Canary Island is a paradise for cycling holidays, Breathtaking Views over the ocean, remote and colouring rocky landscapes, sleeping volcanos, white sand beaches... Ride the route known as Pedals of Lava. It covers the island of Lanzarote and La Graciosa. A hard route, but huge reward. Simply unforgettable.
With an accumulated positive slope of 3,500 m, you may do this route in anything between 3 to 7 days, depending on your preference and ability. 5 days would be perfect.
We begin in the tourist centre of the Puerto del Carmen and we will cross the most populated area of the island. We will cross the capital, Arrecife and another important tourist centre called the Costa Teguise. From this point, we take paths and trails towards the north, crossing small fishing villages, riding along solitary coastlines shaped by the sea sometimes gently and others ferociously. We will arrive to the fishing village of Orzola where we will take a boat to reach the small and globally unique La Graciosa Island (The Island of the Funny One).
We will spend one day on the Graciosa Island with its quaint village of sandy streets and its beautiful beaches. Time appears to take on another dimension here. You may think you have landed in another galaxy. If your body beckons you to do so once you get off the bike, you can swim and discover it's under water paradise, go kayaking or simply relax on any of its magnificent beaches.
Upon returning to Lanzarote, we will go uphill time and time again along the mountain like Famara massif. Riding along above the precipitous northern cliffs with the Graciosa Island off in the distance is a beautiful sight. We will pass through new and beautiful landscapes and villages. The village of Haria with its 1,000 palm trees, the colonial marvel at Teguise (once capital of the island) and we will finish the route at the mystic Caleta de Famara. Known as a surfing paradise where you can practice the art of riding the waves along this gigantic beach which stretches for 6 kilometres.
After experiencing the magic of Famara we will ride along solitary sandy paths kissed by the waves. We will cross cultivated fields where time seems to have stopped and at last we will enter the hell of Timanfaya. The last eruptions 200 and 300 years ago left us with a terrifying landscape full of craters, slags and impenetrable lava formations. After surviving the volcano fields, we will reach the precious village of Yaiza and from there we will head towards the south. There, in the south of Lanzarote, we will reach Playa Blanca (White Beach) with its classy, tourist ready population. If we have time, we will take a dip in the paradise like beaches of Papagayo.
To finish, we will take on the last challenge, crossing the Ajaches massif. It's an authentic slice of the Sahara desert in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Uphill and downhill we will travel along ravines ravaged by isolation. It's an absolute paradise for mountain biking. It's a route requiring more physical effort as time passes. We will arrive to civilization: Playa Quemada (Burnt Beach), the Puerto Calero and finally we'll return our original starting point the Puerto Del Carmen and the conclusion of our journey.
