Los Charcones: A Story of Wild Beauty and Quiet Magic
There is a place on the western edge of Playa Blanca where the ocean seems to breathe a little deeper. A place where the volcanic cliffs meet the Atlantic with a steady, honest strength. No sand, no promenade, just nature being exactly what it is. This place is called Los Charcones, though for many years it lived mostly in quiet conversations, shared only by those who held LANZAROTE close to their hearts.
I first went there in the early nineties, when the island still felt wonderfully unhurried. A friend of mine told me about some natural pools beyond the lighthouse, and there was something in the way he mentioned them that stayed with me. So one morning I climbed into my jeep and set off along the dusty tracks, not entirely sure what awaited me.
The road was rough back then, the kind that makes you slow down, pay attention, and wonder if you should just turn around and enjoy your Sunday at the beach instead.
When I finally reached the coastline, I felt myself pause. The landscape was wild and beautiful in a way that felt almost intimate. Dark lava fields shaped by years of tide and weather, quiet pools carved naturally into the rock, and the Atlantic stretching endlessly in the the horizon. 
The pools shimmered with a clarity that almost didn’t seem real. The waves crashed nearby, but the pools themselves stayed calm, protected, as if the island had set them aside for anyone willing to make the journey. There were no footprints, no noise, no reminders of anything except the moment right in front of me.
Just before you reach the pools, there is the unfinished hotel a concrete structure that has stood there for nearly forty years, never completed, always weathered by sun and wind. To many of us, it feels like a misplaced idea the island simply refused to accept. And yet, over time, it has become part of the approach. Seeing it rise in the distance has a strange comfort to it; it means you’re almost there, almost at the part the island protected for itself.
All these years later, Los Charcones hasn’t lost its magic. The pools still feel quiet and almost sacred, as if the island is still watching over them. And respect is essential here. The coastline is open to the Atlantic, and the sea can change quickly. It’s important to check the tides, to keep a safe distance when the water is rough, and to move carefully across the volcanic rock. This isn’t a place to rush, It’s a place to understand.
One of the simplest but most important things is to take everything back with you. There are no bins, no facilities, and that’s part of what makes Los Charcones feel the way it does. Over the years I’ve seen how even small bits of rubbish can interrupt the quiet beauty of a place like this. The magic stays only if we care for it.
Walking along the coastline, you can still discover pool after pool, each one shaped differently. Some are shallow and peaceful; others are deeper, glowing in shades of blue and green that feel almost like a secret. The silence here isn’t empty. Its filled with the sound of waves, the touch of wind, and the quiet energy that makes Lanzarote feel both wild and welcoming.
Sharing Los Charcones with family and friends has become something I cherish. Seeing their faces light up when they first take in the pools, watching them pause the way I once did makes the place even more meaningful. Each visit becomes a moment you carry with you.
When you finally walk away, leaving only your footprints on the rock, you understand why Los Charcones has stayed a treasure for so long. It’s not just a place. Its a reminder that some places keep their magic only when we treat them with care.
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