Malpais de la Arena

Among the most impressive protected areas of Fuerteventura is the Natural Monument of the Malpais de la Arena, Volcán de la Arena. Located between La Oliva, Lajares and Villaverde this place will transport visitors to another planet thanks to the imposing landscapes of rock that surround them. This area was formed as a result of a volcano that after its eruption left a sea of solidified lavas and that gave rise to a unique ecosystem of flora and fauna that is also linked to the great geological, geomorphological and archaeological value.

Malpaís has dimensions that are around 12 square kilometers and are formed by several craters and lava flows at the base of the main building of the volcano. The Volcan de La Arena is 10,000 years old and has a height of 420 meters above sea level and 120 meters above the base and is considered the youngest on the island of Fuerteventura strong>.

In Malpais you can see small furnaces, holes where the gases of the volcanic eruptions were released, this has led to the formation of caves like the one called. Birds can be observed as owls or shearwaters that take refuge in breeding season.

In 1970, the archaeological site of the Cueva de los Ídolos was found, where a large amount of fragmented ceramics, bone remains, fish scraps, tools, decorative objects and objects were found. the idols that are small pieces of clay and stones that appeared among domestic objects in burial mounds.The large number of found objects together with its landscape and other elements have made this space declared in 1987 as Natural Area of National Interest of Malpaís Grande and reclassified in 1994 of Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands as National Monument.