The devil of Timanfaya, a popular legend

The Timanfaya National Park is an iconic place, where you get a number of attractions, the legends here are very traditional and specifically the legend of the devil of Timanfaya which you should not miss if you have the opportunity to know it.

Origin of the legend of the devil of Timanfaya

This is an ancient Canarian legend which is well known in the area, it narrates that on September 1, 1730 in Timanfaya a wedding was taking place. The bride was a beautiful young woman who was the daughter of the cultivators of the area. His relatives cultivated healing plants.

As for the young man, he was the son of the best economic inhabitants of the whole island. It is said that in the ceremony there was a large explosion that caused a strong tremor in the earth.

From the sky began to fall many rocks and also many pieces of lava which destroyed everything in their path. There was no choice for the guests but to flee quickly to protect themselves from harm.

The same situation was also recorded for the inhabitants of the village who sought refuge from this disaster. Many could be saved, but this time fate had the will that this couple fall into disgrace.

There was a large rock that crushed the bride, she was buried immediately and the groom, when he saw this scene held a five-pointed forge with the intention of moving the stone and save his love.

Immediately the man realized that his future wife had died. Between his despair and sadness, he decided to take his wife's body without letting go of the forge, right there he began to run through the valley to get a shelter, but there was no longer a place to take refuge.

Despite the amount of ash and smoke, many villagers were able to observe on the hill the young man who was being illuminated by the moonlight. The man lifted the forge using both arms and before disappearing into the burning ground, the people sighed:

"Poor devil"

This was a sigh that was carried out in sadness on the part of all, this because it was quite sad to see this whole scene which destroyed not only the people, but also the morale of all the people who were there that day.

Timanfaya Natural Park

This is an excellent park of 5 thousand hectares. It is an area that has not been altered by human hands, climate or vegetation. This is a park where time has been responsible for making some modifications to improve the place.

The most important modification that has been recorded in this park is the pure beauty of its land, which is red and also Jet. Even Unesco has declared this park as a Biosphere Reserve.

The Timanfaya National Park is a natural area protected by Spain, it is located in the municipalities of Tinajo and Yaiza, specifically on the island of Lanzarote. In 2020 it received an amount of 1,655,772 visitors.

This became the second park with the highest number of tourist visits in the Canary Islands, the first place was occupied by the Teide National Park which is located on the island of Tenerife.

In 1974, specifically on August 9 it was declared a National Park. This would be the third protected natural area in the Canary Islands that has been able to hold this designation, as well as the only one that has occurred in the entire Province of Las Palmas.

What to see in the park?

People who come to this park will have the possibility to see things that will catch their attention. There are a lot of things that can be done in this park , it is just a matter of knowing what they are, these would be the following:

1.      You can go to the Visitor Center

Before the start of this visit to the park, it is recommended that tourists go to this center which is located in Mancha Blanca. There for free, through an audiovisual program and also an exhibition set you can have a vision of the park in different languages.

This center is adapted to give access to all those who have reduced mobility. It also has a bookshop and a shop.

2.      Visit the Mountains of Fire

Here, travelers will be able to be inside a volcanic world. To enter hereyou arrive by El Taro de Entrada (road LZ-67) where you must pay the entrance per person.

The price includes things like geothermal demonstrations, the bus tour of what would be the route of the volcanoes and also the parking service. There you can count on the following:

·          -  Free Wi-Fi

·          -  Shop

·         -   Bus tour which is covered with the payment of the entrance fee

·          -  Cafeteria-Restaurant El Diablo

·         -   Parking service

3.      A camel dump

If you continue moving along the LZ-67 road if you go towards Yaiza you will find this place. Here you can take a camel tour, this place has a museum that serves as an information center and offers you an exhibition about this park.

It is a place that has quite accessible conditions for those who have reduced mobility. It is open from 9 am to 3 pm.

4.      Walking tours

People have the opportunity to enjoy this excellent landscape while doing the following hiking trails:

·          The Tremesana Route

This is a guided walking tour, which consists of 2 km. For this you must make a prior reservation which is obtained by calling +34-928849-839.

·          The Coastal Route

This can also be a guided tour with a prior reservation as well as the previous route. It can also be traveled freely, it is a path parallel to the coast.

Councils

·         The transit through this park implies a respect for what is peace and also the conservation of the entire environment. For this reason we recommend at all times that you do not disturb any of the animals that are here.

·       It is also good that you know that it is forbidden to start or extract plants or also minerals. The alteration of any of the natural elements is also prohibited.

·       -  As far as possible, you should return waste to populated areas. You should know that it is limited to use the bins, never throw this waste outside the areas demarcated for this.

·      -  Nor is it allowed to circulate in vehicles outside the asphalted areas that are open to the public. It will not be possible for you to walk on lavas or on any material that is pyroclastic.

We recommend you take into account all these indications, so that you avoid any type of problem and inconvenience product of non-compliance with the rules. Remember that it is a national park and for this reason you must help maintain and take care of the entire site.