Charco de los Clicos Green Lagoon

Local name: Charco de los Clicos

Green saltwater lagoon in a sea-eroded volcanic crater, cut off from the Atlantic by a black sand beach.

Charco de los Clicos, also known as Charco Verde or the Green Lagoon, is a pool of salt water in a volcanic crater on the coast of Yaiza, in the south-west of Lanzarote. The sea has worn away the outer half of the cone, leaving a curved wall of layered rock above a black sand beach, and the lagoon lies between the two. Its colour comes from algae living in the salty water. A path leads to a viewpoint above, where panels explain how the crater formed.

Lake Volcano crater

Entrance: Free; there is no ticket.
Accessibility: A path of about ten minutes leads from the parking to the viewpoint; it is manageable for older visitors who walk slowly.
Parking: Free. Playa del Golfo Parking, on bare ground, about 390 m away in a straight line; a second free unpaved area about 500 m away.
Difficulty: Easy: about ten minutes on a path to the viewpoint. The optional coast walk to Los Hervideros takes about an hour and a half.
Transport: Bus stop El Golfo, about 550 m away in a straight line.
Advance booking: Not needed; there is no ticket.
Address: Charco Verde, 35570, Las Palmas, Spain

What makes it special

From the viewpoint the lagoon lies below you as a flat sheet of bright green, held between a bank of black sand and a crater wall streaked in rust and ochre. Beyond the sand the Atlantic breaks white, and the noise of the surf carries all the way up.

The crater is only half there. The sea has eaten its outer side, and what is left curves round the water like a broken bowl. Panels at the viewpoint explain how it formed.

The view from the top is the one in the photographs, and a visit is mostly that view. A lower path runs beside the ocean and brings you closer to the green water, and walkers can carry on along the coast to Los Hervideros in about an hour and a half.

Good to know

For navigation, search for "Charco de los Clicos"; the place also appears as Charco Verde.
There are no toilets or drinking water at the lagoon, and none nearby — bring water with you.
The viewpoint stands open to the Atlantic wind; bring a layer even on a sunny day.
Expect company: the lagoon draws a lot of visitors, and they all gather at the same viewpoint.
The visit is a view from above and a walk; there is no swimming spot and nothing to do here in the rain.

Getting there

The lagoon is easy to reach by car. Playa del Golfo Parking, a free car park on bare ground, lies about 390 m away in a straight line, and a second free unpaved area about 500 m away. From the parking a path takes about ten minutes to the viewpoint above the crater; a guidepost and an information sign stand about 200 m from the lagoon.

A second path runs lower down, along the shore next to the ocean, and gets closer to the water. The nearest bus stop, El Golfo, is about 550 m away in a straight line. Walkers can continue along the coast to Los Hervideros, about an hour and a half on foot.

Best time to visit

Best: a bright, sunny day, ideally early, before the viewpoint fills up. Avoid: heavy cloud, and the busiest hours in the middle of the day.

The green depends on sunlight on the water and turns dull under cloud, and with one viewpoint for everyone, the quieter hours make the difference.

Sun & daylight

Beach

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Lanzarote beyond the beaches: lava, caves and César Manrique

Lanzarote beyond the beaches: Manrique's house in lava bubbles, Jameos del Agua, a walk into a volcano, the vine pits of La Geria and a green crater lagoon.