Mirador del Río in Lanzarote

Enjoy a real natural high and visit the Mirador del Rio at the northern tip of the island. The Mirador is another amazing Manrique creation and was formerly a naval gun battery.
Whilst Manrique was very much a child of the 60’s he was no hippy preferring a natural high. This philosophy is best epitomised by his transformation of a former naval gun battery in the North of the island into the most breathtaking look out point – or Mirador – on Lanzarote.

The Mirador Del Rio sits at one of the highest points on the island – some 479 metres. And affords the most incredible views down and across to the neighbouring island of La Graciosa – just one thousand metres away across the El Rio Strait and the uninhabited islets of Montana Clara and Alegranza.

Originally, Manrique planned to create a restaurant here. The curvaceous windows of the Mirador are very similar to those he later utilised when transforming the basement of the Castillo de San Jose in Arrecife into one of the most impressive dining rooms on the island.

Located 400 metres high, on the Risco de Famara, the Mirador del Río is one of César Manrique’s most representative architectural creations as it shows a series of artistic and architectural details and his eagerness to combine art and nature.
It is located near the remains of an ancient military base that dates back to the end of the 19th Century. It is camouflaged on the rock in a way in which only a genius of Manrique’s magnitude could conceive.

The Mirador takes over El Río, the narrow stretch of the sea separating Lanzarote from La Graciosa. Although unassuming on the outside, the inside hides surprising details and impressive glass windows, the eyes of El Mirador, conceived by the artist aiming to increase the effect of the panoramic view, and the monumental and unique sculptures hanging off the ceiling challenging gravity. From the atalaya, visitors may watch the eighth Canary Island, La Graciosa, and the group of islets part of the Chinijo Islands National Park.

At the bottom of the cliff, the reddish shades of the salinas del Rio stand out, also known as Guza, the oldest ones on the Canary Islands. Architect Eduardo Cáceres and artist Jesús Soto, collaborated in the creation of El Mirador, which was quite outstanding taking into consideration that there were scarce means, and the terrain had to be dug and the building later had to be covered with volcanic rock.