At a glance
- A guided off-road volcano buggy tour listed from US$173, rated 4.67 from 5,246 reviews, with small groups limited to 10 participants.[1]
- Drivers need to be 20 or older, with a driving licence held for two years or more.[2]
- The guided off-road volcano buggy tour runs 2 - 3 hours, and you can check availability to see starting times.[1]
- A live tour guide leads the drive in Catalan, English, French or Spanish.[1]
- Reserve now and pay later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
- Top choice Guided Off-Road Buggy Tour from US$173 Duration2 - 3 hours[1]Rating4.67 from 5,246 reviews[1]Guide languagesCatalan, English, French, Spanish[1]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours in advance[1] Check availability
- Can-Am Trail Buggy Tour from US$196 Duration3 hours[3]Rating4.54 from 243 reviews[3]Guide languagesEnglish, Spanish[3]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours in advance[3] See this tour
- On-Road Buggy Volcano Tour from US$207 Duration2.5 hours[4]Rating4.58 from 627 reviews[4]Guide languagesEnglish, Spanish[4]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours in advance[4] See this tour
Thanks to its geographical situation, Lanzarote possesses a warm climate throughout the entire year, with an average annual temperature of about 21ºC .
Is a private buggy tour in Lanzarote worth it?
Before you set off
- Your driving licence, held for at least two years, for whoever takes the wheel[2]
- Closed shoes and clothes you do not mind dusting off at the end of the drive
- Sun cream, sunglasses and a buff, because volcanic dust gets into everything
- Passengers can ride along while one qualified driver handles the buggy
Private buggy tour Lanzarote: what you are booking
A buggy puts you at the level of the lava. You sit low in an open frame, the engine note mixes with the wind, and the track unfolds a metre in front of your hands. That is the appeal of driving yourself across Lanzarote's volcanic south rather than watching it slide past a coach window. On a private run the vehicle and the guide are yours, so the pace, the photo stops and the conversation belong to your group.
On the guided off-road volcano buggy tour, you join a small group limited to 10 participants, with a live tour guide in Catalan, English, French or Spanish.[1] The listing is from US$173, and the tour is rated 4.67 from 5,246 reviews.[1] It runs 2 - 3 hours, and you can check availability to see starting times.[1]
Buggy tours are not the only way into the volcano country, but they cover ground quickly. Tracks that walkers cross over hours pass under your wheels in a short drive, and the wind, the smell of dust and the rattle of the frame come as part of the deal.
Off road or on road: which buggy route suits you
Lanzarote's buggy tours fall into two broad families. Off-road machines bounce along dusty tracks and dry barrancos, kicking up fine volcanic ash, while on-road buggies stay on tarmac and cover more ground between viewpoints. Neither is better; they answer different questions. If you want the gravel-spitting, dusty-helmet experience, book an off-road run. If you would rather see more of the island in comfort and keep the dust down, the on-road route is the calmer choice.
The guided off-road volcano buggy tour is the off-road sort and runs 2 - 3 hours.[1] A longer trail drive on a Can-Am machine is offered on the guided Can-Am trail buggy tour, which runs 3 hours and is listed from US$196.[3] The on-road guided buggy volcano tour takes 2.5 hours and is listed from US$207.[4] If your party needs more seats, the off-road guided buggy volcano tour comes as a 4 or 6 seater, runs 2 - 3 hours and is listed from US$230.[5]
Buggy tracks cut through black lava fields on the way to the volcano park.
Who can drive a buggy in Lanzarote
This is the part people get caught out by. On the buggy tour operated by Buggy Tour Lanzarote, drivers must be at least 20 years old and must have held a valid driving licence for a minimum of two years.[2] The requirement sits with the person behind the wheel, so a group can still ride along with one qualified driver.
Requirements vary between operators, so read the listing you choose rather than assuming they are all the same. Passengers do not need a licence, which makes a buggy workable for a family or a pair of friends where only one person drives. On the guided off-road volcano buggy tour, a live tour guide briefs the group in Catalan, English, French or Spanish.[1]
If you have held a licence for years but rarely drive anything bigger than a hatchback, the controls are simple and the guide leads the way. The route is chosen for the vehicles rather than for island traffic, so you follow the buggy ahead instead of navigating.
Private, small group or shared: choosing a format
Buggy outings on the island range from shared departures of a handful of vehicles to fully private runs where the guide's attention is yours alone. Private lets you set the pace, stop where you like for photographs and keep the group to your own party. A small group tour costs less per person and is often more sociable, since you meet other travellers at the briefing and again at the stops.
The guided off-road volcano buggy tour keeps groups small, limited to 10 participants.[1] If you want the vehicle to yourselves as part of a bigger day out, the pack trio buggy, jet ski and parasailing adventure is listed as a private group and runs 4 hours, from US$346.[6] For something quieter and more grown up, the wine and volcan private tour is a private group with pickup included, listed from US$374.[7]
A private off road tour in Lanzarote is usually arranged as a whole-vehicle booking, so any seats your group does not fill simply ride empty. Book for the people who will actually travel, and ask about vehicle allocation when you enquire.
from US$173
The guided off-road volcano buggy tour drives the volcanic south with a live guide, small groups and the option of pickup.
Volcano country: what you drive through
The landscape you cross is young and still raw. The Timanfaya eruption lasted six years and covered 23% of Lanzarote in fresh lava and spatter.[8] Fields of black clinker sit beside pale ash, and cones rise out of the plain like tips of something buried. Lanzarote is listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, comprising the northernmost island of the Canary Archipelago and the northern islets.[9]
Further north, La Geria grows its vines in pits dug into the volcanic ash, a centuries-old technique.[10] Peñas del Chache, the tallest mountain on the island, stands 672 meters (about 2,205 feet) above the sea.[11] On the wild south-west coast, Los Hervideros is a stretch of black lava cliffs where the Atlantic surges into sea caves and blowholes.[12] Near Yaiza, the crater of an extinct volcano submerges into the Atlantic to form the green lagoon known as Charco de los Clicos, a Natural Reserve.[13]
No geology lesson is needed to enjoy it. The colours do the talking: black clinker, ochre ash, pale green vine pits and the blue of the Atlantic on the horizon.
Weather, timing and what to wear
Lanzarote has a warm climate throughout the entire year, with an average annual temperature of about 21ºC.[14] The island sits in the trade winds, which blow steadily from the north-east all year round, though the speed varies.[15] In an open buggy that means a steady breeze and, on some days, a face full of dust.
Take sunglasses, a buff or scarf for your nose and mouth, and a light jacket for the morning. Closed shoes beat sandals when you climb in and out of the frame. The guided off-road volcano buggy tour runs 2 - 3 hours, and starting times vary, so check availability for the slot that fits your day.[1]
Booking, pickup and what to sort before you go
Booking terms on these tours are forgiving. The guided off-road volcano buggy tour offers reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1] Pickup is available, and you check availability for pickup options when you book.[1]
Where you stay shapes your transfer. Lanzarote Airport sits 12 km from Puerto del Carmen, and 33 km from Playa Blanca.[16][17] Lanzarote currently does not charge a general overnight tourist tax.[18] The island receives just over 3 million holiday tourists per year, plus a further 500,000 day visitors arriving by cruise ship.[19]
Ratings are a useful tiebreaker when two tours look similar. The guided off-road volcano buggy tour is rated 4.67 from 5,246 reviews, with guide and transportation scores of 4.7 and value for money at 4.6.[1]
GetYourGuide ratings for Lanzarote buggy tours
Overall listing scores from the GetYourGuide listings[1],[20],[4] and[3].
From-prices for Lanzarote buggy tours
From-prices in US dollars from the GetYourGuide listings[1],[3],[4] and[5]; each listing gives one from-price.
When to book and when to drive
Plan your buggy drive
Check you can drive
Drivers need to be 20 or older, with a driving licence held for two years or more.[2]
Pick off road or on road
Off-road buggies take the dusty tracks, while the on-road guided buggy volcano tour stays on tarmac and takes 2.5 hours.[4]
Match the vehicle to your group
The off-road guided buggy volcano tour comes as a 4 or 6 seater and is listed from US$230.[5]
Book with flexible terms
Reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
Pack for dust and sun
Sunglasses, a buff for your face and closed shoes make the open cockpit far more comfortable.
Ready to drive the volcano fields? Check dates for the guided buggy tour.
from US$174Reserve now & pay later
