 La Graciosa is just off the north coast of Lanzarote, and can be accessed via a ferry from the town of Orzola.You can see the ferry times and prices below. You may only have seen La Graciosa from The Mirador del Rio - it's that wonderful, sandy island you look down on. Well now's the time to visit! La Graciosa is a genuine "No news, no shoes" island, where the pace of life is slow, with a capital "S". Check out the photo on the right - that's the kind of scenery you see everywhere! There is one proper town on the island - Caleta de Sebo, which is where the main harbour is, and there is also a small village called Pedro Barba, a little way up the coast. There are no tarmac roads at all, and most of the vehicles there are Land Rovers. There are Pensions (B & B's), and believe it or not a nightclub in the town. The population is very low, and children from the town go to school in Haria, staying in Haria during the week. Tourism (via the restaurants) and fishing are the only real industries on the island. We set off on the first morning ferry with our mountain bikes and the trip took around 20 minutes. Offloading in Sebo, we had a quick wander around the town. There are a few restaurants, a couple of cafés, a bakery and a couple of supermarkets - adequately stocked to pick up our picnic of bocadillos, olive oil and cold meat. We then set off on the main track leading to the west, and soon came upon a wonderful long, sandy beach (Playa Francesa). The going was quite tough in this section, as the sand was soft. Heading to the most westerly point of the island, we found a spectacular bay, deeply recessed, with a sandy beach (Playa de La Cocina) and volcanic lava "dripping" down into it. From there, we headed around the corner, to the far side of the island. This is exposed to The Atlantic, and again there was a wonderful beach (Bajo del Corral), but this time with huge surf, and we wished we had brought our boards. We stopped here and ate our picnic lunches. As time was running short, we then headed across the island, missing out the furthest tip and Pedro Barba, and encountered the only person we had seen all day outside the town - a German tourist also on a bike! The riding was quite challenging, with some decent hills and some fabulous descents, but it's easy to get off and push if the going gets too tough! Just make sure you have a decent bike with plenty of gears. There are a couple of places in town where you can hire good off road bikes, although if you're feeling lazy you can always take a trip in one of the Land Rovers! There are also regular boat trips from Orzola, which sail around the island so you can see it from the ocean. These boats have inflatables, kayaks and all sorts of water toys to play with, and they serve lunch in one of the bays. We had a fantastic day out on La Graciosa - plenty of exercise and some stunning scenery. I would recommend a trip there to every Lanzarote lover. Ferry Times Orzola to La Graciosa Daily 1000, 1200, 1700 (and in summer 1330 and 1830) Prices are €20 for non residents and €10 for residents (Note you need ID and proof of residency, copy and original)
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