El Golfo and the Green Lagoon

The green lagoon at El Golfo is one of Lanzarote’s most surreal and photographed sights, a vivid emerald-green pool sitting inside the eroded half-crater of a volcano, right beside a beach of jet-black sand and a wall of red, ochre and black rock.

Officially called the Charco de los Clicos, and also known as the Lago Verde, it’s a free natural wonder on the wild south-west coast, paired with the charming little fishing village of El Golfo and its excellent seafood restaurants. It’s a short, easy stop that delivers one of the island’s most striking landscapes, and it pairs perfectly with nearby Los Hervideros. This guide covers what it is, why it’s green, and everything you need to plan a visit.

What Is El Lago Verde?

The Charco de los Clicos is a small lagoon of intensely green water, cupped inside the remains of a volcanic cone that has been sliced open and eroded by the Atlantic on its seaward side. The effect is extraordinary: the green pool sits just behind a beach of black volcanic sand, separated from the deep blue of the ocean by only a thin strip of dark shingle, with the colourful, striated wall of the old crater rising behind it. That collision of colours, green lagoon, black sand, red-and-ochre rock and blue sea, is what makes it such a photographer’s favourite, and such an other-worldly place to stand.

The lagoon takes its name, Charco de los Clicos, from a type of shellfish, the clico, that was once abundant here. The story goes that they were wiped out long ago, and the name is all that remains of them. The pool is connected to the sea, fed by seawater filtering through the porous volcanic rock rather than by any surface channel, which is part of what gives it its strange, still, self-contained character.

Why Is The Water Green?

The vivid colour is the obvious question, and there are two things going on. The primary cause is biological: the lagoon is rich in a particular type of algae and phytoplankton that thrive in its warm, mineral-heavy, filtered seawater, and it’s this dense concentration of microscopic plant life that turns the water its distinctive green.

Alongside that, the surrounding black sand is flecked with olivine, a semi-precious green volcanic crystal, and the mineral-rich volcanic environment adds to the overall green cast of the setting. It’s worth setting expectations honestly on one point: the lagoon is genuinely, strikingly green, but the intensity varies with the light, the weather and the time of day, and the almost neon-green images you sometimes see online have usually been heavily edited. In real life it’s a beautiful deep green rather than a glowing one, and it’s no less remarkable for that.

How Was The Green Lake Formed

Like so much of this coast, the green lagoon is a product of Lanzarote’s volcanic past. It sits within the remains of a volcanic cone, and over time the relentless power of the Atlantic has eroded away the seaward half of that crater, breaching it and leaving the semi-circular amphitheatre of layered rock you see today.

The lagoon formed in the hollow behind the black-sand beach, cut off from the open sea but still fed by it through the rock. The exposed cross-section of the old crater, with its bands of red, orange, yellow and black, is a geology lesson in itself, and the whole site forms part of the protected Natural Park of the Volcanoes surrounding Timanfaya.

What to Expect When You Visit El Lago Verde

Visiting the green lagoon is a short and straightforward affair. From the car park just outside El Golfo village, a well-trodden path of around a hundred and fifty metres leads up and over to the viewpoint, the Mirador del Charco de los Clicos, which looks down over the lagoon, the black beach and the sea beyond.

Along the way you’ll typically pass local sellers with tables of olivine and other green volcanic stones, often sold via an honesty box, which children in particular enjoy picking through for a cheap souvenir. The walk is short and generally easy, though it climbs a little and the ground is uneven in places.

An important point: you cannot go down to the lagoon itself or touch the water. It’s a strictly protected natural reserve, roped off to keep visitors back, and swimming in it or disturbing it is forbidden. You admire it from the viewpoint and the beach. You can, however, walk down onto the adjacent black-sand beach for different angles and to watch the Atlantic waves, though swimming in the sea here is not advised given the rocks and rough conditions.

The Village of El Golfo

Half the pleasure of a trip here is the village of El Golfo itself, a tiny, pretty fishing settlement just along from the lagoon. A cluster of low white houses, some with the traditional Lanzarote green or blue doors, lines the seafront Avenida Marítima, where a string of restaurants specialise in the freshest of fish and seafood, served overlooking the water.

The friendly waiters will cheerfully try to tempt you in as you stroll past, without ever being pushy. Stopping for a long, fresh fish lunch by the sea is very much part of the El Golfo experience, and there’s a children’s playground and rock pools at the far end of the village too. Combining the green lagoon with lunch in the village is the classic way to do it.

Is El Lago Verde Suitable for Children

El Golfo and the green lagoon make an easy and enjoyable family stop. The walk to the viewpoint is short, children tend to love hunting through the green olivine stones for a souvenir, and the black-sand beach, rock pools and village playground give them room to burn off energy.

Because you view the lagoon from a safe distance at the mirador, it’s a low-stress visit, though as always on this coast the ground is uneven volcanic rock in places, so decent footwear helps and a little care is needed on the path and beach. The fresh-fish restaurants of the village are relaxed and family-friendly.

El Lago Verde Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities

Being honest, the viewpoint over the green lagoon is not especially accessible for those with reduced mobility. The path from the car park climbs and runs over uneven, natural ground, and the black-sand-and-shingle beach is difficult to cross, so reaching the best vantage points can be challenging.

There is a free car park at the site. The village of El Golfo itself, with its flat seafront promenade and restaurants, is much more manageable and can be enjoyed easily, so even visitors who find the lagoon path difficult can still have a lovely time by the sea with a fresh fish lunch. If mobility is a concern, it’s worth knowing that the lagoon viewpoint involves a genuine, if short, walk over rough terrain.

Where Is El Lago Verde

The green lagoon and El Golfo are on the south-west coast of Lanzarote, in the municipality of Yaiza, just south of Los Hervideros and within easy reach of Timanfaya National Park and the Janubio salt flats. There’s no direct public bus, so the practical options are to drive or to visit as part of an organised coach tour.

By car, follow the coastal roads to El Golfo, where there’s a free car park for the lagoon just before you reach the village, near the Restaurante Siroco.

A few pointers: wear sturdy shoes for the uneven path and volcanic beach, bring sun protection as there’s little shade, and try to visit in good light, with many regulars recommending later in the afternoon for the calmest atmosphere and loveliest light on the water. Don’t leave valuables visible in your car. The obvious way to enjoy it is as part of a south-west coast day: Timanfaya in the morning, then the green lagoon and lunch at El Golfo, followed by Los Hervideros and the Janubio salt flats on the way back.

Visiting El Lago Verde During Your Lanzarote Holiday

The Charco de los Clicos is one of Lanzarote’s most unforgettable natural sights, a splash of vivid green set against black sand, red rock and blue ocean that looks like nowhere else on earth.

Free to visit, quick and easy to reach, and paired with one of the island’s most charming fishing villages and its finest fresh fish, it’s a stop that packs a lot of beauty and pleasure into a short visit.

Come for the extraordinary colours of the lagoon, stay for a long seafood lunch by the water in El Golfo, and combine it with Los Hervideros just up the coast for one of the very best free days out that Lanzarote has to offer.