During Spring 2002 the new Biosfera shopping complex opened in the resort which is located next to the Guardia Civil Offices and the local post office.

There are four floors of shops, amusements and restaurants in a modern shopping centre overlooking the old town of Puerto del Carmen.

For the less mobile visitor, it is possible to access all floors via either lift, escalator or stairs.

Here you will find a good selection of upmarket cafés, bars and restaurants, along with designer names such as Zara, Timberland, Levi´s and Footlocker etc.

A unique way of seeing what lies beneath the seas around Lanzarote is by the Sub Fun Tres tourist submarine, which also operates out of the marina at Puerto Calero.

For the technically minded, the Sub Fun Tres is 1 of only 8 Mark III tourist submarines that were built by the Mobimar Corporation of Finland and is 18.6m long, can safely dive to a depth of 75m and cruise at 2 knots, whilst carrying a maximum of 48 passengers plus a crew of 2.

A trip on The Sub Fun Tres usually lasts around 1 hour, during which you will normally be submerged for around 50 minutes, and departs throughout the day from 10am.

Contact details for more information and bookings is:
Submarine Safaris
Modulo C
Local 2
Puerto Calero
Lanzarote
Telephone: +34 928 512 898
Web site: www.submarinesafaris.com

Certainly worth a mention here is the Rancho Texas park on the outskirt of Puerto del Carmen, which is the recreation of the American wild west complete with cowboys, indians, wig wams, buffalo, crocodiles and many other exotic animals.

Overall the park took over 5 years to create and now covers an area of some 50,000 m². As you enter the attraction you are met by Sofia, who is a huge owl with piercing yellow eyes, and with whom you will undoubtedly be photographed with.

During the day you can lose the children for hours whilst they play in the Indian village or pan for gold amongst the waters of the goldmine water wheel, although be sure to reserve their seats for the eagle, crocodile and parrot shows that also take place at regular intervals throughout the day.

In keeping with their western theme, the park also has its own riding stables where absolute novices can safely enjoy a short horseback ride, and more experienced riders can undertake a 1/2 day trek down to the beach.

During the evening and after the main park closes for the day, their Country and Western themed nights are also a very popular attraction where the whole family can party the night away.

Their own professional entertainment team will endeavour to keep everyone entertained with a combination of live music and line dancing along with special entertainment for the children.

Entrance to the park is quite reasonable at around 20€ for adults and 15€ for children. Contact details for more information and bookings is:
Rancho Texas Lanzarote
Calle Noruega s/n
Puerto del Carmen
35510
Tias
Telephone: +34 928 841 286
Fax: +34 928 515 563
Web site: www.ranchotexaslanzarote.com

The water sports facilities around the Puerto del Carmen are some of the best on the island, of which the most popular is without doubt windsurfing.

For anyone wishing to try windsurfing for the first time there are a number of schools, shops and equipment rental companies that cater for an absolute novice through to the most ardent professional.

Lanzarote has two karting tracks, the first is a short distance inland from Puerto del Carmen near the town of San Bartolome, whilst the other, the Gran Karting Club Lanzarote, is less then 10 minutes away at the junction of the LZ-2 and LZ-40 roads.

The track is open everyday from around 10:00am to 9:00pm in the evening, and they offer a free pick up service from anywhere on the island for groups of a minimum of 6 people.

The lap distance of the senior track is 1,281 metres, during which the karts can reach a maximum speed of 80km/h or 50mph.

For younger children aged 5 to 11 there is also a much slower 100m kiddies circuit, and for teens aged 12 to 16 a 865m junior track.

Contact details for more information and bookings are:
Gran Karting Club Lanzarote
Ctra. LZ-2, km.7 Arrecife-Tías
35572
Tías
Telephone: +34 619 759 946
Fax: +34 619 758 393
Web site: www.grankarting.com