The Cabildo has announced that monitors will be appointed to control parking and access to the Volcán del Cuervo and the Caldera Blanca. Access to both natural areas will be permitted between the hours of 8am and 7pm.
The monitors will limit numbers and ensure that parking is orderly, after several instances of overspill and chaotic parking. A maintenance worker and a guide/educator will also be employed at each area, following repeated instances of visitors straying from the established footpaths, and information offices will be set up at the start of the pathways.
Environment councillor Samuel Martín said that a study had shown that only the Volcán del Cuervo regularly exceeded recommended visitor numbers in the morning. However, both sites are becoming ever more popular due to the influence of social media and the tendency for more and more tourists to hire cars and visit lesser-known corners of the island.
These measures are part of a longer-term plan that will eventually see access to the areas provided by a shuttle bus from Mancha Blanca.
The Caldera Blanca is the largest volcanic crater on Lanzarote, while the Volcán del Cuervo was the very first volcano to be created during the eruptions of 1730.
