invme Place
Everywhere
All cities · Everywhere →
EN
ENEnglish RURussian FRFrench DEGerman ITItalian ESSpanish PTPortuguese PT-BRBrazilian Portuguese ES-MXLatin American Spanish FR-CACanadian French EN-GBBritish English UKUkrainian PLPolish JAJapanese NLDutch KOKorean SVSwedish DADanish NBNorwegian FIFinnish CSCzech HEHebrew ELGreek ZH-HANTTraditional Chinese HUHungarian RORomanian HRCroatian SKSlovak SLSlovenian ETEstonian LVLatvian LTLithuanian BGBulgarian TRTurkish

El Golfo

Nature spots ·Yaiza ·Open now
4.76.5K
#3Nature spots in SpainTravelers' Choice 2026
Make a plan here
Directions Bookmark

Sign up free — See who's going and message them.

About

El Golfo is a small village in Yaiza, southwest Lanzarote, on the edge of Los Volcanes Natural Park, south of Timanfaya amid lava and scree.

More photos 10

1 / 10
El Golfo — Black sand beach and offshore rock viewed from the headland Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
El Golfo — Black sand beach and offshore rock viewed from the headlandEl Golfo — Boats on the black beach beneath the red volcanic cliffsEl Golfo — Rocky cove and black sand beach below the red headlandEl Golfo — El Golfo village and rocky shoreline in warm evening lightEl Golfo — Waves breaking around dark rocks along the village coastEl Golfo — White village houses above the rugged Atlantic shorelineEl Golfo — El Golfo houses and the rocky coast from the overlookEl Golfo — Surf washing over long volcanic rock shelvesEl Golfo — Red and pale volcanic layers along the crater slopeEl Golfo — Jagged volcanic rocks rising from the red crater hillside

Why go

  • A roughly 600-metre beach of gravel and dark sand.
  • A coastal walk across ʻaʻā lava fields to Playa del Paso.

Opening hours

Today00:00 – 23:59Show all
Monday00:00 – 23:59
Tuesday00:00 – 23:59
Wednesday00:00 – 23:59
Thursday00:00 – 23:59
Friday00:00 – 23:59
Saturday00:00 – 23:59
Sunday00:00 – 23:59

Don't miss

  • Crater viewing platformLook across the sea-open crater and its 150-metre-long green lagoon, framed by black sand and dark, red and yellow cliffs.South of the village

History

El Golfo began as a fishing settlement and later became a tourist destination beside Charco Verde. Boats along the seafront recall its fishing heritage. The lagoon formed when seawater surfaced inside the crater.

  1. 18th–19th c.Eruptions shaped the coastal cliffs.
  2. 1824Eruptions created the volcanic landscape around El Golfo.
  3. 1974Timanfaya National Park was established north of El Golfo.
  4. 1990sThe Ruta del Litoral coastal trail was laid out.

Tips for your visit

  • Expect strong, windy surf on the beach.
  • The lagoon is shrinking as water evaporates. Its natural balance has been disrupted for several years, for reasons that remain unknown.

Best time to visit

  • El Golfo village is open 24 hours daily.

Know before you go

  • The lagoon is fenced off, and swimming is prohibited.
  • The Ruta del Litoral is the only route in the protected area that visitors may walk independently.

On the same route

  • Los HerviderosSouth of El Golfo; walking time not given.

How to get there

  • CarRoad location: Carretera Yaiza a Playa Blanca, Yaiza.
  • On footA small path leads from the parking area at the village entrance towards Charco Verde; the lagoon itself is fenced off.
  • On footThe Ruta del Litoral starts at the village’s northern edge.
  • 60 minOn footThe coastal path north of the village reaches Playa del Paso in about an hour.

Shorts

Interesting facts4

1/4

  1. Single-celled algae adapted to highly saline water give the lagoon its green colour.

    El Golfo (Lanzarote) - Wikipedia

  2. Underground connections allow seawater into the lagoon and help maintain its water balance.

    El Golfo (Lanzarote) - Wikipedia

  3. The black lava sand contains a translucent, light-green mineral from the Earth’s mantle that is used for gemstones.

    El Golfo (Lanzarote) - Wikipedia
  4. 2023

    El Golfo had 255 residents in 2023.

    El Golfo (Lanzarote) - Wikipedia

Sources: El Golfo (Lanzarote) - Wikipedia · El Golfo (Lanzarote) - Wikipedia · El Golfo - Wikipedia · checked 13 Oct 2026

Where
Carretera Yaiza a Playa Blanca Yaiza, Lanzarote

Plan from here: Evening walk →

Questions and answers

Where does the name El Golfo come from?

From the nearby small bay, also called el Golfo.

What is Charco de los Clicos at El Golfo?

Another name for Charco Verde. It refers to edible seafood once common there.

How far is the lagoon at El Golfo from the coast?

About 50 metres.

Where is Los Hervideros relative to El Golfo?

South of the village.

How invme works
  1. See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
  2. Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
  3. Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.
Join free

Reviews on invme

Sign in to review
Comment Share
Loading comments…