The Volcano La Montaña Roja

I had been driving past this stunning Red Volcano called ” LA MONTAÑA ROJA ” for almost 25 years without taking much notice of it. One day not long time ago I finally took my time to walk up to the very TOP with a friend of mine. I have to admit that I deeply regret that I did not do it before.

The view up there is absolutely STUNNING and BREATHTAKING. When I reached the top with my friend I could not believe what I saw. I knew PLAYA BLANCA  had grown into a good sized CITY over the past 20 years, but the scenery I saw from the very TOP was slightly different from what I had imagined –  I was totally amazed! Today there are thousands of Villas, and pleanty of Hotels..

When I came to the island in 1993 you could count the amount of houses down at the Ferry Harbor of Playa Blanca on one hand. There were only FOUR houses at back then!In one of those houses lived the family of Fefo. Fefo was the cook onboard the Yacht, where I worked as a Chief Guide during my first 6 years on LANZAROTE.

While I was standing on top of The Volcano “La Montaña Roja” a lot of memories came to my mind, and Fefo was one of them. We had loads of great FUN while working together. He was such a good cook. Too good sometimes. He made the strongest GARLIC SAUCE on the whole Island for our tourist guests – and he did it deliberately. No one on, board including me, had any success trying to make him change his recipe!

Today PLAYA BLANCA`S  Harbour is very different from when I arrived in 1993. And so is the city. The view I saw from the mountain top proves it BIG TIME. When walking up there to the TOP I did walk several times around the entire Volcano, because it’s not that big really. I just couldn’t get enough.

The terrain is fairly easy to walk on. That’s good news. The only thing you have to be careful about up there, is the WIND, because it’s always really windy in that area.

The Volcano is about 180 meters high. So be careful.  Especially when walking out to the very edge of The Volcano, where the view is so STUNNING. I admit it’s hard not to…

From the TOP you can see over to the neighbour island, FUERTEVENTURA and it`s beautiful Golden BEACHES and SAND DUNES. On days with clear blue sky the beach will shine like gold and it seems like the beach is only minutes walking distance away…

LA MONTAÑA ROJA has a legend too I have been told. The story is that long time ago when there was hardly any lights on at night in PLAYA BLANCA many “UFOS” were often seen landing inside the Volcano. I must admit that when looking down at the bottom, the size of the hole of the volcano could be the perfect landing spot for a UFO ..

When you walk down into the crater you’ll see that people, locals as well as foreigners, have written their names and  LOVE messages on the small rocks or in the stiff hardened sand down inside the volcano. Some people have even built STONE TREES. I have always found those kind of things very sweet and romantic..

I have to add that reaching the top of the Volcano is fairly easy. You don’t need to be fit. You just need good shoes and time. Bringing some water is recommended. You might feel like staying up there for a little while enjoying the STUNNING VIEW all the way round the volcano, just like I did.