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The village of Guatiza in Lanzarote - The Cactus Garden

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PresentationPresentation

General presentationGeneral presentation
The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. The cactus garden in the old crater. Click to enlarge the image.The JCactus Garden(Jardín de Cactus) of Lanzarote is a botanical garden located in Guatiza in the town of Teguise in the north-center of the island of Lanzarote. But it’s also an outdoor work of art, created by the artist and environmentalist César Manrique.

This is one of the last works of the artist César Manrique designed the project in 1973, but its implementation is mainly made ​​from 1987 to 1992. The Cactus Garden was officially opened in 1990 - two years before the accidental death of César Manrique.

The Jardín de Cactus is managed by the Insular Chapter of Lanzarote.

VisitsVisits

Cactus GardenThe cactus garden (Jardín de Cactus)
The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. Cactus Garden. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).The Cactus Garden was installed in an old quarry pozzolan, or volcanic lapilli, which was extracted from rofe or picón, used extensively by farmers Lanzarote practicing of technical enarenado. This career rofe (rofero) exploited the lapilli of one of the craters of the volcano Las Calderetas located near the east coast of Lanzarote, north of Guatiza. The former quarry became a garbage dump. As in other sites, such as Fort St. Joseph in Arrecife or tanks of Tahíche, César Manrique tried to preserve and restore the historic and natural heritage of his native island, giving it a new function.

The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. Garden Center. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).The Cactus Garden is as an amphitheater, over 5 000 m² area, which occupies the pit left by the operation of the former quarry, with a succession of terraces arranged in terraces supported by thick stone walls volcanic, which are distributed various collections of succulents; floors are covered pozzolan.

The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. Pool. Click to enlarge the image.Winding staircases, stone slabs pavers evoke Japanese gardens; blocks of reddish or blackish lava dot the landscape and in the center of the arena are the tall columns of volcanic dykes as left by the quarrying and small basins, covered with water lilies, where fish red swim lazily and when the sparrows bathe with delight.

The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. The mill of the Cactus Garden. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).On the northern edge of the crater an old windmill has been restored; sometimes it is open to visitors. This mill was a mill gofio, a roasted corn flour which was the staple food of the people of Lanzarote.

The area stretching from Guatiza to Mala was one of the main production areas of red cochineal, a natural dye, carmine, cochineal extract of an insect whose larvae feed on opuntias or snowshoes cactus including the prickly pear. The Cactus Garden perpetuates the memory of this culture of cactus, favored by the arid climate of Lanzarote.

The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. Cactus Garden. Click to enlarge the image.However the garden is not limited to only opuntias or even solely cacti; the cactus garden has more than 7,200 individuals from over 1,100 species of succulent plants: cactus, euphorbia, agave, aloe and so on. Although some identifications are inadequate, most specimens are labeled with their botanical names and their region of origin: the species of cacti and agaves are mainly from America, euphorbias and aloes from Africa; some species are from the Indian subcontinent. The few species endemic to the Canary Islands are featured updates. This is the botanist Estanislao Gonzalez Ferrer who was responsible for the selection and collection of succulents specimens.

All species of succulents have a multitude of shapes, colors and sizes, from tiny cactus shaped woolly ball, large thorny cactus pumpkin-shaped or large cactus-shaped hooks up gigantic euphorbias the size of a tree.

This variety of strange shapes, arranged aesthetically, are visiting the Cactus Garden a kind of escape from the weather, especially in the late afternoon when the shadows of the cactus stretching to infinity.

Practical informationPractical information

Visiting hoursVisiting hours
The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. The cactus metal emblem of the Cactus Garden. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).The Cactus Garden is located north of the village of Guatiza; its entrance is marked with the emblem of the garden - designed by César Manrique - a giant metal cactus, bristling with thorns, 8 m high. A beautiful wrought iron gate suggests the majesty of the place.

The bus line No. 7, of Arrecife in Maguez, stopped about 6 times a day near the Cactus Garden.

Timetable summer garden and shop (July-September): daily, 9 am to 17 45 pm.

Winter hours of the garden and the shop: daily, 10 am to 17: 45 pm.

Winter hours Garden: 10 am to 17: 45 pm.

The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. The entrance gate of the cactus garden. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. Boutique du Cactus Garden. Click to enlarge the image.Admission: adults € 5.50; Children 7 to 12 years, 2.75 €. The package Museum Pass Bono 4 Centros can be used.

Phone: 00 34 928 529 397

Site on the Web: www.centrosturisticos.com

Inside the garden, facing the pool, in a stone pavilion with a dome, is a shop where you can buy the usual souvenirs.

RestaurantRestaurant
The Cactus Garden has a pleasant café with a terrace overlooking the garden. As the cactus garden, the cafeteria was designed by César Manrique, whose sleek style is recognizable in furniture.

To the left of the cafeteria a few steps lead to the mill gofio restored.

The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. The Cactus Garden cafeteria designed by César Manrique. Click to enlarge the image.The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. The terrace of the cafeteria. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).The Cactus Garden in Guatiza in Lanzarote. The Mill cactus garden. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).

Other topicsOther topics

Filiation of the topics
Canaries > Lanzarote > Eastern coast > Teguise > Guatiza > Cactus Garden
More detailed topics
The village of Guatiza in Lanzarote - The cactus collection
The village of Guatiza in Lanzarote - The collection of euphorbia
The village of Guatiza in Lanzarote - The collection of succulents
Close topics
Broader topics
Canary Islands
The Castle St. Barbara (Santa Barbara) in Teguise in Lanzarote
The village of Los Valles in Lanzarote
The village of El Mojón in Lanzarote
The village of Guatiza in Lanzarote
The village of Nazaret and the Omar Sharif house in Lanzarote
The village of Tahíche and the César Manrique Foundation in Lanzarote
The village of Costa Teguise in Lanzarote
The village of Mozaga in Lanzarote
The village of Tiagua and the Agricultural Museum El Patio in Lanzarote
The village of Sóo and the plain of El Jable in Lanzarote
The village of La Caleta de Famara in Lanzarote
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