La Santa in Lanzarote – Coast, Nature and Maritime Tradition

A notable point of interest in La Santa is the palaeontological site: it consists of scattered fragments of an ancient coastline that formed during the last interglacial period, around 135,000 years ago. La Santa is a small, quiet fishing village on the northern coast of Tinajo. A small boat landing and fishing boats lend La Santa a picturesque coastal character.

When comparing a holiday apartment in La Santa, you can review travel dates, room category and cancellation policies side by side. Such information structures the comparison of offers, while you can decide for yourself which aspects of your stay to focus on. The coast, nature, culture, hiking and water sports offer different perspectives, without any one of these focal points replacing the others.

Coast and Character of the Village

Playa de La Santa (Pueblo) in Tinajo is a 130-metre-long beach of sand and rock. The island of La Santa consists of the remains of a basaltic ʻaʻā lava flow and is surrounded by a boulder beach. La Santa has restaurants serving local seafood. For your planning, the beach type, lava flow, fishing and seafood can be considered as different coastal features.

Nature and Geological History

In the Saladar de La Santa, the salt-marsh ecosystem includes species adapted to flooding with seawater at high tide and intense sunlight at low tide. The La Santa palaeontological site contains the coral Siderastrea radians, which is dated to the beginning of the Upper Pleistocene and a period of maximum warming; this coral has since disappeared from the Canary Islands. The Zona Paleontológica de La Santa is classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural in Lanzarote. For your planning, the adaptations of the salt-marsh ecosystem and the palaeontological traces can be considered as two distinct nature topics.

Culture and Maritime Tradition

The Festividad del Carmen is celebrated in the fishing village of La Santa and is a festival with a strong maritime tradition. The celebration includes a maritime procession in which fishermen and their families decorate boats and escort the Virgin along the nearby coast.

For further research on Lanzarote, you can also include La Vegueta, Mancha Blanca and El Cuchillo in your plans.

Hiking and Water Sports

The Los Risquetes hiking trail starts and ends at the Saladar de La Santa. Los Risquetes is an easy hiking trail suitable for all visitors. Escuela de Surf Franito offers surfing courses for beginners, improvement and high-performance sports. The Ría de La Santa is suitable for beginner windsurfers. For your own planning, you can compare the hiking trail, course options and windsurfing opportunities by activity type and level. La Santa is home to the internationally recognised El Quemao surf spot.

For the broader travel overview: Tinajo.