The village of Haria is the administrative centre 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.

Being primarily a residential town, Haria has so far remained almost completely "undiscovered" by many 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 Haria 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, 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 Haria should be fairly stressless 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 join the LZ10, which after passing the town of Teguise, will take you all the way north to Haria. 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 on the island, Haria is not a purpose built tourist resort, but a traditional Canarian town that has learnt to adapt and grow over the last 20 years to meet the insatiable demand for holiday homes and accommodation on the island.

The area around the village is known locally as "The Valley of 1,000 Palms" because during the 17th and 18th Centuries it became traditional for the villagers to celebrate the birth of a new baby by planting palms, one for every girl born and two for every boy.

The narrow streets and white washed houses all seem to lead to the shady Plaza Leon y Castillo, which is the attractive town square, where you will find the Parish Church of Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion and the small Sacred Art Museum.

Haria was once described by the famous Canarian author Alberto Vazquez as being "without doubt the most beautiful village on the island, if not the world", a sentiment which was reinforced when Lanzarote’s favourite son, Cesar Manrique, chose to retire here.

Although his house in the village in not open to the general public, his burial place in the small cemetery at the edge of the village does attract a small number of visitors each year.

As with so many other villages on the island, Haria could never really be ever described as being lively, and is therefore perhaps more suited towards older couples or families looking to escape the all night neon lit bars and nightclubs favoured by the younger 18 - 30's crowd.

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This website was launched on 1 May 2002

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