Map of Jardin de Cactus, Lanzarote Lanzarote, Canary Islands:

Jardin de Cactus, Lanzarote
Another creation of Cesar Manrique, this cactus garden is set in a disused quarry, with terraces of cacti, which give the impression of an amphitheatre. It is said to house more than 10,000 cacti. To be honest, we found it hard to get excited about this place. Maybe it was the huge plastic cactus outside the garden, which disenchanted us, or the rather expensive entrance fee, I'm not sure.

It was very busy when we were there (mid August) and we couldn't summon the energy to queue with the coach loads of fellow tourists, for our "free" drink at the cafe. There was also a queue to reach the old windmill, which is still used to grind cornflour. The water garden at the centre was disappointingly green and smelly, but we did like the primitive, caveman-style drawings, telling you which loo was which (see still photos).

One interesting fact: the vast fields of cacti all around the villages of Guatiza and Mala are used to harvest the cochineal beetle which live on the Tunera cacti. The crushed larvae of these beetles is used to make the famous red, cochineal dye. Although these days, artificial colourants are largely used for this dye, cochineal is still used for some food and drink as it isn't toxic.