Lanzarote · North-east
Jardín de Cactus
Manrique’s garden in an old quarry
Before it was a garden, this hollow in Guatiza was a quarry for volcanic material and a rubbish tip. Manrique kept its shape and filled the terraces with nearly 500 species of cactus from around the world.
Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga), CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Come for
- Cacti, volcanic stone and César Manrique's garden design
- Make time for
- Half a day with the bus legs
- By bus
- Reached by a published bus line or ferry
The journey is part of the day
Getting to Jardín de Cactus
Intercity lines 7 (Arrecife–Máguez) and 9 (Arrecife–Órzola) both name a Jardín de Cactus stop, next to Plaza de Guatiza in their stop lists. On the weekday and weekend timetables read on 5 October 2026, every departure of both lines called there, and line 7 ran more departures at the weekend than on the weekday. The board on this page shows the dated departures of both lines.
Checked Sources: Intercity Lanzarote
Bus guides
Lines from this site’s guides. Times are in this page’s timetable.
Before you settle in
Keep the way home in mind.
Both lines stop at Jardín de Cactus on the way back to Arrecife, so either can serve the return; the board on this page lists both.
See the next busesA little introduction
Get to know Jardín de Cactus.
Before it became a garden, this site in Guatiza was a rofera, a quarry for volcanic material that was also used as a landfill. César Manrique took the excavated shape of the land as his starting point: terraces, paths and volcanic-stone walls follow the contours of the excavation, and basalt monoliths left by the quarrying became sculptures. Prickly pear plantations linked to cochineal production, a natural dye that was an important economic activity for Lanzarote from the late 19th century, still extend around it. In 2017 the garden received the International Carlo Scarpa Prize for its relationship with land conservation and local culture.
Why go
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A quarry turned inside out
The terraces, paths and stone walls follow the contours of the excavation, and basalt left by the quarrying stands as sculpture.
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Nearly 500 species
Thousands of cacti show the ways plants survive with almost no water.
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A prize-winning landscape
In 2017 the garden received the International Carlo Scarpa Prize for its care of the land and local culture.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo de Lanzarote
Make a day of it
What to do in Jardín de Cactus
- Sight Don’t miss
The first euphorbia
A Euphorbia candelabrum, the first specimen planted in the garden by César Manrique and his team, grows in front of the shop; this African succulent reaches six to seven metres.
- Culture Don’t miss
The mill at the top
A maize mill stands at the top of the garden, one of the last traditional mills remaining on Lanzarote; inside, it shows how grain was milled to make gofio in the 19th century.
- Sight Don’t miss
The pond
Water brings a contrast between the volcanic stone and the planting; orange fish and a sculpture share the pond.
- Food & drink
Taste the cactus
The restaurant cooks prickly pear and nopal into croquettes, burgers, jams and ice creams, with a terrace over the garden.
Show all 6 Show fewer
- Culture
Find Manrique’s joke
Beside the entrance to the toilets, the Hembra and Macho drawings show his sense of humour.
- Sight
Read the cochineal fields
The prickly-pear fields around Guatiza are farmed for cochineal, the natural dye grown on Lanzarote since 1835.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo de Lanzarote, Turismo Lanzarote
A day here
How a day in Jardín de Cactus feels
A plan built on the buses this guide already names. The departure times are in the board on this page; choose your bus back before you set out.
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Morning
Line 7 or 9 to Guatiza
Both lines name a Jardín de Cactus stop beside Plaza de Guatiza. Check which way your bus continues: 7 towards Haría and Máguez, 9 towards Órzola.
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Middle of the day
Terraces, mill and lunch
Walk the terraces up to the mill, then eat on the restaurant terrace.
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Afternoon
On north, or back
Continue on line 7 to Haría or line 9 up the coast, or take either back to Arrecife, comparing their timetables.
Checked Sources: Intercity Lanzarote, Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo de Lanzarote
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about Jardín de Cactus
Which bus goes to the Jardín de Cactus?
Lines 7 (Arrecife–Máguez) and 9 (Arrecife–Órzola) both name a Jardín de Cactus stop, next to Plaza de Guatiza. On the timetables read on 5 October 2026, every departure of both lines called there.
How do I get back to Arrecife from the Jardín de Cactus?
On either line: both stop at the Jardín de Cactus on the way back to Arrecife, and the board on this page lists both.
Checked Sources: Intercity Lanzarote
Good to know
Small details. Better days.
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Brunch is booked separately
Brunch at the garden is booked separately and also requires admission to the Jardín de Cactus.
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Check which way the line goes on
Beyond Guatiza, line 7 continues to Haría and Máguez and line 9 to Jameos del Agua and Órzola: check that the bus you board goes your way.
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Shoes for stone paths
The paths are uneven volcanic stone, and the mill and the shop have no ramp. A hat helps in summer.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo de Lanzarote, Intercity Lanzarote
Photos and film
Jardín de Cactus in pictures
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Watch before you go
Turismo Lanzarote Plays through YouTube’s privacy-enhanced player; nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. -
The mill at the top of the garden. Lines 7 and 9 both stop at Jardín de Cactus. Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga), CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
Make room for something memorable
Book something around Jardín de Cactus
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Current experiences on GetYourGuide
Tours and activities on Lanzarote as GetYourGuide lists them today, with current prices and reviews.
There’s more around the corner
Where next?
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Oliver Gargan / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 North-central interior
Villa de Teguise
Historic architecture, local crafts and unhurried café stops
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Enric / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 -
H. Zell / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Guide checked · How we check · Suggest a correction
Sources for this page
The sources this page cites, each with the date we checked it. Two dates mean the facts that cite it were checked on different days.
Intercity Lanzarote
- Line 7: Arrecife – Máguez Checked – Oct 2026
- Line 9: Arrecife – Órzola (route and stops) Checked – Oct 2026
Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo de Lanzarote
- Jardín de Cactus Checked – Oct 2026
Turismo Lanzarote
- Teguise and Caleta de Famara Checked
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