Manrique’s space age party venue is located in a lava bubble, where a legendary lake filled with unique blind crabs is flanked by restaurants, cafes, a volcano museum and a natural concert auditorium. Here’s what to expect when you visit.
The Jameos del Agua is the first Art, Culture and Tourism Centre created by César Manrique. Inaugurated in 1968, Manrique transformed the space into a unique work of art form by three jameos (a large opening in a lava tube), Jameo Chico, Jameo Grande and Jameo de la Cazuela.
Most visitors will see both the Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes on their trip as the two centres are next to each other. However, they both offer very different and unique experiences.
Once parked at the centre, walk to the front (near the sculpture) and you’ll find the entrance/ticket office. You can pay here or online and present your ticket in person at the desk.
At the entrance you’ll be immediately greeted by a large open-air space with stairs down to the cafeteria where you can stop off for a drink and a snack as you overlook the natural pool, surrounded by stunning greenery. The area is shaded with large canvas above, so you won’t need to worry about sun burn.
If you don’t want to stop off there and then, that’s okay, you can tour the entire centre and come back to the cafeteria later on.
Walking through the cafeteria and down the stairs to the left will take you to the natural pool in the cave. Take this time to have a look at the water and you might spot some white speckles… these are the famous blind crabs of the Jameos del Agua – white in colour due to the darkness of the centre.
A path to the right of the pool will take you to the bar on the other side where you can grab a drink and some snacks. Walking through the bar and up the stairs on the left will bring you to the middle of the Jameos del Agua centre with the large swimming pool in the centre (swimming not permitted).
This is an extremely popular photo spot with thousands of selfies taken here and uploaded to Instagram and Facebook – so why not take one yourself to remember the trip?
If you walk straight from the stairs leading to the pool area you will find the Jameos del Agua auditorium – a large concert venue built into a volcanic tube.
Coming out of the auditorium and heading up the spiral staircase to the left will bring you to the final section of the tour. The stunning (and newly renovated) volcano museum.
There has been a volcano museum here for years, but it had become a little shabby and neglected until recently, when the Cabildo carried out an intensive renovation project. The new museum opened in March and the result is fascinating – an attractive, fascinating space that will delight adults and children alike.
The Casa de los Volcanes is not just a museum – it’s also part of the monitoring programme that continually measures earth tremors and seismic activity on the island. Many of the older instruments used for this are on show, with their pencil printouts. However, at one point a sign tells you to STAMP!
The moment you do, you see a computer screen in front of you register the vibrations with a series of steep peaks and troughs. This immediately caused an impromptu flamenco display from a couple of delighted children, and is a sign of how user-friendly the new museum is.
Upstairs you’ll find a huge relief model of Lanzarote, with all its volcanoes clearly indicated. Video displays show how the volcanoes were formed in a chain, as tectonic plates moved slowly over the “hot spot” below, and it’s still a surprise to see how immense the Timanfaya eruptions of 300 years ago were.
What looks like a huge, illuminated worm dominates one area. It is, in fact, a model of the Atlantida Tunnel, which extends kilometres out to sea and contains unique life forms. This is one of those displays that you can quickly get lost in.
There are quizzes for children, videos showing how people like César Manrique, Jesús Soto and the visionary Cabildo President Pepín Ramírez transformed the island in the 1960s, and guides to the island’s wildlife. Fans of the old museum will be pleased to learn that some of the mirror displays are still there. A room entirely surrounded by mirrors gives a dizzying illusion of infinite reflections in all directions.
Another new feature is a virtual reality tour through the entire tunnel, with three languages offered. It’s perhaps the easiest way to appreciate how incredible this place is – a continuous tunnel stretching from the Monte Corona, with several jameos areas where the ceiling has collapsed and including the Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua, before continuing out to sea.
It’s a place that’s worth taking your time to explore and learn in depth. We had a great time sliding a video screen along a diagram of the tunnel, pressing for information on strange shrimps and underwater sand mountains.
There are also exhibits highlighting how Lanzarote has been chosen for research by astronauts from the European Space project because of its similarity to the surface of Mars.
And, of course, the whole museum reflects the vision of Manrique – clean, white galleries with lush, green plants, glimpses through a traditional Canarian window to the pool below and those big glass panels that Manrique loved.
At the end of the museum is another bar where you can grab a quick drink and a bite to eat before checking out the gift shop which has lots of souvenirs to remember your visit.
BOOKING INFORMATION
The Jameos del Agua is open every day from 10am until 6pm (last entrance at 5:15pm) and takes approximately 1 hour to see it all.
Entry is €15 per adult, €7.50 per child (ages 7 – 12) and free for children under the age of 6. For access to the volcano museum there is an additional charge of €5 euros for adults and €2.50 for children.
There is a discount for residents which is €8 per adult and €4 per child. Or €11 per adult and €5.50 per child with the volcano museum included.
Those with disabilities can receive a 30% discount on tickets too.
You can buy tickets online from the official website here:
https://ventaonline.cactlanzarote.com/en/tickets/jameos-del-agua-ticket
