Jameos del Agua

The Jameos are sections of a six-kilometre lava tube from the Corona volcano, at least 1.5 kilometres of it below sea level, where the roof collapsed, leaving open shafts into the tunnel, and from 1966 the artist Cesar Manrique developed them as his first intervention on Lanzarote: a stair down into the first jameo, a natural saltwater lake in the tube connected to the sea, a white pool and garden in the second, and an auditorium built into a further section of the tunnel, used for concerts. The lake holds Munidopsis polymorpha, a blind albino crab about a centimetre long found only here and in a few connected tubes, living at depth in seawater filtering through the rock. Manrique's approach here set the pattern for his work across the island; the first sections opened in 1966, and the overall design was complete by 1977.

The main sights

• The saltwater lake - a natural pool in the lava tube, connected to the sea.
• The blind crabs - tiny albino crustaceans found only in these tubes.
• The white pool and garden - Manrique's planted intervention in the second jameo.
• The tube auditorium - a concert hall built into the lava tunnel.

When to go

Year-round; Lanzarote is dry and mild in all seasons. Night openings on some days show the site lit, which changes it considerably. Cruise days bring large groups at midday.

Before you go

The crabs are a centimetre long and easily missed; throwing coins into the lake kills them, and signs say so. The site involves steps and is partly inaccessible. Concert dates are separate from normal opening.

Nearby

Cueva de los Verdes is a further section of the same lava tube; Mirador del Rio lies north.

Key facts