Timanfaya National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional de Timanfaya) is a national park in Spain located in the southwestern part of the island of Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands. It includes parts of the municipalities Tinajo and Yaiza. The area of the park is 51.07 square kilometres (19.72 square miles), and it is made entirely of volcanic soil. It is the only national park in Spain that is completely geological in nature. The statue El Diablo, created by César Manrique, is the symbol of the park. Timanfaya National Park shows both recent and past volcanic activity in the Macaronesian region. The last volcanic eruptions happened in 1824. However, most of the area covered by the national park was shaped during the eruptive period between 1730 and 1736.

Volcanic activity

The largest eruptions ever recorded happened between 1730 and 1736. The volcanic activity began outside the national park at Caldera de Los Cuervos volcano on September 1, 1730, and ended with an eruption at Montaña Colorada volcano, located 1.7 kilometers (1.1 miles) north-east of El Cuervo. This eruption stopped on April 16, 1736. Volcanic activity still occurs because temperatures in the ground can range from 100 to 600 degrees Celsius (212 to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit) at a depth of 13 meters (43 feet). This natural event is a tourist attraction where water is poured into a hole, and steam is released quickly.

Ecological value

In 1993, UNESCO created a Biosphere reserve that includes the entire island of Lanzarote. The national park is a central part of this reserve.

Entry to the park is carefully controlled to protect its sensitive plants and animals. A public parking area allows visitors to travel through the volcanic landscape by bus on a road that is not open to the general public. Only two walking paths are available, but they require permission in advance and must be used with a guide.