city: Lanzarote

Timanfaya National Park Family Tour with Camel Ride

This fantastic family adventure gives you an up-close look at the Canarian camel. You'll enjoy a scenic ride in the Mars-like landscapes of Timanfaya National Park and visit a museum on the breed as well as the park's visitors' centre. Juana, one of our export local guides, says, ‘Camels were brought by the conquistadors to be used in farms, and have been an integral part of the island's countryside since. A camel ride lets you explore the nature reserve in a fun and easy way – the kids will love it.'Your experience kicks off with a 25-minute camel ride on the slope of Macizo del Fuego volcano, the only authorised trail in Timanfaya National Park. You'll be helped on to wooden seats harnessed to the single-humped camel as a handler guides you around. Sandbags to balance weight differences ensure your safety. The lava-scarred landscape and a string of almost linear craters offers a backdrop straight out of a sci-fi movie. Plus, you'll drop into the small museum dedicated to the Canarian camel, known locally as ‘tachos'. Juana adds, ‘Because camels are buoyant thanks to their stomachs, they were originally brought over tied to boats, floating behind them.'And to round off your morning, you'll have an hour to wander around the fascinating visitors' centre. Learn all about the volcanic origin of Lanzarote as well as the park's flora and fauna. There are themed exhibitions to suit all tastes in the family, including geodynamics and volcanism and the internal structure of the Earth.