Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote.
During Mid-November a group of friends and i took a long weekend trip to the Island of Lanzarote to celebrate the milestone of one of the party reaching the ripe old age of 30, any excuse to get a break from Grey London. During the celebrations i convinced my girlfriend and another friend to do something cultural and visit Timanfaya National Park. The park covers most of the central-western part of the island, between the towns of Yaiza and Tinajo, approximately 5,198 hectares and was declared a national park in 1974 in an attempt to preserve the area that is characterised by a range of volcanic features. The volcanic eruptions that have shape the physical geography of the park occurred in the first half of the 18th century and the second decade of the 20th century. The present landscape bears no resemblance to what was once an important agricultural area until the eruptions started in 1730 and finished six years later leaving the Macizo de Timanfaya, 20,000 hectares of fertile land covered in lava, ashes and other volcanic material.
Geology dominates everything. The solidified lava tracks stretch everywhere. Volcanic bombs, scoria, ashes are scattered between cones and craters from various periods that stand out to varying degrees,with black, yellow and red making up the range of colours which blanket the bear landscape. The heat is not far from the surface and demonstrations illustrated how wood would burn and water boil in pits dug barley a metre from the surface. Neither the geography or the climate seem suitable for animal or plant life, however experts have managed to classify a hundred and fifty plants, some of which are native, like cow’s tongue (Echium pitardi), firespike (Odontopermun intermedium) and “salty white” (Polycarpea robusta). There are also species of rosemary, St.John’s wort, flowering spurges, wild spurges, gorse and asters.
Although Timanfaya was far from the vision you would expect of a National Park being a visitor from the British Isles, the vastness of this harsh baron landscape with its contrasting moonscape of smooth and angular land forms, black, deep red surfaces and almost fluorescent green lakes against the earthly colours of the deep blue skies and seas were incredible panoramas to witness and behold. To experience a first hand the affects of the energy and violence capable of this planet which we so often take for granted sitting with the natural beauty of the sea and sky provides a great deal more than amazing views to think about.
Leave a Reply