El Golfo, the green lake inside a crater cut in half

The sea ate through half the cone and left its cross-section exposed, like a textbook geological cut: red, black and ochre layers stacked on top of one another. At its foot lies the Charco de los Clicos, separated from the ocean by nothing more than a black sand beach.

The water is emerald green because of the algae living in it, in a hypersaline environment fed by seawater seeping under the shingle. The name comes from the clicos, the molluscs once gathered here.

The rules

The lagoon is protected: going down to the shore is forbidden, and so is swimming. You look at it from the viewpoint above, a short walk from the car park at the entrance to El Golfo village.

The village is worth the stop: a former fishing settlement turned into a row of seafront restaurants, all serving fresh fish. It is the westernmost point of the island and the sunset arrives head-on.

Sources: Cabildo de Lanzarote; Gobierno de Canarias, Parque Natural de Los Volcanes.