Charco de los Clicos (El Lago Verde), Lanzarote
Inside the collapsed crater of a cinder volcano on Lanzarote's Chinijo Archipelago coast, a perfectly circular lagoon glows an unearthly lime green — the colour produced by a microalgae called Dunaliella salina thriving in the hyper-saline water. It is one of the strangest and most beautiful sights in the Canaries.
Finding the Lagoon
The Charco de los Clicos sits within El Golfo, a half-crater eroded by the sea on Lanzarote's western coast, about 5 km north of the village of Yaiza. The viewpoint above the lagoon is a short walk from a small car park on the LZ-703 road — no entrance fee, no crowds before 09:00.
The black volcanic sand beach directly below the crater rim is accessible via a steep path. Swimming in the lagoon itself is prohibited to protect the fragile ecosystem, but the beach beside it offers excellent snorkelling in the Atlantic.
Combining with El Golfo Village
A kilometre south, the fishing hamlet of El Golfo lines its seafront with a row of restaurants serving the morning's catch. The specialty is fresh pulpo (octopus) grilled over charcoal and drizzled with local olive oil — order it at El Golfo restaurant right on the black-sand promenade.
The area sits within Timanfaya National Park's buffer zone, so the surrounding landscape of frozen lava rivers and volcanic cones adds to the otherworldly atmosphere.
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