Yaiza

Yaiza is a municipality on the island of Lanzarote. The largest town of the municipality is Playa Blanca on the south coast and the administrative centre is the much smaller town also called Yaiza, about 22 kilometres west of the island’s capital Arrecife.

Yaiza shares with Tinajo part of the Timanfaya National Park, also known as the Mountains of Fire. This can be reached by car or by the picturesque camel treks, passing through the strange and unique landscapes on the edges of Timanfaya National Park.

Yaiza is located on the edge of the area buried by volcanic eruptions that occurred in Lanzarote from 1730 to 1736. In fact, the chronicle of the eruptions was essentially narrated by the then priest of Yaiza, Andres Lorenzo Curbelo. Residents of the town reported that as the lava flowed towards them it split in two, forcing one stream in the direction of Uga and the other towards Playa Blanca, leaving Yaiza unscathed. As twelve other towns and some of the most fertile farming land on the island surrendered to the lava, Yaiza, somehow, got lucky.

Due to the town’s elevated position, Yaiza was also lucky to escape the worst pirate raids of the 16th and 17th centuries.

But Yaiza’s real good fortune lies in the fact that its charming and historic white buildings and squares have been largely preserved intact over the centuries. That’s why Yaiza has won the title of prettiest village in Spain, not once but twice over recent years for urban embellishment work. Any visitor passing along its streets and its houses well-adorned with a variety of plants and flowers can vouch for this.

Amongst the town’s tourist attractions are the Hervideros and El Golfo and crossing the tourist zone of Playa Blanca, the famous beaches of Papagayo, a serie of well-sheltered and unspoiled bays.

Yaiza also has two modern marinas: Puerto Calero and Marina Rubicon. Its diverse shopping and entertainment invites visitors to stroll and enjoy the marine environment.