Cueva de los Verdes is a lava tube and tourist
attraction on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary
Islands (Spain). The cave lies within the Monumento
Natural del Malpaís de La Corona, a protected area of
the Canary Islands.
The cave was created around 3,000 years ago by lava
flows erupted from the nearby volcano Monte Corona,
flowing across the Malpais de la Corona toward the
sea. As in all lava tubes, the top of a lava stream
cooled and developed a solid crust, and the lava
stream later drained away leaving the top crust as the
roof of a cave. In about 20 spots, the roof of the cave collapsed, forming a cavern known locally as
a jameo. The caves extend for 6 kilometres above sea level and for another 1.5 kilometres below
the sea.
One jameo forms the entrance to the Cueva de los Verdes. Two kilometres of the cave system
were developed for tourists in the 1960s, with the cave walls illuminated by colorful lights.
The cave is also famous for its concert hall which is located near the entrance and exit of the
cave. The concert hall has about 15 to 20 rows with 26 seats in each row, allowing up to 500
people in the concert hall at once.
In earlier centuries, inhabitants throughout Lanzarote hid in this cave to protect themselves from
European pirates and Muslim slave raiders.
Cueva de los Verdes
Location: 29°10' N, 13°46' W
Elevation: 46 m
Photos: Rolf Cosar
Lanzarote, September 2018
Home
Video
attraction on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary
Islands (Spain). The cave lies within the Monumento
Natural del Malpaís de La Corona, a protected area of
the Canary Islands.
The cave was created around 3,000 years ago by lava
flows erupted from the nearby volcano Monte Corona,
flowing across the Malpais de la Corona toward the
sea. As in all lava tubes, the top of a lava stream
cooled and developed a solid crust, and the lava
stream later drained away leaving the top crust as the
roof of a cave. In about 20 spots, the roof of the cave collapsed, forming a cavern known locally as
a jameo. The caves extend for 6 kilometres above sea level and for another 1.5 kilometres below
the sea.
One jameo forms the entrance to the Cueva de los Verdes. Two kilometres of the cave system
were developed for tourists in the 1960s, with the cave walls illuminated by colorful lights.
The cave is also famous for its concert hall which is located near the entrance and exit of the
cave. The concert hall has about 15 to 20 rows with 26 seats in each row, allowing up to 500
people in the concert hall at once.
In earlier centuries, inhabitants throughout Lanzarote hid in this cave to protect themselves from
European pirates and Muslim slave raiders.
Cueva de los Verdes
Location: 29°10' N, 13°46' W
Elevation: 46 m
Photos: Rolf Cosar
Lanzarote, September 2018
Home
Video