Driving to the Papagayo beaches may need some planning ahead in future. Nueva Canarias has proposed a daily limit of 500 cars for non-residents entering Los Ajaches, the protected area that includes Papagayo, with spaces booked online in advance.
At the moment, visitors pay €3 per vehicle by card at the entrance, while residents of Lanzarote and La Graciosa get in free. Under the proposal, residents would keep free access and the money raised would stay in Los Ajaches.
The pressure on the area is clear from the numbers. More than 103,000 non-resident vehicles went in during 2024, and 58,148 in the first half of 2025. On busy days, 1,200 to 1,500 cars use the dirt tracks, against a current maximum of 2,000. Yaiza council repaired the track to Playa Mujeres in July.
The proposal is expected to go to the Canary Islands Parliament's commission for ecological transition. Nothing has been decided, so the current system stays in place for now.
If you are heading down this winter, go early in the day to beat the busiest hours, or leave the car behind and take one of the catamaran trips to Papagayo from Playa Blanca. There is more on the beaches themselves in our guide to the beaches in Lanzarote.
