get a defined 4.5-hour route, the wine tasting, and fixed lagoon and vineyard stops. A reviewer says it left time in the afternoon. For the detail on the lagoon, see our El Golfo guide.
See availability and prices for the El Golfo morning excursion
The €40 tour: new, cheap and unproven
The newest of the three: four hours, stops at Montaña Colorada (30 minutes), the Green Lagoon (20 minutes) and a visit at the Bodegas Rubicón winery in La Geria (an hour), with a 20-minute walk at El Golfo listed as optional. The host speaks English, Spanish or Italian, and audio guides come in five languages. Bottled water is included; food, drinks and personal expenses are not. The page excludes children under 5 and wheelchair users.
Notice what is missing: the description mentions volcanic landscapes, but the list of inclusions names no Timanfaya park ticket, and the tour has no ratings. At €40 it is the cheapest, and a fair choice if a winery stop suits you and the volcano drive is enough; it is not a substitute for the park tour.
See availability and prices for the €40 shore excursion
Our recommendation
For most cruise passengers: the Timanfaya and Green Lagoon excursion, €49. It has more than two thousand reviews, it is built for ships, and you can choose the version that fits your time in port.
Book a date for the Timanfaya and Green Lagoon excursion
With a long day: the €61 morning tour with wine tasting. On a tight budget and with no need for the park interior: the €40 tour, accepting that it is unrated. If you have only a few hours, skip the winery and take the 2.5-hour park version. The full picture of the park is in our Timanfaya half-day guide and more options are under Timanfaya volcano tours.
Not for you if you need a wheelchair-accessible coach (two of these exclude it) or if your ship is in port for less time than the tour plus a generous margin.
Itineraries, durations, inclusions and meeting points are as published on the GetYourGuide booking pages of the operators named. Ratings and review counts are from GetYourGuide. Subject to change.
