The Canary Islands are seven Spanish owned specks of rock located off the coast of West Africa.  And to all intents and purposes these islands are the European Caribbean – located on the same line of latitude as parts of Florida and Mexico and offering sun starved residents of countries such as the UK and Germany much needed respite from their harsh winter weather.

Lanzarote is arguably the most unusual and unique link in this chain, as the scenery here is literally out of this world.  The island was rocked by enormous volcanic eruptions as recently as the 1820´s, which transformed the interior into a surreal lava scape, punctuated by burnt out volcanic peaks. Fortunately these volcanoes – there are over 300 in total – are all now dormant.  But at the time of the eruptions this obviously caused widespread devastation, decimating some of the most fertile farmland on the island and forcing many Lanzaroteños to flee and start a new life abroad.  With many ending up in locations such as San Antonio in Texas, a city that retains strong links with Lanzarote to this day.

Ironically, the volcanic region has also become Lanzarote´s most popular tourist attraction – and rightly so.  As close to one million tourists flock here every year to view the twisted fields of lava and multi hued volcanoes.  Temperature here beneath the earth’s surface still reach up to 400 degrees Celsius, which park wardens are only too happy to demonstrate.  Pouring cold water into geysers which is then spurted out seconds later as jets of hot steam.  Tourists can even have their lunch cooked by the heat emanating from a dormant volcano, as skilled chefs turn chicken and fish pieces on a giant grill.

Lanzarote is currently little known to tourists in the US.  There are direct flights between Miami and Tenerife, one of the larger neighbouring islands.  But flying to Lanzarote from other airports in America requires a lengthy journey to either Madrid or Barcelona – followed by a further two hour flight.  The island is however easily accessible for holidaymakers from mainland Europe and is just a four hour flight from the UK, which is Lanzarote´s largest tourist market.

During the package holiday era in the 1980´s some of the Canary Islands acquired a reputation as cheap and cheerful holiday destinations.  Packed with low cost high rise hotels and downmarket British bars serving all day breakfast and pints of beer.  Lanzarote managed to escape this fate however and is far less touched by tourism than say Gran Canaria or Tenerife, the two largest islands in the archipelago.  A fortunate state of affairs that can be attributed to the vision and drive of a famous local artist called César Manrique, who fought against untrammelled tourist development on Lanzarote – and won.

Manrique was born on the island in 1919 and was in the vanguard of the Spanish surrealist movement in the 1950´s.  Before moving to New York under the patronage of the wealthy Rockefeller clan in the 60´s, where he exhibited his paintings and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Andy Warhol.  Tourism was just taking off in Spain at this time as General Franco sought to fill the country´s coffers with foreign currency.  Leading to an explosion of building work and development along the Spanish Costas and on the Balearic and Canary Islands.  As small traditional fishing villages became submerged beneath hotels and apartment complexes.

Manrique, determined to preserve Lanzarote´s unique landscapes, resolved to return home and stem the tide of over development.  Amazingly he succeeded too – securing an outright ban on high rise developments taller than a Canarian palm tree, as well as the outlawing of all adverting billboards.  So ensuring that the island remained much as nature intended.

At the same time the pragmatic Manrique realised that a degree of tourism was vital for an island economy that had previously survived solely on agriculture and fishing.  But he sought to illuminate a different path, by creating unique visitor attractions that provided an ecologically friendly alternative to the golf courses and water parks being thrown up elsewhere in Spain.

His philosophy was to fuse art with nature, which he achieved to great effect in a number of his best known creations.  Such as the Jameos del Agua, a massive, collapsed lava tunnel which he transformed into a stunning underground auditorium and nightclub.  Or the Mirador del Rio, a former naval gun battery and now an amazing lookout point where visitors can enjoy incredible bird’s eye views down to the neighbouring island of La Graciosa below.

Thanks to Manrique and these incredible volcanic landscapes UNESCO awarded Lanzarote protected biosphere status back in 1994.  The first island in the world to achieve such status.

Bio: Nick Ball is the editor of Lanzarote Guidebook, the in depth island information guide. Visit their site to download a free copy of Lanzarote Guidebook and to book apartments and villas in Lanzarote direct online.