Marco Travel report Lanzarote
Travelling to Lanzarote in early October
(by Marco)
Dear naturist friends,
have you ever spent an October holiday lying naked on the beach? Or having your favorite nude walks in the nature, maybe climbing up mountains to enjoy wonderful sea views and sunsets?
The best thing about the mild Canary Islands climate is how easy it is to make your dreams come true. What dreams? Moving away from your routine days at work, leaving cloudy and rainy days behind you and jumping back to an everlasting sunny Spring!!
Actually, Lanzarote was not my first choice when I started planning to have some days off. Since I had no idea about the destination, I got in touch with my dear friend Chris and she proposed me to join her in Crete . I know what you are thinking about: what can be better than a nudist vacation with Chris??! I immediately checked for the resort availability, but unfortunately it was too late and no more rooms were left. So I rapidly started exploring possible alternatives and, after quickly exchanging opinions with Chris, I finally selected Lanzarote as destination for my 1-week holiday.
The island
Lanzarote is the easternmost isle in the Canary Islands archipelago, the forth-largest one, and has a volcanic origin. Much of the island’s area is covered with volcanic rock formations, ash-strewn plains and solidified lava flows that were formed during eruptions. The island’s landscape, extending from the 670-metre-high “Penas del
Chache” mountain peak in the north to the “El Jable” desert in the south, has a stark beauty that permeates the island with a sense of serenity and calm, making it an ideal destination for a relaxing holiday.
If you look for untouched nature, you can find many places for contemplation and peace that are hidden from mass tourism, to enjoy the quiet, the sun and the sea, as well as the unique rocky coast far away from hotels and beach promenades. For all of you who wish, like me, to stay off the beaten tourist places, the mountainous north of the island is really worth visiting. Numerous beautiful paths are to discover there, the wild beaches along the coastline in the extreme Northeast of the island, and last but not least, the idyllic and peaceful seaside resort “Charco del Palo” with its naturist beach.
And those who can bear to tear themselves away from naked fun in the sun will discover plenty of sights to explore throughout Lanzarote, from the shark tank at the Lanzarote Aquarium to the “Museo de la Pirateria” housed in the 16th century Castillo de Santa Barbara., to the “Timanfaya National Park” offering visitors a close-up look at the some of the islands 300 volcanic cones.
How to get there
Lanzarote is served by the Arrecife international airport in the capital city, located to the south of “Charco del Palo”. Some low-cost air companies have flights all year round from major cities in Europe. Buses, taxis and car hires are available for transportation around the island.
Where to stay
You can find a wide range of accommodations, from luxury hotels to small apartments, to naturist resorts.
If you are interested in having a nudist vacation you should definitely evaluate the places where naturism is permitted and possibly offer specific reserved areas. I usually prefer accommodations where I have no time constraints, and by renting a car or a motorbike I can freely and independently organize my vacation, and move from one place to the other whenever I wish to.
You can easily find several accommodation options by simply searching the internet. Make sure to have a look at “Las Piteras” (http://www.laspiteras.es), one of the first naturist resorts in the Canary Islands, located on the northwest coast of the island of Lanzarote and characterized by large isolated white-painted houses. With its black volcanic rock coastline, crystal blue water and shimmering sunlight, “Charco del Palo” is the perfect travel destination for those who embrace the naturist lifestyle. The resort village is safe and secluded and has a broad range of bungalows and apartments, equipped with their own kitchen, that tourists can rent.
Getting naked in Lanzarote
The good weather all year round and the tranquility of Lanzarote make it an ideal place to practice naturism. Although there is no official nudist beach, so it is always good to be cautious ;), you can find quite a few people nude and practicing naturism in several beaches around the island. Actually, there are several areas around Lanzarote which have good privacy and are an ideal environment for nudists. The main ones can be found near the spectacular Papagayo beach, and near Guatiza in the north east of the island.
“Charco del Palo” is a small village near Mala with beautiful surroundings and the whole village is a naturist resort, where practicing nudism is common (but in shops and restaurants) and you can enjoy a small nudist beach and other small areas with access to the sea. There is also a natural swimming pool.
From “Las Piteras” you can explore the area along the coast for nearly two kilometers and a half northwards, about one kilometer and a half southwards and nearly one kilometer inland before coming to any other buildings or well-used areas. On most secluded paths, you can strip off and walk the whole way nude in the nature. The very few people that I did meet when exploring always seemed to take no notice of the fact that I was nude.
Clothing-optional Famara attracts visitors looking for a wide stretch of sandy beach. It is perfect to practice nudism, since at the end of the beach you can find small wind shelters which are great to get some privacy. This beach is very long, and you normally won’t find many people on it. If it is very windy you will of course have to deal with a few kite surfers as Famara is the main kite-boarding beach in Lanzarote.
There are wonderful nudist-friendly beaches on the island. Most of them are not so far away and many smaller beaches are just a short walk from towns and resorts. They are all overwhelming spots to enjoy a peaceful day under the sun, with the strong smell of the sea salt, and the striking contrast of colors under the clear light of Lanzarote. Some beaches are marvelous to just relax and enjoy the surroundings. In my opinion, all of them are worth visiting, if you have time.
Here below you can find more details about the naturist beaches I had the opportunity to visit in different parts of the island during my stay.
Charco del Palo
“Charco del Palo” is a small seaside resort, situated in the north-east of Lanzarote directly on the Atlantic coast. Here, about over the last 40 years, the only official naturism site of the Canary Islands has been emerged.
There is no sandy beach in the traditional sense because of the semi-high rocky coast of black lava, but there are several very nice bathing spots along the coast. Some of them are so-called natural swimming pools (tidal pools), which are filling up or empty with the tide, and therefore always have fresh sea water. There you can safely and securely go into the water. Furthermore there is a swimming area formed by a large outcrop of rocks, which juts far into the sea, from there you access the water by bathing ladders – and get out again. There, of course, you can swim directly in the sea.
Playa Guacimeta (The Airport Runway Beach)
As you walk round from Matagorda towards Playa Honda, the pathway turns along the length of the airport runway. You’ll find the middle section is naturist. I just stopped by for a couple of hours upon my arrival on my very first day of vacation.
Playa de Famara
“Playa de Famara” is the longest natural beach in Lanzarote. Much of the beach is backed by a bank of pebbles and behind there is a flat area that has many stone corrals built on it. Unfortunately the access track to the naturist part is so bad that I would advise against using it. The best place to park is with everyone else and then walk along the beach until you see other nudes or until you feel comfortable stripping off. Naturists tend to enjoy the area of the beach between the Playa Famara Bungalows and the cliffs. If you decide to follow the track beside and then behind the white semicircular houses, then the nudist area begins soon after the track turns right to run parallel with the beach.
Caleta del Mojón Blanca
This beach, about sixteen kilometers north of “Charco del Palo” along the LZ-1 on the way to Orzola, is quite small. There is a small car park and the beach is on the other side of the road. It is a small curved sandy beach but at low tide the underwater rocks are exposed, making access to the sea difficult. This beach is certainly best at high tide. On the beach there are several stone corrals. The underwater rocks make this an ideal snorkeling beach as there are several species of fish living near the rocks.
Playa Congrio, Papagayo
The “Punta de Papagayo” is the most southern tip of Lanzarote, and it is an area of spectacular beauty where the beaches are part of a protected area called the “Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches”. There are five golden sandy beaches at Papagayo, and the second from the right, as you face the ocean, is naturist. When you reach the quite popular beach of “Puerto Muelas”, where there is easy access from the car parking, just walk around the point over the rocks at the base of the cliffs: there you can find the larger beach of “Caleta del Congrio” which is considered nudist-friendly.
Playa Quemada
After reaching the town beach, keep walking over the headland towards “Playa Blanca”, and you’ll come to another quiet naturist beach, close to the delightful marina of “Puerto Calero”. There’s good coastal walking too.
