Lanzarote Information

La Graciosa is the island off the Northern tip of Lanzarote, its part of the Teguise municipality and the Archipiélago Chinijo, the natural park covering the El Risco de Famara and the islands of La Graciosa, Alegranza, Montaña Clara and Los Roques del Este and del Oeste.

The water surrounding La Graciosa are the only two marine and fishing reserves found in the Canary Islands. The water separating La Graciosa from Lanzarote is called El Río, hence the name of the attraction situated high on top of the risco - Mirador del Río which looks directly over to the island.

The island of La Graciosa is home for a population of around 500 residents, the main town is Caleta del Sebo, but there is another residential area, further up the coast called Pedro Barba.  It is rumoured that many of these islanders have never set foot off the island of La Graciosa, they survive primarily with fishing and then tourism. Many of the children stay at residencias in Lanzarote during the week to attend school and the island has a rota for a doctor from Lanzarote to stay a month at a time. Any urgent medical cases are airlifted to hospital or met off the ferry by an ambulance. There aren’t any tarmac roads on the island, there are a few sand roads traversed by Land Rovers and a couple of other 4x4’s.

How to get there

There are daily ferry crossings from Órzola to La Graciosa run by Lineas Romero The cost is €20 return for an adult and €11 for a child, residents have a 50% discount off this price (original ID and proof required). The timetable below shows the standard crossings which take about 15-20 minutes and then additional crossings for the summer season:

Órzola – La Graciosa

10:00 / 12:00 / 17:00 (summer 11:00 / 13:30 / 18:00 / 19:00)

La Graciosa – Órzola

08:00 / 11:00 / 16:00 (summer 10:00 / 12:30 / 17:00 / 18:00)

Summer dates :1st July – 31st Oct

There is also a ferry taxi service from Famara / Punta Mujeres / Arrieta to La Graciosa, you have to call  902 401 666 or 638 807 531 to book, have a minimum of 8 people, a maximum of 12 and a return trip costs €15.

Where to stay

Most visitors go to La Graciosa for the day but it is possible to stay overnight in Caleta del Sebo, there are apartments to rent, small basic hotels and a free campsite:

Apartments to rent in La Graciosa - Prices from €30 per day and a choice of apartments.

Pensión & Restaurante Enriqueta- Tel: 928 842 051, 12 rooms and maximum of 24 people.

Pensión Girasol Playa – Tel: 928 842 118, 8 rooms and maximum of 16 people.

The campsite is an easy 10 minute stroll from the harbour area, just follow the track to the left past the harbour beach to the end and around to the right and you are there. The facilities are basic but you do have a shower and toilet block, the ladies are on the left and men's on the right – the showers are fresh (cold) and the toilets flush (take your own toilet roll) which is more than can be said for the campsite at Famara! It’s very basic but free and situated right on Playa del Salado which is a bit slippery and shallow at low tide to get into the water but great for snorkelling.

How to get around

Transport on La Graciosa is mainly walking or cycling, if you’re there for just a day trip, I would recommend that you either walk to the left and enjoy the beaches at Playa Francesa or Playa de La Cocina and Montaña Amarilla or you hire a bike from Elveril and head for Playa de Las Conchas, through the centre of the island and to the right. Alternatively you can either take a water taxi from the ferry company Lineas Romero or persuade one of the local 4x4 drivers to drop you at the far side of the island and either come back for you or walk back for your ferry.

What do do

La Graciosa is a very chilled island, do not expect tourist shops and facilities, there is a bakery, 3 supermarkets, a DIY shop, a choice of bars and restaurants, a sociedad and a nightclub some great beaches and just a really laid back, barefoot, sandy tracked, very relaxing island. There is a new dive school that opened in May 2009, the water of La Graciosa is protected so you can dive but only accompanied by the Centro de Buceo. If you like surfing, the locals head for the reef in between Playa Francesa and Playa de La Cocina, there are some serious waves on the far coast at Bajo del Corral.

We enjoyed the Menu del Día at Meson de La Tierra on the harbour front, which included a salad for the starter, a choice of fresh fish or ribs for the main course, then melon or coffee for desert and a glass of wine or water for €7.50. This bar restaurant is very popular, it has a great atmosphere and is in a good position, right on the front overlooking the harbour.

In the evening we went to La Pizzaria Korrikkia which is set back from the harbour beach. There are a few tables outside and more inside and the pizzas are fantastic, thin bases with a good selection of toppings – they range in price from 8-10 Euros and have a selection of tapas dishes for starters.

Above is a copy of a map available from the information tent at the harbour. The purple area shows the restricted zones, the yellow are the sand tracks suitable for 4x4’s and bikes and the white are footpaths. There is too much to see in one day, even if you are on a bike and take the first and last ferry, the island covers 27km2.

If on foot for your first visit explore Caleta del Sebo and then head along the coast to Playa Francesa and Playa de La Cocina, the red and yellow colours in the Montaña Amarilla are amazing and worth an explore. If you want to see more of the island then either take a water taxi or hire a bike and head over to Playa de Las Conchas, if on bike you can cover the round circuit to Pedro Barba and back in time for the ferry.

The map shows the following distances and times from Caleta del Sebo via footpath or track to the destination:

Playa de El Salado 0.6km – 1 min walk / 0 min bike

Playa Francesa 2.5km – 40 min walk / 15 min bike

Playa de La Cocina 3.6km – 50 min walk / not accessible by bike

Bajo de El Corral 2.8km – 45 min walk /  bike route on track 3.9km 1hr 10 min walk / 30 min bike

Punta de El Pobre 6.2km – 1hr 40 min / bike route on track 7.4km 2hr walk / 50 min bike

Playa de Las Conchas 4.5km – 1hr 20 min walk / 35 min bike

Pedro Barba 6.1km – 1hr 40 min walk / 40 min bike

You can read more about our day trip to La Graciosa, we took our own bikes and headed to Montaña Amarilla and then some off roading to join the track again at Bajo del Corral.