Playa Blanca
Encyclopedia
Playa Blanca, meaning "White Beach" is the southernmost town of the Spanish
island of Lanzarote
. It is the newest, yet fastest growing resort on the Island. It is part of the municipality of Yaiza.
Approximately a forty minute drive (45 km) from the airport, it has its own school, notary, the bustling Rubicon Marina (with its twice-weekly market), church, harbour with ferries to Fuerteventura
and a growing industrial area. Recent additions to the town have included the "Estacion de Guaguas" (Bus station) which also houses a police station. In early October 2008, Playa Blanca became the first municipality on the Island to have its own dedicated bus service, as opposed to buses simply passing through. Price are €1.20 per journey, regardless of distance traveled around the town, and travel in a continuous loop from Faro Park to Las Coloradas. Frequency is every half an hour.
The coastline around Playa Blanca is essentially one large 9 kilometre wide bay which is then broken up into three smaller, but still large, bays. This basic geography means that the beaches in and around Playa Blanca are sheltered and ideal for swimming and sunbathing.
The Atlantic Ocean
is to the east, west and south. Farmlands along with barren lands dominate the outskirts. Access is via one of two routes, either the dual carriageway from Yaiza, or the mountain road of Femes.
The residents are an eclectic mix of Canarian, Spanish, German, English and most other European nationalities, as well as people from as far afield as Canada, Ireland and the United States of America
Half an hour's walk to the west of the town along the sea-front walkway, is the Playa Flamingo beach. Although it is outside of the town centre, there are still a number of shops and restaurants. This is the nearest sandy beach to the newer developments around Montaña Roja and the lighthouse at Pechiguera, such as Faro Park, Carlos Park and Shangrila Park. Playa Flamingo was virtually destroyed in November 2005, during Hurricane Delta. It was eventually rebuilt in late 2010 / early 2011
Playa Dorada is literally translated as The Golden Beach. The sea around Playa Dorada is generally very calm and it is a popular spot with residents who take a morning swim here. It is a 10 minute walk from the centre of Playa Blanca and is well served by shops and cafes. This is the main beach in Playa Blanca for enjoying watersports.
Perhaps the most well known of all the beaches around Playa Blanca is Papagayo. In reality this is a collection of smaller beaches that are separated by high cliffs, forming a number of sheltered bays. This area has been protected and is now a national park which can be accessed by a rather bumpy dirt road. You can also access the coves on foot, via Los Coloradas.
There is some discussion at the moment about enlarging the harbour to allow it to take larger cruise liners such as the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
which has visited the port, but which had to moor just off the coast.
In 2011, it was announced that the Marina Rubicon would begin receiving Cruise Ships.
To the north of Playa Blanca there is a protected area named Los Ajaches. It is a triangular area of some 3,000 hectares bounded by: the mountain village of Femes, the small coastal fishing village of Playa Quemada and the Papagayo beaches. The highest point is the Ajache Grande (aka Hacha Grande
) at 562 metres, which affords views of the whole island and also of Fuerteventura. There are defined paths and information on routes is available when entering the area from Femes. Los Ajaches was declared "Natural space" of the Canaries on June 19, 1987. The volcanic landscape of Los Ajaches has an impressive beauty. It includes ares of scientific interest with the presence of fossils of the Pliocene period.
Just a 20 minute drive north of Playa Blanca is El Golfo. The beach at El Golfo is within a half-submerged cone of a volcano, which over time has been eroded by the sea, leaving behind only the striated wall of the crater. At the foot of the crater wall is Lago Verde, a half-moon-shaped lagoon of a striking green colour, for which mainly account volcanic minerals and micro-organisms that are believed to be unique in this lake. The beach itself is made of black volcanic pebbles where you can look for specimens of the semi-precious olivine. The scenery is further enhanced by the large finger of rock which sits just off the beach and causes the sea to crash around it. This landscape is so wild and raw, filmmakers thought it was the ideal backdrop for Raquel Welch to appear in, wearing her animal skin bikini in the classic movie One Million Years B.C.
A number of sheltered bays with black beaches link the lagoon with the sleepy El Golfo village. El Golfo’s fish restaurants are amongst the best in the Canaries, and once tasted, it’s not hard to see why. With the beautiful setting overlooking the sea (where you will often see the fishermen clambering to catch the fish for your meal) there is a good selection to be had. El Golfo restaurants take their reputation very seriously, and only serve the freshest of local ingredients.
About 8 km north of Playa Blanca is the Laguna de Janubio, a large, emerald green saltwater lagoon,location of the Salinas de Janubio, the only still operating commercial salt works on the island. At its high Salinas produced around 10,000 tons of sea salt per year, with the water originally being pumped into the lagoon by wind power, which has been replaced by electrically driven pumps.
The main part of the salt production was used in the fish industry for preservation and processing but with the invention of the refrigerator, the production decreased considerably and reaches around 2,000 tons per annum today. A small part of the production is still sold as high quality table salt and each year, during the Corpus Christi festival in June, tons of dyed salt are traditionally used in the creation of magnificent decorations in the streets and squares of Arrecife, the capital.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
island of Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
. It is the newest, yet fastest growing resort on the Island. It is part of the municipality of Yaiza.
Approximately a forty minute drive (45 km) from the airport, it has its own school, notary, the bustling Rubicon Marina (with its twice-weekly market), church, harbour with ferries to Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura , a Spanish island, is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is situated at 28°20' north, 14°00' west. At 1,660 km² it is the second largest of the Canary Islands, after Tenerife...
and a growing industrial area. Recent additions to the town have included the "Estacion de Guaguas" (Bus station) which also houses a police station. In early October 2008, Playa Blanca became the first municipality on the Island to have its own dedicated bus service, as opposed to buses simply passing through. Price are €1.20 per journey, regardless of distance traveled around the town, and travel in a continuous loop from Faro Park to Las Coloradas. Frequency is every half an hour.
The coastline around Playa Blanca is essentially one large 9 kilometre wide bay which is then broken up into three smaller, but still large, bays. This basic geography means that the beaches in and around Playa Blanca are sheltered and ideal for swimming and sunbathing.
The Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
is to the east, west and south. Farmlands along with barren lands dominate the outskirts. Access is via one of two routes, either the dual carriageway from Yaiza, or the mountain road of Femes.
The residents are an eclectic mix of Canarian, Spanish, German, English and most other European nationalities, as well as people from as far afield as Canada, Ireland and the United States of America
Marina Rubicon
Marina Rubicon is situated about a 15 minute promenade walk from the town itself. Two hundred meters to the east of Marina Rubicon, Castillo de las Coloradas stands on the headland of Punta del Aquila. This watchtower was built between 1741 and 1744. It offered good protection through its robust circular construction and through its drawbridge. Its bell was sounded to warn that pirates were approaching the coast.Beaches
In the centre of the town is a small beach.Half an hour's walk to the west of the town along the sea-front walkway, is the Playa Flamingo beach. Although it is outside of the town centre, there are still a number of shops and restaurants. This is the nearest sandy beach to the newer developments around Montaña Roja and the lighthouse at Pechiguera, such as Faro Park, Carlos Park and Shangrila Park. Playa Flamingo was virtually destroyed in November 2005, during Hurricane Delta. It was eventually rebuilt in late 2010 / early 2011
Playa Dorada is literally translated as The Golden Beach. The sea around Playa Dorada is generally very calm and it is a popular spot with residents who take a morning swim here. It is a 10 minute walk from the centre of Playa Blanca and is well served by shops and cafes. This is the main beach in Playa Blanca for enjoying watersports.
Perhaps the most well known of all the beaches around Playa Blanca is Papagayo. In reality this is a collection of smaller beaches that are separated by high cliffs, forming a number of sheltered bays. This area has been protected and is now a national park which can be accessed by a rather bumpy dirt road. You can also access the coves on foot, via Los Coloradas.
Ferries to Fuerteventura
There are two ferry lines to choose from in which to make the journey. Firstly there is the Fred Olsen Express ferry, called the 'Bocayna Express' which makes the trip in 20 minutes. The second ferry is the Naviera Armas, called the 'Volcan de Tindaya', which makes 7 daily crossings each way, each one being of 35 minutes duration.There is some discussion at the moment about enlarging the harbour to allow it to take larger cruise liners such as the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, is an ocean liner that was operated by Cunard from 1969 to 2008. Following her retirement from cruising, she is now owned by Istithmar...
which has visited the port, but which had to moor just off the coast.
In 2011, it was announced that the Marina Rubicon would begin receiving Cruise Ships.
Surrounding Area
Playa Blanca is overlooked by the dormant volcano, Montana Roja. The walk up to and around the rim of the mountain is not too difficult and there are views over Playa Blanca, to the North of the island and across to Fuerteventura. Within the crater itself, many people have arranged rocks into names and messages.To the north of Playa Blanca there is a protected area named Los Ajaches. It is a triangular area of some 3,000 hectares bounded by: the mountain village of Femes, the small coastal fishing village of Playa Quemada and the Papagayo beaches. The highest point is the Ajache Grande (aka Hacha Grande
Hacha Grande
Hacha Grande is a mountain on the Canary Island of Lanzarote, with an elevation of 562 m above sea level. Its name is Spanish meaning Large Axe....
) at 562 metres, which affords views of the whole island and also of Fuerteventura. There are defined paths and information on routes is available when entering the area from Femes. Los Ajaches was declared "Natural space" of the Canaries on June 19, 1987. The volcanic landscape of Los Ajaches has an impressive beauty. It includes ares of scientific interest with the presence of fossils of the Pliocene period.
Just a 20 minute drive north of Playa Blanca is El Golfo. The beach at El Golfo is within a half-submerged cone of a volcano, which over time has been eroded by the sea, leaving behind only the striated wall of the crater. At the foot of the crater wall is Lago Verde, a half-moon-shaped lagoon of a striking green colour, for which mainly account volcanic minerals and micro-organisms that are believed to be unique in this lake. The beach itself is made of black volcanic pebbles where you can look for specimens of the semi-precious olivine. The scenery is further enhanced by the large finger of rock which sits just off the beach and causes the sea to crash around it. This landscape is so wild and raw, filmmakers thought it was the ideal backdrop for Raquel Welch to appear in, wearing her animal skin bikini in the classic movie One Million Years B.C.
One Million Years B.C.
One Million Years B.C. is a 1966 British adventure/fantasy film starring Raquel Welch, set - loosely - in the time of cavemen. The film was made by Hammer Film Productions, and was a remake of the 1940 Hollywood film One Million B.C., and it recreates many of the scenes of that film...
A number of sheltered bays with black beaches link the lagoon with the sleepy El Golfo village. El Golfo’s fish restaurants are amongst the best in the Canaries, and once tasted, it’s not hard to see why. With the beautiful setting overlooking the sea (where you will often see the fishermen clambering to catch the fish for your meal) there is a good selection to be had. El Golfo restaurants take their reputation very seriously, and only serve the freshest of local ingredients.
About 8 km north of Playa Blanca is the Laguna de Janubio, a large, emerald green saltwater lagoon,location of the Salinas de Janubio, the only still operating commercial salt works on the island. At its high Salinas produced around 10,000 tons of sea salt per year, with the water originally being pumped into the lagoon by wind power, which has been replaced by electrically driven pumps.
The main part of the salt production was used in the fish industry for preservation and processing but with the invention of the refrigerator, the production decreased considerably and reaches around 2,000 tons per annum today. A small part of the production is still sold as high quality table salt and each year, during the Corpus Christi festival in June, tons of dyed salt are traditionally used in the creation of magnificent decorations in the streets and squares of Arrecife, the capital.
Geography
- Postal code: 35570 in the town centre, or 35580 on the outskirts.