What are the rules for visiting the Cueva de los Verdes?
CACT recommends comfortable shoes with rubber soles, because the paths are uneven, with steps, tight spots and low ceilings. The blog La Maleta Inquieta calls closed shoes a must as the floor is uneven and damp, so sandals are a poor choice.
CACT rules the cave out for people with reduced mobility, warns off claustrophobic visitors and tells those over 1.80 metres to mind the low rock. The blog adds that it is not wheelchair accessible, and the checked pages name no step-free version of the tour.
Pushchairs are banned and CACT recommends a baby carrier; pets are banned too, except certified assistance dogs, and photos are allowed only in marked areas. Visitors must follow staff instructions, and the blog says flash is banned and graffiti or damage can bring fines for harming cultural heritage.
La Maleta Inquieta reports about 18 °C and high humidity inside, so a light jacket makes sense. Its typical mistakes are arriving without a booking and booking late, as online sales may close without warning on full days (unconfirmed, but an early ticket can’t hurt).
Why are there time slots and how is the cave protected?
After a trial, online sales with time slots became permanent, RTVC reported on 22 September 2024, and tickets are no longer sold at the entrance. The Cabildo (island government) president aimed to order visitor flow and reduce human traces, while Lanzarote3 dates the online-only rule to 29 July 2024.
According to Hispanopedia and RTVC, the cave lies in the Monumento Natural de La Corona in Haría municipality, which is why visitors enter only with a guide. The sources do not say which text in the BOC (the Canary Islands official gazette) or from the Canary government sets the monument’s protection category and rules.
A Voz de Lanzarote headline says the visitor centres adapted the route of the “Insólita Cueva de los Verdes” to the Actividades Clasificadas law (classified activities). Details and a date are unknown, and there are no visitor figures with source and year, nor any resolution setting the €17 price.
What are the alternatives: Jameos del Agua and Cueva del Viento?
Jameos del Agua lies a few minutes away in the same lava tube, in the section near the coast, says Hispanopedia, and is a creation of César Manrique. Like the Cueva de los Verdes it is one of the Cabildo’s CACT centres, has its own CACT page, and combines well with it on one trip north.
The Cueva del Viento in Icod de los Vinos on Tenerife is Europe’s largest volcanic tube at about 18.5 kilometres, say Wikipedia, Spain.info and Webtenerife. Its tube is about 27,000 years old, and the visit is far more adventurous than on Lanzarote: reservation required, about 2.5 hours, 16 people at most, sturdy shoes.
The Cueva de los Verdes is heavily developed instead, with artistic lighting, a fixed route and a concert hall. The checked material names no other Lanzarote lava tubes; the CACT online shop shows prices and free slots, and checking it before you travel rules out outdated details.