The solitude and tranquility of these chaotic mountains imposing craters and deep calderas is absolute by day. No sign of life except for lichens blanketing the rocks whose colouring enhances the black lava. This changes at night when millions of insects scramble among the rocks hunting for food in the form of organic matter transported by the wind.

As there is no earth there is practically no plant life except in a few isolated spots where yellow dust has accumulated as a result of dust storms in the distant Sahara. These occasionally cloud the atmosphere above Timanfaya, showering particles on the ground creating a layer of dust of up to 2 kilos per square metre.