La Geria Travel Guide - Expert Recommendations & Advice

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Why go to La Geria?

Last updated 1 February 2011

Wine valley

Lanzarote’s wine valley is a lovely rural area in the interior of the island. It may only be a short drive from the coast, but this lunar landscape is a world away from the busy resort scene. Visitors can make scenic drives through this fascinating landscape, trying and buying the wine in a series of bodegas, one of which houses a wine museum.

Rural tourism

Dotted with small villages, many little more than hamlets, this area is popular for rural tourism. In this part of the island, some beautiful rural fincas (farms) have been turned into charming boutique hotels; there are some fine restaurants here too. The adventurous can venture off by bike or on foot to explore the malpais (rock formed by volcanic lavastreams).

Unique landscape

The centre of wine production for the island, La Geria forms a unique, protected area of volcanic landscape that appears like a work of art, sculpted by some giant hand that has changed little over 10,000 years. The distinctive vineyards are made up of thousands of semi-circular walls surrounding large indentations, each one containing a vine, covered with small pieces of black volcanic rock known as picon. The low walls protect them from the sometimes fierce wind and the picon preserves the moisture in the arid landscape.