It took me three visits to Lanzarote before I got on a camel. In fact, it was my daughter that really wanted to ride on one, having seen them on our previous holiday and being, in our opinion, too young then.

So this time we returned to the camels in Timanfaya and were surprised to see so many of them there. The reason was obvious: a number of coach tours were going on the same day, so extra camels had been laid on.

We headed to an area away from the buses and were duly assigned to our camels. The price was 12EUR per camel, with each camel able to take two people.

Camels at Timanfaya

The trip up the side of the mountain and back down again took a little over 15 minutes. There are fairly new facilities built under the lava with toilets, a bar and a gift shop.

We thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and I was also interested to read in a local publication (pp.32-33) that the camels are not only well looked after, but that their working hours are also strictly limited.

Anyone who has been to Lanzarote will probably be able to tell you about the camel rides. They may not have ridden one themselves, but they may have seen them. At the very least they will have heard about them.

The camels take tourists on rides around Timanfaya, the national park with the main volcano located in it. If you have the use of a car, then it is possible to drive to their site and hire a ride locally. Most, however, will have booked a package which includes transport to the site and the ride itself.

Each camel can carry two people – seated one on either side. Once all the camels are loaded up, they stand up in a row and walk off up the mountain.

The camels used to be used on the islands for agriculture and for transport – being suited to the local lack of fresh water on the island. Today they may “only” be used by tourists, but they provide an ecologically-friendly way of seeing the centre of the national park.