GR131 Lazarote Island

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be attempting to complete the 348- mile GR131 trail across the seven Canary Islands. I’ve always wanted to travel abroad, and I found out I’d have an extra free week of vacation last month, so I threw this dream together in short time. My plan is to use ultralight backpacking gear to go farther faster by wild camping on trail most nights, and to recover every so often in airbnbs and hostels. The trail runs east to west and covers the islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenarife, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro.

On Friday, my friend Aly and I flew to Madrid and then to Gran Canaria where we rented a car and dropped off a pre-packed food supply that I hid in a bush near the trailhead. On the way there we realized we had arrived during the end of tropical storm Emilia. The waves in Gran Canaria were 30+ feet with strong gusts and sideways rain. We knew the conditions didn’t bode well for our later flight to Lanzarote and we were right. We sat through several delays lasting at least 6 hours. Finally - after over 24-hours of traveling- we arrived to Lanzarote and checked into our hotel. 

The next morning, we took a taxi to the trailhead and began our trek. We started in Orzola and went through Haría and Teguise. Some highlights include sunset at the high cliffs overlooking the water at Mirador de la Ermita de las Nieves, and all the small towns.

After 17 miles, we stopped at El Recoveco in Tequise and had tapas. We tried the local wrinkled potato’s, stuffed mushrooms, and fried pork. After paying, they brought out cake and dessert rum for free probably because they knew how far we had hiked. It was all so tasty and the staff were incredibly kind and welcoming. After dinner, we traveled another mile where we found a campsite in an agricultural plot surrounded by stone walls.

The next day, we started at 8am and went 29 miles to finish Lanzarote. We went through Tindaya, Valle de Santa Ines, Betancuria, Tías, Uga, Yaiza, Las Brenas, and finally Playa Blanca where we caught our ferry to Fuenteventura. I was really impressed with how Aly pushed through so much pain. We just missed the mixed gender Fastest Known Time by 20 minutes! It was the furthest she had ever hiked.

In total, the trail section on Lazarote Aly and I completed over 30 hours was 47 miles and 5,000 ft in vertical gain. 

Lanzarote is the sandiest island for how close it is to the Saharan desert in Africa, and the frequent dust storms. The terrain, views, and ecology are so diverse here. There are volcanos and agriculture all around, and the crushed black lava rock craters are meant to protect the grapes from winds and retain moisture. The weather is just right, with a constant sea breeze. I had pre-packed enough meals and gels just in case to get me through, but the trail meanders through several towns with restaurants filled with cured meats, cheeses and tapas to keep me full.

Already lots of new birds for me, here are some highlights: Great gray shrike, Ruddy shelduck, Eurasian hoppoe, Sardinia warbler, Spanish sparrow, Barbary partridge, Island Canary. A good start to the trip! Next stop is Fuenteventura which is 100 miles and 11,000 ft elevation gain. I’ll do this one alone as Aly flies out today.