Playa Blanca
The town of Playa Blanca, part of the municipality of Yaiza, was a small fishing village in the volcanic landscape of southern Lanzarote until the 1970s, when the first tourists began to arrive. Since then, this village has become the island’s youngest destination; a paradise where you can stroll along a 7-kilometre long seaside promenade with views of Fuerteventura and Lobos Island, or relax on the nearby virgin beaches of Punta del Papagayo, situated in the Los Ajaches Natural Park. There, the silence, the golden sand and the contrast between the turquoise of the sea and the reddish colour of the volcanic rocks will make it a swim to remember.
Playa Blanca is the perfect place for forgetting about the world for a few days, without giving up its greatest pleasures. The long seaside promenade offers something for all tastes: shopping, sampling the local cuisine—which relies heavily on fish and seafood—having a go at water sports at the Marina Rubicón harbour, playing padel or simply watching the sunset from a terrace.
However, in this article we want to tell you about what is—due to its sheer beauty and remote location—perhaps the most special place in the south of the island: Punta del Papagayo.
Papagayo Beach
Just a few minutes away by car from Playa Blanca along a dirt track you will come to a landscape of infinite plains and volcanic rocks that will make you feel like you’ve landed on Mars. This is Punta del Papagayo, a secluded area on the southernmost point of Lanzarote, which you must pay 3 euros to access, as it is part of the Los Ajaches Natural Park. Such a small fee will allow you to enjoy, for the whole day, all of the area’s virgin beaches, which are its true gems, having escaped the intense urbanisation of other areas. Here, where the only signs of civilisation are a car park, a camp site and a couple of beach bars, Playa Mujeres, Caleta del Congrio, Caletón de San Marcial, Playa de la Cera, Playa del Pozo, Playa Puerto Muelas and the most popular of all, Playa Papagayo, all await you.
The latter, with its characteristic perfect half-moon shape, is completely protected from the wind (as Punta del Papagayo generally is) by cliffs, which is a plus on an island such as Lanzarote. As it consists of a small bay, its water is especially recommended for snorkelling.
Golden sand, crystalline water, hardly any wind and gentle waves are the common denominator of all of the beaches, which you can access on foot from the car park.
Due to its size, you will be able to find a spot far from the crowds even in summer when there is a large influx of tourists. If visiting in low season, you’ll feel like a desert castaway.
Nudists will feel at home in the Caleta del Congrio, which is usually less crowded as it is some way off from the car park. Thanks to its remoteness, it is common to also find nudists in the Caletón de San Marcial, a small cove that can only be reached on foot along a dirt track from Playa Mujeres.
