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The market at Teguise on a Sunday morning
Jameos Del Agua
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One of the most interesting galleries of connecting caves and underground grottoes in the world lies to the north of Lanzarote, at the foot of the volcano Monte de la Corona which erupted around 3.000 years ago.
"Jameos" means bubbles of lava. A jameo is formed when a tunnel ceiling collapses, most often occurring when its width exceeds twenty meters, or when gases accumulate and explode. |
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Only a jameo reveals the presence of volcanic passages and allows their routes to be traced. The Jameos del Agua was artistically developed for viewing by César Manrique in 1968.
Through a winding staircase visitors enter into the Jameo Grande, a roofless volcanic bubble 100 m. long and 30 m. wide, and from there into a magnificent garden with a large swimming pool.
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A dance floor and two bars built into the niches formed by the rocks create an exciting night club.
A concert cave opens up towards the end of Jameo Grande. This astonishing hall with its wonderful natural acoustics, seats 600 spectators and offers a unique setting for concerts and ballet performances. |
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At the foot of this cave is a large stage that extends into the next volcanic bubble called Jameo de la Cazuela, the latest to be made accessible to the public.
A few native and non-native species of animals live here some permanently, others temporarily. The most emblematic is the blind albino crab, a rare and delicate marine crustacean.
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| The final touch sought by César Manrique to impress the visitor is the incorporation of a small number of extra elements, like the plants and the pool, that have now become an intrinsic part of Jameos. |
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Timanfaya National Park
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Timanfaya is one of the best examples of a volcanic habitat sparsely vegetated and inhabited by rare species that feed upon organic matter carried by the wind.
This singularly beautiful park is a living laboratory of scientific, geologic and geomorphologic interest. A tour guide will take you across the volcanic landscape and will show you its geothermal anomalies.
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The National Park of Timanfaya is a volcanic field where visitors can appreciate a great variety of geological phenomena as well as a large biological mix of some 180 different plant species.
In this impressive habitat where human presence has been practically nil, the park serves as an authentic laboratory for biological research. The park has a spectacular lunar aspect with different tones of ochre and grey. |
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This region was devastated by intermittent volcanic eruptions over a six year period, 1730-1736, and again during the XIX century, mainly in 1824.
Thermic anomalies are amusing for the visitors to watch a bit of water introduced in a hole on the ground becoming a geiser of boiling steam in seconds, due to a magmatic camera situated three kilometres deep down that reaches from 100 to 200 degrees centigrades on the surface. |
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The restaurant El Diablo serves specialities of the island grilled over geothermal heat.
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El Golfo
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El Golfo is a natural amphitheatre open to the sea which was formed from the volcanic eruptions of 1730. The lagoon, which fills the base of this semicircular crater, is a result of flooding, and its green colour is from the algae that inhabit its waters.
The volcano made of porous lava ash has through the action of time given rise to spectacular formations.
The sea connected underground, passes through the crater forming a beautiful black beach, which contrasts with the green lagoon. |
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This lake has been declared a natural reserve which prohibits bathing.
It is located in the south of the island in the Municipality of Yaiza.
The village of El Golfo can be found a few metres away, where you can enjoy various restaurants facing the sea. |
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