The resort of Arrieta is a small coastal village that is part of the municipal district of Haria,

which at some 30km from of the capital Arrecife, is the not only the most northern district in both Lanzarote and the Canary Islands, but also the most easterly.

Geographically the municipal district of Haria covers an area of 106km2 which includes the islands of La Graciosa, Alegranza, Roque del Este, Roque del Oeste and Montana Clara. The island of La Graciosa which translates in English as "the graceful one" is located approximately 2km north of Lanzarote and is separated from by mainland by a narrow strait known as El Rio, or "The River".

The island of La Graciosa is entirely made up of volcanic sands, and despite having absolutely no natural resources of its own (even the water has to be shipped in by tanker), some 580 people still chose to live there.

The resort of Arrieta has so far remained almost completely "undiscovered" by most of the major tour operators, and as far as we are aware doesn't as yet feature as a recognised destination in any of their summer or winter sun brochures.

As a result most visitors here will be independent travellers who either own holiday homes in the area, or are renting such properties from the owners.

Making the journey north to Arrieta from the Arrecife International Airport can be quite difficult, and realistically there are only two options available.

The first, and possibly the most convenient option, would certainly be the door to door service offered by any of the numerous taxis waiting outside of the arrivals hall, who would typically charge around 20€ for the journey.

Taxis on Lanzarote do represent very good value for money by European standards, and can instantly be recognised as being the eggshell/white cars with a large red stripe on each front door.

However please be aware that a standard taxi on the island is only licenced to carry a maximum of 4 passengers plus a "reasonable" amount of luggage, so for larger groups of travellers, or those with special needs, it is our recommendation to make provision for a pre-booked taxi to be waiting for you at the airport, and clearly specify at the time of booking that a larger, or specially adapted, vehicle is needed for the journey.

The second option would be to pre-arrange for the collection of a hire car from one of the numerous agencies based at the airport. Driving over to Arrieta should be fairly straightforward for most drivers, once you have remembered which side of the road to drive on, as you leave the airport facility you will automatically join the LZ2, the Carretera de Arrecife de Yaiza, at which point you need to head north east towards Arrecife.

As you approach Arrecife take the LZ3, Carretera de la Circunulacion, which is the Arrecife northern ring road, where you will need to keep a sharp lookout for the LZ1, Avda del Campoamor, which takes you inland to the village of Tahiche.

Once at Tahiche continue along LZ1, which after passing through the villages of Guatiza and Mala, will take you all the way into the resort. If needed, a more detailed version of this route, complete with links to maps where appropriate, is available from the Route Map link on the left hand frame of this page.

Unlike so many other villages in the south of the island, Arrieta is not a purpose built tourist resort, but a small traditional Canarian fishing village that has learnt to adapt over the last 20 years to meet the insatiable demand for holiday homes and accommodation on the island. Although it has to be said that tourist development here has been carried out on a very low scale when compared to other parts of Lanzarote.

Arrieta still has a small working harbour from where the local fishermen unload their catch each morning, and the resort does have a number of excellent seafood restaurants which are very popular at weekends with the locals and the small numbers of tourist in the village.

At the southern edge of the resort is the wide sandy Playa de la Garita beach, which has been recently awarded the prestigious European Blue Flag in recognition of its cleanliness and water quality.

One word of advice, the Atlantic Ocean around this stretch of coastline can be very rough with strong undercurrents, making swimming only suitable for the very strongest and certainly not recommended for children.

As with so many other villages in the north of the island, Arrieta could never really be ever described as being lively, however, if its peace and tranquility you desire away from the all night neon lit bars and nightclubs, Arrieta may be just the resort you are seeking.

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This website was launched on 1 May 2002

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