Almost half of the week connected to the Internet. That’s how we Spaniards spent 2020.
Part of that immense amount of time is spent taking photos or recording videos, editing them, uploading them to social networks, keeping an eye on comments and seeing what others are posting.
Are you going to do exactly the same during your trip to Lanzarote? Probably not the best idea.
Here are some tips to help you experience a holiday that is truly connected to the environment around you.
The magic hour: sunrises and sunsets
What is it about the light on Lanzarote that the light elsewhere on the planet doesn’t offer? Why do so many resident artists speak of it as a source of inspiration?
The answer is complex and has to do with the latitude, the atmosphere, the colours of the landscape, the sea spray, the island’s geography and some of its meteorological phenomena, such as radiation fogs and suspended dust.
If you are a fan of photography and want to take some viral photos of your trip to Lanzarote, check out the hours of sunrise and sunset. Immediately after sunrise and a little before sunset, the light softens, plays with the clouds, highlights the texture of the volcanoes, picking out details that weren’t visible during a day that is usually bright.
Try taking natural photos: Instagram hasn’t yet invented a filter that beats Lanzarote’s sunsets.
It’s an ecosystem, not a stage!
Sometimes we forget that we share our environment with other living beings. We overlook the fact that our life is linked to that of birds or seaweed. We are strands of hair in the same braid.
It is relatively easy to appreciate this beautiful reality in Lanzarote, an island with more than 40% of its territory legally protected due to its biodiversity or environmental importance.
Since the dawn of the digital world, nature is in danger of being reduced to a mere backdrop. On some occasions (few, fortunately) you will come across the stones of a beach (shelter and shade for many invertebrates) piled up and turned into towers, or see waders fleeing from the disturbing presence of a happy human being who wants to snap a picture, completely unaware of the damage he or she can cause to the environment.
On the website of the Biosphere Reserve Office of the Cabildo of Lanzarote you will find a lot of information on how to enjoy the beautiful natural heritage of the island without leaving a trace. If you are passionate about geology and volcanoes, why not take a walk through the website of the Geopark before landing on the island? You can also call or write to them: they will be delighted to send you information or answer any questions you may have.
With great power comes great responsibility
- Never put yourself in danger to take a photo: it is reckless to stray onto the road or to balance on an outcrop. Do you know how to fly a drone and have one yourself?
- A smartphone is an incredible tool. An almost infinite library, a means of communication, a portable desktop… All this in 150 ultra-thin grams that fit in the palm of your hand. But with great power comes great responsibility:
- Use networks to communicate, not to isolate yourself from what’s happening here and now.
- Become a Sherlock Holmes: do some research about Lanzarote, there is a lot of information about the island (almost 40 million results on Google and 3 million posts on Instagram).
- The island’s beauty is striking and unique, but it is also fragile: get close to nature, enjoy, disconnect, but do not go off the beaten track and always follow the guidelines. Check the rules before you check it in, because use is restricted.
- To enjoy this island (for real) sometimes you’ll have to leave your phone chilling out in your backpack. #Offline.
To be sustainable or not to be
It is no coincidence that the Ministry of Tourism has chosen Lanzarote to present the Tourism Sustainability Strategy, a plan for all tourist destinations in the country to adapt to Agenda 2030.
What does this mean? That from now on as we travel we will be aware that we are living in a state of climate emergency. That we are going to find more and more events related to local gastronomy, more local experiences and better and better infrastructures to mitigate climate change.
What would César Manrique have done if he had had a mobile phone and lived in 2021? That’s an unknown. We can’t speak for him. But we venture to say that he would have painted. He would have taken pictures, of course. He would have created and shared. He would have gone viral with his passion: Lanzarote.
“ When we travel, culture is offered to us easily and naturally, but there is a phenomenon that we have the obligation to share: to teach how to SEE, so that we don’t spend our lives looking without understanding because we don’t know how to see ”
César Manrique
Fuente: TurismoLanzarote.com