Last Updated on sixteenth March 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
Fuerteventura, a Spanish vacation spot and the second largest Canary Island, gives a panorama resembling the moon, with huge sand dunes and colossal volcanoes. The cities, paying homage to occasions passed by, add appeal to the area and also you’re certain to be considering of them within the years to come back. Here’s your information to the greatest issues to do in Fuerteventura, in addition to what to know earlier than you go.
If you’re seeking to spend time in Fuerteventura, make sure to try our steered Fuerteventura itinerary.
Where is Fuerteventura?
Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary Islands and is on the eastern-most a part of the island group, that means that one of many lighthouses on Fuerteventura is the closest level to the japanese coast of the mainland (Morocco in northern Africa). The closest island is Canary. If you’ll be able to’t determine which island to go to, make sure to try our comparability of Lanzarote vs Fuerteventura.
What is Fuerteventura identified for?
Thanks to its breathtaking seashores, pristine waters, and dependable winds (which additionally imply that you need to all the time make sure to have a jacket with you, even in the course of the summer season), Fuerteventura has turn out to be a well-liked vacation spot amongst water sports activities lovers.
The island can also be famend for its expansive sand dunes, rugged terrain, and distinctive plant and animal life. In truth, there are some crops which solely develop on Fuerteventura (making them distinctive on the earth). This contains
Thanks to its standing because the oldest of the Canary Islands, Fuerteventura boasts a very distinctive historical past, with proof of prehistoric settlements and well-preserved historic fortresses.
Its conventional cities are equally charming and price exploring. Furthermore, Fuerteventura is a meals lover’s paradise, with mouthwatering native dishes that showcase the island’s recent seafood and Canarian delicacies.
Best issues to do in Fuerteventura
Relax in Corralejo
If you enter Fuerteventura from Lanzarote, Corralejo, an enthralling port city, is more than likely to be your first cease on the Canary Islands’ oldest island. With its vibrant nightlife and pastel-colored buildings, Corralejo is a must-visit vacation spot on Fuerteventura.
I counsel selecting Corralejo as your base throughout your travels because it gives quite a few eating choices for the evenings and a well-connected street community for exploring the remainder of the island. For extra inspiration, try the greatest issues to do in Corralejo.
Soak up historical past in Betancuria
Betancuria is most well-known for being Fuerteventura’s former capital (the capital is now Puerto del Rosario), in addition to its non secular centre. The city is within the coronary heart of the countryside and is just about as far-off from the ocean in Furteventura because it’s attainable to get.
The city additionally operated because the capital of the Kingdom of the Canary Isles (the vassal state lasted from 1404 to 1448). The city was established in 1404 and is known as for its founder, Jean de Béthencourt, who was a Norman conqueror. Visit Betancuria in the present day and also you’ll discover a wonderful
Explore the small cities
From its pristine seashores to its wealthy cultural heritage, this sun-drenched island additionally boasts a lot of stunning settlements value visiting. The largest cities are Corralejo and Puerto del Rosario, although there’s not an enormous quantity of actions outdoors of eating places and the seashore at Puerto del Rosario.
Some of my favorite cities in Fuerteventura embrace El Cotillo (which additionally occurs to be among the finest spots on the island to see the sundown) and Las Playitas, an enthralling little fishing port.
Marvel on the Cuevas de Ajuy
Located on the western facet of the island, the spectacular sea caves of Ajuy are identified in Spanish because the Cuevas de Ajuy and are a number of the oldest and most spectacular geological formations on Fuerteventura.
Comprising of deep swimming pools, towering rock formations (some over 40 metres excessive), and complicated tunnels, in addition to consolidated sand dunes, and oceanic sediments, they’re a number of the oldest geological formations within the Canary Islands.
Indeed, the strangest thriller is that whereas elements of the Ajuy Caves are thought up to now again 100 million years, Fuerteventura itself is believed to solely be 30 million years outdated! Ajuy itself is fairly touristic so doesn’t actually need greater than an hour or so to discover.
Visit the Salt Flats and Whale Skeleton
There is just not an important deal to see at Las Salinas del Carmen, nevertheless it’s an attention-grabbing level to cease off at when you’re already heading to the north of the island and also you’ve already been to close by Pozo Negro.
As properly as one of the crucial well-known whale skeletons of Fuerteventura, there’s a salt museum detailing the historical past of the salt flats of the island, in addition to slightly church.
See the chipmunks
While exploring the island, together with on the fringes of Corralejo and on the best way to the ocean coves of Ajuy, you’ll discover that there are a great deal of cheeky chipmunks. The chipmunks will not be truly chipmunks however are Barbary Ground Squirrel.
This is a species from Algeria and Morocco that was launched to the Canary islands within the Sixties. Be certain to not feed the chipmunks you see as their ever-growing inhabitants is already damaging the natural world.
See the popcorn seashores
You can can discover the popcorns seashores located on a again street in the direction of the southwest of Corralejo. They gives the prospect to see a reasonably cool pure surprise of the Canary Islands because of the truth that the seashores are coated with small items resembling popcorn as a substitute of sand.
The popcorn-like options are literally the results of lifeless rhodoliths, that are a species of purple coralline algae. These rhodoliths comprise calcite that causes them to rework from purple to white upon demise. To be taught extra about this distinctive attraction and the right way to plan a go to, confer with our article on the popcorn seashore.
Relax on the seashore
Whether you favor to discover the ocean by way of the water (within the type of windsurfing, paddle boarding, or browsing), or by way of the land and on the seashore, because of its standing as a reasonably large island, there’s an infinite variety of seashores in Fuerteventura.
One of my favorite off the crushed path seashores is in Pozo Negro. A speck of a settlement comprising of little greater than a handful of fishermen’s huts and a sprawling volcanic black pebble seashore, Pozo Negro is considerably off the crushed vacationer observe on the japanese coast of the Canary Island of Fuerteventura.Â
Go mountain climbing
The otherworldly landscapes of the Canary Islands are well-known the world over because of their lunar-like landscapes and volcanic formations which appear like they’ve been plucked straight from one other planet.
And among the finest methods to get a chook’s eye view when visiting Fuerteventura is to go mountain climbing with the intention to get a greater lay of the land. And considered one of my private favorite hikes on the island, which leads you to a hermitage, is mountain climbing el tanquito.
Barranco de los Enamorados
Barranco de los Encantados is a hidden gem in Fuerteventura, primarily as a result of it stays comparatively unknown and boasts a historical past relationship again over 135,000 years.
The fossilised sand dunes that line the banks of the canyon had been shaped throughout a marine regression, when the ocean receded and uncovered the sand banks. Visitors can now stroll by the banks and marvel at their distinctive options.
The entrance to the ravine which you’ll attain by a standard automotive is near El Cotillo and so it’s the proper probability to go to this off the crushed path earlier than the ultimate cease of the day. For details about the ravine, try our Barranco de los Enamorados information.
See the lighthouses
All over Fuerteventura, there are a variety of lighthouses, which have guided ships away from harmful rocks and sea swells over the centuries. The greatest lighthouse on the island to go to is undoubtedly the Faro de la Entallada, which is near Las Playitas.
There has been a lighthouse on website since 1955 when the construction you see in the present day was lastly accomplished. From the outset, the undertaking proved to be formidable because of the distant location and excessive elevation on the cliffs.
Today you’ll be able to admire the structure of the lighthouse and revel in unimaginable views of the ocean from a close-by viewing platform. Just remember that the street to the lighthouse is fairly steep and scary to drive!
La Atalayita
The Poblado de la Atalayita is a traditionally important archaeological website positioned near the fishing go to of Pozo Negro. During our journey to Fuerteventura, we had been truly the one folks to go to the positioning throughout our go to!
This website is believed to have been house to the indigenous Canarians and the reconstructed ruins can now be visited free of charge. There is a small interpretation centre on the website, although this was sadly closed throughout our go to and the opening occasions appear a bit erratic. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to nonetheless spend an hour or so wandering this historic website.
Arco de las Peñitas
If you’ve spent any time taking a look at photographs of distinctive rock formations on Fuerteventura, then little doubt you’ll have come throughout Arco de las Peñitas, which is positioned to the West of the island.
The pure archway has been carved out of the rock by the solar, wind, and rain over 1000’s of years and is now one of the crucial in style picture spots within the Canary Islands. For info on the right way to go to, try our information to Arco de las Peñitas.
Admire the windmills
All over Fuerteventura, there are numerous windmills. They are both generally known as Molino or Molina, with Molino being the masculine phrase for windmill and Molina being the female type of windmill.
The gender is given to the windmill in query dependant on its measurement, with the bigger being molino and the smaller known as molina. Windmills on Fuerteventura had been first begun as easy buildings to help native farmers in harnessing the wind energy to allow them to extra simply mill grain (specifically corn).
Of all of the locations to see windmills in Fuerteventura, high of the record is Tefia, which is slightly settlement inland in the course of the Canary Island. There are literally two windmills at Tefia, although admittedly one is extra spectacular than the opposite! Unfortunately each can solely be admired by way of their exteriors.
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Sophie Nadeau loves canine, books, journey, pizza, and historical past. A fan of all issues France associated, she runs solosophie.com when she’s not chasing after the following sundown shot or consuming one thing candy. She presently splits her time between Paris and London. Subscribe to Sophie’s YouTube Channel.