Fuerteventura

White sand beaches and breezy coastlines. The second-largest Canary Island for year-round sun.

I’ve visited Fuerteventura a couple of times, once during peak tourism season (Christmas) and once during off-peak season (end of January). It’s not terribly hot at this time of year, but much warmer than the UK - think shorts and a jumper or jeans and a vest top sort of weather. If you manage to find a sheltered spot in the sun it can get quite hot. I was lucky during my Christmas visit, which was warm enough for swimming. It is possible to make your way around Fuerteventura using just public transport, mainly buses (more on this below). However, you will be limited to the main towns for this.

Corralejo

There are a couple of areas of Fuerteventura that are particularly popular with tourists, but I’d say Corralejo is probably the largest and most popular. Expect plenty of bars, restaurants, tourism offices, and shopping malls - you’ll find plenty of amenities in this area. It’s a busy area, particularly in the evenings where bars play music, sports games are on, and karaoke fills the air.

The area itself is pretty nice. I’ve stayed in Corralejo during peak tourism season (Christmas) and even at its busiest, it’s manageable. We didn’t struggle to find quiet beaches, and were able to show up at restaurants or book activities without reservations. I would suggest that if you have a particular restaurant or activity you want to do on a particular day, to book ahead to avoid disappointment, but otherwise you will always be able to find something.

During my first stay in Fuerteventura, I stayed on the outskirts of Corralejo (about 20-30 minute walk away) and I’d recommend that to anyone who is not particularly keen on the nightlife but still wants to be close to the amenities the area offers.

Things to do in Corralejo:

Make a day trip to Isla de Lobos and hike, swim, and explore the whole island in a day.
Catch some wind and waves and try your hand at windsurfing.
There are plenty of beaches to lounge around on, the most popular being Corralejo Grandes Playas which has a wide sweeping sand shore. It’s also across the road from Parque Natural de Corralejo.
Explore the sand dunes of Parque Natural de Corralejo, you can even do this by dune buggy!
Hit the shops. Corralejo has a couple strip malls where you can find some popular brand stores to shop from. There is also a local craft market, El Campanario (Thu & Sun, 9am-2pm), and a local street market, Acua Waterpark car park (Tue & Fri, 9am-2pm).
Cross off another Canary Island and visit Lanzarote’s Playa Blanca, a short boat trip from Corralejo.
Take a sunset stroll along the water following the Paseo Maritimo Bristol path.

Parque Natural de Corralejo

Parque Rural de Betancuria

I initially saw this rock formation Arco de las Penitas while browsing through Google Maps of Fuerteventura. I quite like a hike, and this looked like a good hike destination and a great photo opportunity. So Parque Rural de Betancuria became a destination and an activity for a day trip.

The drive through Parque Rural de Betancuria, towards the West coast, is gorgeous. There are a lot of windy roads along cliff edges, some being single track with passing bays (but not many). If you are a nervous driver, you may want to avoid this and book yourself a driver/private transportation/public transport.

Betancuria

The small town of Betancuria is the historical capital of Fuerteventura. It is a picturesque stop-over enroute to the West Coast. It has nice cafes, restaurants, and souvenir shops. There aren’t a great deal of amenities around, but it is perfectly placed to base yourself if you want to explore the surrounding natural beauty and hiking areas.

Snap up pictures in front of the iconic Church of Santa Maria de Betancuria and then sit back on a bench in the plaza and take in the atmosphere.
Take a walk from the centre of Betancuria up to an old monastery ruin, Convento de San Buenaventura.
Idle along the cobbled streets and take in the traditional architecture, the quiet atmosphere and the picturesque store fronts.
Visit the small archaeological museum, Museo Arqueologico de Fuerteventura, and learn about the land the the indigenous populations

Arco de las Penitas

Arco de las Penitas is located next to another popular trail for Ermita de la Pena and Penitas Dam. As such, it is quite hard to distinguish between the different trails, particularly because the Arco de las Penitas trail is not very well marked to begin with. My suggestion is to walk along the main trail until you can see the area and direction you need to walk in, and then just start going off-piste. While heading in that general direction, you should soon start to see white arrows pointing you in the right direction. [I have marked all of this on the map below].

For a lot of the trail you will be scrambling and climbing rocks - it is not a clear, paved path. Some of the route requires pulling yourself up larger boulders, or bridging gaps in the rocks. Therefore, for some, this hike will not be accessible.

The arrows are good markers, but as long as you are going in the same general direction I would encourage you to forge your own way that feels safe and comfortable for you. If you need to make your route longer by going around some of the obstacles, do it. Remember, these rocks will not make it easy for emergency services to reach you either - so be careful.

It took us maybe 40 minutes to reach the arch and the viewpoint. Being inland, and essentially in the desert, it was very hot and there was little shade.

Once at the top, the arch provided a shaded spot to overlook the view, and we stopped to eat our sandwiches. The scramble down was easier now we knew where we were going. We rejoined the main trail and continued into the gorge and towards the dam.

Cuevas de Ajuy

From Parque Rural de Betancuria we continued west towards Ajuy. Ajuy has black sand beaches and rough waves, so not a beach for swimming. However, what these rough waves have done is create some awesome caves. There is a nice, wide waterside path that leads you along the cliff edges to see the rock and cave formations, and further hiking trails in the area.

Arco de las Penitas

Ajuy

Cuevas de Ajuy

Parque Rural de Betancuria

El Cotillo & Lajares

Lajares

Lajares is a really sweet town that you pass through on your way to El Cotillo. It’s definitely made to cater towards tourists and expats, and you will find a lot of independent and boutique stores and eateries, alongside a weekly market selling artisanal goods. I’d recommend coming through here for a change of pace from the busy strip of Correlejos.

Every Saturday 10am-2pm you can visit the Mercado Artesanal de Los Lajares. Beautiful goods, although not many local products.
Stop by Molina de Lajares to see a picture-perfect windmill
Pasteleria Pastelo has some gorgeous baked goods on offer, and great reviews
Rent a board and learn how to surf / kitesurf from the many of the surf shops in town

El Cotillo

El Cotillo is a small and relaxed fishing village on the West coast which is generally much quieter than the resort areas. The area has some great beaches, including sheltered lagoon areas that are perfect for swimming, and some big waves for those interested in surfing.

La Concha beach is the best known beach in the area. The water is well sheltered and so ideal for swimming.
For more sheltered swimming areas, check out the lagoons in the north. Depending on the tide, check out the beaches: Playa Los Charcos III, Playa El Islote, and Playa de Los Charcos.
For a sexy sunset spot, sit atop the old fortress of Castillo de El Toston.

Castillo de El Toston

Puerto del Rosario and the East coast

I haven’t spent large amounts of time here. There are a lot of shops and restaurants as the area is quite built up, but there were also a lot of businesses that had clsoed down in the area. There are some beach areas too, but not really for swimming as they are located near the main port.

Whilst in the area we visited a natural pool in Castillo Caleta de Fuste. The pool is easy to reach by walking along the waterfront path, and involves some climbing down rocks, which wasn’t too difficult. The natural pool is present at low tide and is very rocky, so not ideal for sunbathing.

Piscina Natural

To visit the areas I’ve mentioned on this page, here are the Fuerteventura bus routes:

Route 6: Puerto del Rosario - Corralejo
Route 2: Puerto del Rosario - Betancuria
Route 3: Puerto del Rosario - Castillo Caleta de Fueste
Route 8: Corralejo - El Cotillo / Lajares

And other things

Need to knows

While most people assume you need a car to get around any Canary Island, Fuerteventura is easily accessible via public bus.

tiadhe.com/en/our-routes/

Special Recommendations

Food: Restaurante Vista Lobos

Attractions: Betancuria

Accommodation: Surf Riders Hostel

R’s take

A great place to catch some winter sun, either super relaxed or out exploring nature. Largely made up of UK tourists and expats, the area feels very safe and comfortable.