The unique volcanic landscape of Lanzarote hosts a number of exciting outdoor activities. The beaches are laid out in white, golden or black sands, depending on the area, and the underwater volcanic shelves host a fascinating underwater ecosystem open to snorkellers and divers alike. Theme parks like Rancho Texas, Aqua Lanza and Guinate Animal Park are especially popular with children.

Aqua Lanza
A great way to cool off during hot summer days, this water park is a favourite with visiting families. Attractions range from children's swimming pools to high-speed water slides. Adrenaline junkies want to be sure and try the kamikaze and spiral slides. Park facilities also include a gift shop and a family restaurant area.

Beaches
Lanzarote boasts an impressive collection of white-, golden- and black-sand beaches. The most expansive beach facilities are found in resort communities such as Puerto del Carmen. Playa Grande is the most popular beach here, complete with showers, lifeguards, water sport equipment, beach chairs and hammocks. You'll also found a number of waterfront restaurants here serving fresh seafood in relaxing, al fresco environs.

Diving and Snorkelling
The volcanic outcroppings of rock that emanate from Lanzarote host a marvellous array of marine life. Local diving outfitters hire out scuba equipment and provide certification courses to help beginners learn the ropes of diving. Guided tours lead divers to shipwreck sites and marine habitats. It's also possible to sign up for night dives, with manta rays and luminescent plankton visible after-dark.

Guinate Park
Found on northern Lanzarote at the base of Mt Corona, this park is home to lovely gardens, lakes and waterfalls. There are hundreds of animals in the park, including meerkats, mongooses, otters, lemurs and wallabies. Most of these animals are bred right in the park. A flock of Humboldt penguins reside here, and a favourite activity with children is the twice daily feedings when the birds clamour from water to land for fresh seafood. Phone: +34 928 83 55 00; www.guinatepark.com

Rancho Texas
This theme park captures the spirit of the American West and carries it here to the Canary Islands. The park boasts themed rides that appeal to the whole family. Staged Wild West performances are held throughout today, featuring mock gunfights and live music. In the evening, the park hosts family activities that typically include cowboy barbecues, horseback rides, line dancing lessons and live entertainment. Phone: +34 928 84 12 86; www.ranchotexaslanzarote.com

Windsurfing
Windsurfing is a popular sport in Lanzarote, where conditions are perfect for everyone from novices to experts. There are several windsurfing schools operating across the island, capable of arranging lessons and equipment hire. The perennial trade winds mean conditions are ripe for windsurfing year-round.

Lanzarote offers an eclectic mix of quirky cultural attractions. The world-renowned artist, Cesar Manrique, lived and worked here in the 20th-century, and his work is found in venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art to the Casa Museum. Other worthwhile museums include the Cetacean Museum (fronted by a massive whale skeleton) and the Agricultural Museum, which honours the ongoing labours of the island's farming communities.

Agriculture Museum
Found in the town of Echedey, this museum explores the lives and times of Lanzarote's early settlers, most of whom staked their livelihood on agriculture. Exhibits explore the tools and implements used in day-to-day life, and there's even a functional farm (open for tours) that operates within the museum. Also of interest is a working winery and a flour mill. Phone: +34 928 529 134.

Carnival
The annual Carnival celebration is a highpoint of Lanzarote's cultural calendar. Festivities begin with a riotous parade in which participants dress in flamboyant costumes. A Carnival Queen is named, and she proceeds to take centre stage during the grand evening gala leading up to Ash Wednesday.

Casa Museum
This museum, along with the adjoining peasant's monument, commemorates the lives and work of Lanzarote's working class. The monument was first imagined by Cesar Manrique and is made from water tanks taken from old fishing boats. Meanwhile, the museum is housed in a restored farm house and contains a collection of tools and implements used by local labourers throughout the ages. Phone: +34 928 52 01 36.

Cetacean Museum
The first thing visitors see upon approaching this museum in Puerto Calero is an enormous whale skeleton displayed in the front lawn. Inside the facility, you'll find an exhaustive tribute to the Canaries' favourite marine mammals. The majority of these exhibits consist of true-scale models of whales and dolphins alongside interactive exhibits that chronicle their evolution and behaviour.

Museum of Contemporary Art
This art museum, once operated by Cesar Manrique, is located in the San Jose Castle. The result is an impressive fusion of old and new, with modern artistic expression housed inside of one of Lanzarote's most ancient constructs. Aside from Manrique's work, this museum also displays work by internationally known masters including Picasso, Alechins, Botero and Dominguez, to name a few. Phone: +34 928 81 23 21.

Santa Barabara Castle
The 16th-century fortress now serves as a museum of Lanzarote history. Many of the onsite exhibits deal with a massive emigration of Canarian residents to the United States in previous times. Visitors will find correspondence and postcards, photographs and passports. This castle and museum is located in the city of Teguise. Phone: +34 928 84 50 01.

Wine Museum
The El Grifo Wine Museum is housed in an 18th-century bodega built over the lava field that was formed earlier in that century. The collection of wine making equipment, most of which dates to the 19th century, includes wine presses, pumps, distillery equipment and tools used for bottling. Periodic wine-tasting courses are held here throughout the year and the gift shop sells a variety of wines. Phone: +34 928 52 49 51; website: www.elgrifo.com/en.

Lanzarote's dining scene is well established, due largely in part to the number of resorts that operate here. Arrecife and Puerto del Carmen boast the highest concentration of restaurants. The establishments in these towns cater specifically for tourists and menus here feature a variety of mainstream Spanish and international cuisine, all of which capitalises on the abundance of fresh, local seafood.

You may have to look a little harder to find authentic Canarian cuisine, though the search will be worth it. Be sure to try grilled or baked fish seasoned with mojo verde, a delicious green sauce. Rabbit is relatively abundant on the island and often served in stews or simply grilled over a bed of charcoal. Finally, Canarian sancocho is a wonderful parrotfish dish prepared in oil and vinegar.

Lanzarote also boasts a number of shopping districts in or near the major resort areas of Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise. Beyond these popular tourist locations, you'll also find substantial shopping centres at Playa Honda and in capital city, Arrecife. There are very few taxes levied on goods and merchandise in the Canaries, to the extent that shopping anywhere on the island affords savings comparable to those found in airport duty-free shops.

Shopping options span the entire gamut of possibilities, ranging from jewellery, clothing and perfume to electronic goods and books. Handicrafts can be found at craft markets such as the one held on Friday nights at Pueblo Marinero. You'll find many more handmade arts and crafts in the village of Teguise (the island's former capital), best known for its Sunday Market. Teguise is also home to the largest antiques warehouse in the Canary Islands.