Tours of the island with a driver waiting
Timanfaya, La Geria, the north of the island and César Manrique's house are the outings that will not compress into a straight run: they want stops, and time. By taxi, one of them becomes a circuit of half a day or a whole day, agreed with the driver before you leave.
What a circuit looks like on the day
You speak with the dispatch or the driver, a pick-up point is set, the agreed places get visited and the vehicle waits while the group goes round them. It can stay parked or come back for you at an agreed hour: that is settled before you start, not improvised at the first stop.
Booking it, and paying for it
It is requested like any other service, from the dispatch of the pick-up municipality, carrying the date, the hour and the route you intend to follow. Ask whether it is charged on the meter with waiting time, or whether a price is fixed for the day, and what happens if the route runs long: having that answer in hand before you set off avoids the argument at the end.
Circuits people ask for
South and centre: the volcanic park and the vineyards grown in pits, with their visitors' centre. North: the Jameos, the Cueva de los Verdes, the river viewpoint and the white villages. Centre and coast: the artist's house, the market in Arrecife and the salt pans. All allow variations, and you settle the order with the driver.
To settle before you head off
Opening times for each place, entrance tickets paid at the visit itself, access restrictions, stops for food and what happens if it is windy or hot that day. Take water and something warm: on a long tour you spend more time outside the car than in it, and the north carries a different temperature from the beach.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tour have a set price? ＋
That is down to what you agree with the operator: some run the meter including waiting time, others fix a price for the day. Get the figure and what it covers before you start. This portal neither offers nor brokers sightseeing tours.
Are the entries to the parks part of the price? ＋
No. Entrances to the natural sites and visitors' centres are paid separately, at each place, and some days have limited capacity or guided visits by arrangement. Worth checking when you plan the day, because it shapes the order of the stops.
How much of the day does a tour take? ＋
A half-day sees two or three stops at a relaxed pace, a full-day the whole route with time to eat. The real duration follows the opening hours and how long you want at each place, so it is worth settling that before you set off.