Timanfaya as a half-day tour for €59: what happens in the park and where the five hours go
Updated October 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Anyone wanting to give up half a day to the Fire Mountains without a hire car books the Timanfaya Volcanic Craters tour: €59 per person, 5 hours, 4.4 out of 5 from 2,740 reviews – already including the €30 park admission. By review count, it ranks 5th among the island’s 197 offers: a measure of demand, not of quality. It shows only the national park, without the caves in the north and without a lunch break. Anyone who wants to walk instead should take the volcano hike for €44; anyone who already has a car is better off buying just the ticket.
See times and prices for the Timanfaya Volcanic Craters tour
| Tour | Duration | from | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timanfaya Volcanic Craters tour | 5 hours | €59 | 4.4 from 2,740 reviews | anyone without a car who only wants to give up half a day |
| Timanfaya tour with a stop in La Geria | 6 hours | €59 | 4.4 from 986 reviews | anyone who wants the wine region for the same price |
| Timanfaya and Green Lagoon for cruise passengers | 2 hr 30 min | €49 | 4.6 from 2,154 reviews | cruise guests from Arrecife and anyone who needs German |
| Hike through the volcanic landscapes | 3 hours | €44 | 4.8 from 1,503 reviews | anyone who wants to walk instead of sit – without a park ticket |
| Trek in Timanfaya Nature Park | 3 hours | €47 | 4.8 from 961 reviews | small groups who want to walk 8 kilometres |
The half-day tour’s short description promises the park “on the exclusive Volcano Route”. Exclusive means: private cars don’t drive there. But the same route is also driven by the park bus, included in every admission ticket. The operator is Low Cost Tours Europe (LCTEurope), which also runs the €87 and €89 day tours.
The maths: €30 admission, €29 for the rest
According to the booking page, included are admission to the national park, a guide, travel insurance and the air-conditioned coach with pickup at one of 51 points between Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen, Playa Honda and Arrecife. The only exclusion is the camel ride, paid in cash on site.
Admission costs €30 for adults at the island authority CACT. So of the €59, €29 is left for the bus, guide and pickup. With the day tour to Timanfaya, Jameos and the cave, €25 is left after three admissions – for a whole day.
For families, the maths tips: children aged 7 to 12 pay €15 at the park, younger children get in free. If two adults, a nine-year-old and a five-year-old each pay €59, that’s €236; admission alone costs the same family €75. The tour description doesn’t state a children’s price; whether there is one only shows up in the booking form.
Guiding is in English, Spanish and French, according to the site – not in German.
Five hours, of which 1 hour 45 minutes at stops
The schedule names three stops: one hour in the national park by bus with a guide, 15 minutes at the Islote de Hilario, 30 minutes at the camel station. The rest, according to the operator, is the drive there and back; depending on the hotel, the tour therefore takes four to six hours, while the time at the stops stays the same.
Critical reviews mention this repeatedly. One guest was picked up at 8:15 am, the last passengers at 9:30 am, and was back by 12:30 pm. Several write that the actual tour lasted two to three hours.
What really happens in the park
Islote de Hilario. This is where the geothermal demonstrations take place: water shoots up as a fountain of steam within seconds, plus earth and stones to touch that are noticeably hot. Guests mostly report three short demonstrations, followed by ten to twenty minutes for the toilet, a coffee and the view. That’s not enough time for a meal at the El Diablo restaurant, whose grill runs on geothermal heat.
The Volcano Route. Usually the excursion coach drives it itself, with its own guide on board; the group doesn’t transfer to the park bus. Nobody is allowed to get out along the route. According to several reviews, part of the commentary is played from a recording, in three languages one after another. The drivers are praised almost across the board for handling the narrow, winding roads; one guest felt sick. According to CACT, the route was designed by César Manrique; more of his work is at Manrique sights, and background on the park is in What to see in Lanzarote.
When the park is closed. For the case that the national park has to close, the booking page provides for the Timanfaya Interpretation Centre as a substitute. Reviews from December 2025, February and April 2026 describe exactly that: the park closed because of fog or bad weather, a museum and the Green Lagoon instead. The site doesn’t mention a refund for this case.
The camel stop: 30 minutes, even without a ride
The ride costs extra and, according to the booking page, is paid in cash at the camel station; it doesn’t state an amount. Several guests give €11; the booking page of the cruise tour states €11 for 25 minutes, that of the €87 tour around €12. Neither age nor weight limits appear on any of these pages – ask the operator beforehand.
Anyone who doesn’t want to ride waits. Several reviews mention 40 to 50 minutes at a car park with a small café. On animal welfare there are isolated comments in both directions: one guest writes of poor treatment of the camels, a family of rough camel handlers; another found the animals well cared for.
Driving yourself: the same €30, but with a time slot
With a hire car you buy the ticket online in advance, for a fixed date and time, with no rebooking and no refund. The park is open daily from 9:30 am to 3:45 pm, and you need to be at the ticket counter 15 minutes before your booked time; according to CACT, there are no waiting areas for early arrivals. From the El Taro entrance you stay in the car until the Islote de Hilario, park there free of charge and board the park bus: around 35 minutes on the Volcano Route, every 20 minutes according to CACT. CACT estimates the whole visit at about 1 hour 15 minutes.
You gain your own pace, time for El Diablo, no camel stop, and reduced admission for children. You lose flexibility: the tour can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours in advance, the park ticket not at all. At the entrance, several tour guests drove straight past the queue of cars, while others still waited 20 minutes to over an hour.
Wheelchairs and pushchairs. The tour excludes non-folding and electric wheelchairs. CACT names adapted buses for the Volcano Route and recommends a baby carrier over a pushchair. Have both confirmed beforehand; more in Lanzarote with a baby.
The alternatives alongside: La Geria and cruise
Six hours with La Geria. Also €59 is the Timanfaya tour by First Minute Travel: 6 hours, 4.4 out of 5 from 986 reviews. Included, according to the booking page, are skip-the-line park admission, a guide, pickup and a stop in the La Geria wine region; the camel ride costs extra. The description states around 40 minutes on the Volcano Route and a return around 2 pm, with guiding in English and Spanish. So for the same price you get La Geria thrown in; whether there’s tasting, the list of inclusions doesn’t say. To stay longer: wine tastings in La Geria.
See availability and prices for the Timanfaya tour with La Geria
From Arrecife port. Two cruise tours include park admission according to the booking page and state German as a guiding language. Timanfaya and Green Lagoon is listed at 2 hr 30 min and costs from €49 at 4.6 out of 5 from 2,154 reviews; the lagoon, La Geria and a camel ride belong, according to the site, only to the five-hour option – which option costs €49 only shows up in the booking form. The morning tour Timanfaya and El Golfo lasts 4 hr 30 min and costs €61 at 4.6 out of 5 from 1,076 reviews, with wine tasting and food extra.
On foot: hiking and trekking alongside the park
The hike through the volcanic landscapes (€44, 4.8 out of 5, 1,503 reviews, 3 hours) is covered in Lanzarote with teenagers. Because it doesn’t go into the national park, you need neither a park ticket nor a time slot.
The trek in Timanfaya Nature Park (€47, 4.8 out of 5, 961 reviews, 3 hours) is, according to the booking page, a loop of about 8 kilometres with at most nine participants; along the way there are Canarian snacks and white wine. Among those the operator names as unsuitable are people over 70 – have this confirmed before booking.
See availability and prices for the volcano hike
The free hikes run by the park authority lead into the national park itself, starting from Yaiza or, on the coast, from El Golfo: groups of up to eight people, from age 16 (16- and 17-year-olds only with an adult), guided in Spanish or English depending on the date, booked through the Spanish national parks portal.
Who’s better off not booking it
Anyone who wants to walk. Apart from the Islote and the camel station, you’re sitting on the bus. Several guests, because of the recommended closed shoes, had expected a hike.
Anyone who needs a German-speaking guide. Of the tours mentioned here, only the two cruise tours and the €87 and €89 day tours offer German.
Anyone with a hire car who doesn’t want to ride a camel. Then you’re paying €29 mainly for the bus ride, the guide and half an hour of waiting.
Our recommendation
For most people without a car: the Timanfaya Volcanic Craters tour for €59 per person, 5 hours, 4.4 out of 5 from 2,740 reviews. It picks up at 51 points between Playa Blanca and Arrecife, includes the €30 admission and only gives up half a day. In exchange, you accept that 1 hour 45 minutes of that is at stops and the rest is the bus ride.
For the same price with more included: the six-hour tour with a stop in La Geria, also €59, 4.4 out of 5 from 986 reviews. An hour longer, but the wine region is included – the right choice if the day is being given up anyway.
For families and anyone with a hire car: just the park ticket for €30 per adult, €15 for children aged 7 to 12, younger ones free. Four people save noticeably that way compared with four tour places, and you set your own pace. The price is a fixed time slot with no rebooking and no refund.
For anyone who wants to walk: the hike through the volcanic landscapes, €44, 3 hours, 4.8 out of 5 from 1,503 reviews – the highest rating in the table above, together with the trek. It doesn’t go into the national park, so you need no ticket and no time slot.
See availability and prices for the Timanfaya Volcanic Craters tour
The half-day tour suits anyone without a car who doesn’t want to plan tickets. Families are divided: two guests recommend it with children, one found it no good at all for children. Depending on age, Lanzarote with a toddler or Lanzarote with kids can help. All tours are listed under Timanfaya and volcano tours and Things to do in Lanzarote; buggy tours, including one to the El Cuervo volcano, are under Buggy and quad tours.
