Mirador del Rio

The Risco de Famara falls about four hundred and seventy metres to the sea at the northern end of Lanzarote, facing the strait called El Rio and the island of La Graciosa beyond it. On the site of an old gun battery, Cesar Manrique with Jesus Soto and Eduardo Caceres built a viewpoint in 1973 that is almost invisible from outside: the structure is buried in the cliff, entered through a plain white doorway, opening into a curved white interior with two large windows cut in the rock face and a terrace, so the view arrives suddenly rather than gradually. Below lie the salt pans of the Salinas del Rio, among the oldest in the Canaries. The approach road runs along the clifftop with further open viewpoints.

What to look for

• The hidden structure - a viewpoint buried in the cliff with a plain entrance.
• The curved white interior - Manrique's spaces opening onto cut windows.
• La Graciosa - the island and the strait some 475 metres below.
• The salt pans - the Salinas del Rio on the shore beneath the cliff.

When to go

Year-round; the site is exposed and often windy, and cloud can sit on the Famara ridge and remove the view. Clear mornings are best. Coach groups fill it at midday.

Good to know

The site is small and the visit takes half an hour for a paid ticket, which some find poor value. Cloud on the ridge blocks the view fairly often. The terrace is narrow and crowds at peak times.

Nearby

Haria and the Manrique house lie south; Orzola and the La Graciosa ferry are below on the coast.

Key facts