Cueva de los Verdes in Lanzarote: guided visit, tickets and tips

The Cueva de los Verdes, in the north of Lanzarote, is a guided walk of about 50 minutes and 1 km through the multi-level galleries of a lava tube, with lighting and sound devised by the artist Jesús Soto. It costs €17 and is sold online only, for a specific time. There is no ticket office: turn up without a ticket and you stay outside.

It is 1 km from Jameos del Agua, in the same tube, and almost everyone does both on the same day. Here is how to book, what to expect inside, who it is not suitable for and how to fit it in with the rest of the north.

What is the Cueva de los Verdes

It is a section of the La Corona lava tube, beneath the Malpaís de La Corona lava field in the north of the island. According to the CACT, the tube is more than 7 km long and continues under the sea as the Túnel de la Atlántida; Jameos del Agua is part of the same system.

The name has nothing to do with the colour green. According to the CACT, it comes from the surname of a family, the Verdes, who used the cave and kept livestock nearby. In the 16th and 17th centuries it sheltered the islanders from attacks by North African pirates.

The work of Jesús Soto, not Manrique

It is often credited to César Manrique, but the cave was adapted by the artist Jesús Soto, commissioned by the Cabildo (island council) in the sixties. It opened in 1964, before Jameos. Soto laid out the path and designed the lighting and ambient sound, which are a big part of what makes the visit special. If you are interested in the rest of the network of centres, it is all in our César Manrique guide.

Cueva de los Verdes tickets and price

• Adults: €17. Children aged 7 to 12: €8.50. Under-7s: free.
• Canary Islands residents: €13.60 (€6.80 child). Lanzarote residents: €2.
• People with disabilities: €11.90 (€5.95 child).

Reduced rates require the original document (DNI, NIE or Spanish residence registration) and cannot be combined; if you cannot prove eligibility, you lose the ticket with no refund.

The CACT sell the standalone ticket only in their online shop; on booking platforms you will find excursions and guided tours that include the cave. There is no multi-centre CACT pass either; we explain it in our CACT review.

Opening times and length of the visit

The cave is open every day of the year from 09:30 to 16:45; available slots show up in the shop when you choose the day. The visit is always guided, lasts about 50 minutes and covers around 1 km on foot. The guide speaks Spanish and English at the same time, to the same group.

Book your slot before anything else. It is the only thing in the north with a fixed time: Jameos del Agua, the Mirador del Río and the Jardín de Cactus have none, so they fit around it. The CACT do not publish the capacity of each slot, so book as soon as you have settled on your day.

What the visit is like inside

The route goes down through galleries on different levels and passes three main areas: the Sala de las Estetas, the Garganta de la Muerte and the Puerta Mora. Along the way you will see lava channels, blocks carried along by the flow, lava "stalactites" and deposits of salts and minerals that Soto's lighting picks out of the darkness.

The temperature stays at around 20 °C, so a light layer is enough at any time of year. Photos are allowed for personal use in permitted areas, following the guide's instructions.

The auditorium

One of the chambers of the tube holds an auditorium, and the visit passes through it. It is used for classical music, jazz, fusion, opera and flamenco. At the moment the Keroxen festival has hour-long concerts scheduled in the cave in October and November, at €20: the only way to be inside at night. Dates at https://www.cactlanzarote.com/en/events.

The surprise at the end

At the end of the route there is something the CACT would rather not reveal, and nor would we. Just two tips: do exactly what the guide says when asked, and if someone in your group has already been, do not let them spoil it.

Claustrophobia, height and accessibility

Before booking, it is worth knowing who it is not for:

• Claustrophobia. The CACT do not recommend it for sufferers: there are narrow passages and low ceilings.
• Tall people. If you are over 1.80 m, you will be stooping in several stretches. Mind your head.
• Reduced mobility. It is not accessible: uneven paths, steps and narrow spaces.
• Babies. Pushchairs are not allowed and there is nowhere to leave them. Carry your baby in your arms or a baby carrier.
• Pets. Assistance dogs only.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes with non-slip soles. For plans with little ones, see Lanzarote with kids: the cave works well for children who walk on their own and are not afraid of the dark.

How to get to the Cueva de los Verdes

The cave is off the road from Arrieta to Órzola, in the north. GPS coordinates: 29.1604766, -13.4392971. Parking is free for ticket holders.

Without a car

There is no bus stop of its own. The nearest is Jameos del Agua, on guagua (bus) line 9 Arrecife–Órzola, served by only three departures from Arrecife: the 10:15 (arrives 11:00), the 11:30 (12:15) and the 15:30 (16:15). Return buses leave Jameos at 11:47, 13:17 and 16:47. The two centres are 1 km apart, but neither the CACT nor the bus company publish a walking route from the stop to the cave: check it on a map before deciding and book a slot with time to spare. Timetables at https://arrecifebus.com/lineas/9-arrecife-orzola/ and more options in Lanzarote without a car.

Honestly: without a car, an excursion with pick-up saves you a lot of calculation.

Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua

They are the natural plan for a morning in the north. The order that works:

The two tickets together come to €34 per adult. For more ideas in the area, see our guide to northern Lanzarote; if you want to add La Graciosa, give it a separate day from Órzola with Líneas Romero or Biosfera Express.

Tour or on your own

With a car and two or more people, going on your own is cheaper and more flexible. The tour makes sense if you do not drive or are staying in the south and would rather not juggle timetables; before comparing prices with other excursions in Lanzarote, check the listing to see whether tickets are included. We go through the platform's cancellation terms in our GetYourGuide review.

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