Mirador del Río is a viewpoint on an approximately escarpment called ''Batería del Río'' in the north of the Canarian island of

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 163,230 inhabi ...

History

The location was created in between 1971 and 1973 by the local artist

César Manrique César Manrique Cabrera ( or ) (24 April 1919 – 25 September 1992) was a Spanish artist, sculptor and nature activist from Lanzarote, known particularly for the architectural projects in which he was involved as artistic director in his islan ...

in his typical style, consisting of a balustraded cafe, a souvenir shop and a platform at the top which are integrated in the

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

rock. The technical realization of the work was carried out by Eduardo Cáceres and Jesús Soto and it was inaugurated in 1973. Its surroundings have been declared a protected natural area. The building is barely visible from the outside due to being camouflaged under a heavy stone skin that blends in with the environment.

Description

After entering the building through a winding corridor, there are two spacious vaulted rooms with two large glass windows—the eyes of the Mirador—that provide a panoramic view over the

Strait of El Río El Río () is the name given to the sea strait that separates La Graciosa from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. ''Río'', in Spanish, means 'river'. At its narrowest point, the strait is just over wide. El Río is part of the marine reserve esta ...

towards the island of

La Graciosa Graciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "the graceful") is a volcano, volcanic island in the Canary Islands of Spain, located north of Lanzarote across the Strait of El Río. As the rest of the Canary Islands, ...

. Also, on clear days, beyond the view of La Graciosa, the small islands of

Montaña Clara Montaña Clara () (Spanish meaning "light-colored mountain") is a small uninhabited islet belonging to the Chinijo Archipelago, in the northeastern part of the Canary Islands, only a short distance (about ) northwest of La Graciosa. The islet are ...

and

Roque del Oeste Roque del Oeste (; Spanish language, Spanish for "rock of the west"), also referred to as ''Roque del Infierno (Spanish for "rock of the hell")'', is an uninhabited islet located 0.6 km northeast of the island of Montaña Clara, in the northe ...

can be seen, with the furthest of them all being

Alegranza Alegranza () is an uninhabited island in the Atlantic Ocean, located off the coast of Africa and is in the province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, Spain. It is the northernmost point in the Canary Islands, and part of the Chinijo Archipe ...

. All of these are part of the

Chinijo Archipelago The Chinijo Archipelago () is a small archipelago located in the northeastern part of the Canary Islands, north of the island of Lanzarote. The archipelago includes the islets of Montaña Clara, Alegranza, Graciosa, Canary Islands, La Graciosa, R ...

. File:+ 475 Meter über dem Meeresspiegel befindet sich der Mirador del Rio. 03.jpg, Mirador del Río File:Lanzarote-Mirador del Rio-b.jpg, family watching the abyss File:+ 475 Meter über dem Meeresspiegel befindet sich der Mirador del Rio. 11.jpg, Staircase File:+ 475 Meter über dem Meeresspiegel befindet sich der Mirador del Rio. 12.jpg, cafe at Mirador del Río

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirador Del Rio Tourist attractions in Lanzarote Scenic viewpoints in Spain