Five Must-See Places in Fuerteventura
The oldest island, the longest beaches and the steadiest wind. Including one beach you should look at but not swim.
Fuerteventura is the oldest of the islands and the flattest, which means it has had twenty million years of wind and weather taking the edges off. What is left is long beaches, open country and very little shelter.
If you like a landscape you can see a long way across, this is the one. These five are a fair introduction rather than a definitive list.
1. Cofete
A beach on the far side of the Jandía peninsula in the south, inside a natural park, and about as remote as a beach in Spain gets. Roughly 12km of sand with a mountain wall behind it and nothing else.
Two things matter. The road in is unsurfaced, narrow and steep in places, and most hire car agreements do not cover it. There is a bus, and there are tours.
And the sea here is dangerous. There are strong currents and no lifeguard. People drown at Cofete. Go for the view and the walk, and treat swimming as something to do elsewhere.
2. Corralejo dunes
A large area of pale dunes on the north coast, protected as a natural park, with Lobos and Lanzarote across the water.
The main road runs straight through it, so it is easy to reach and easy to see. As with any dune system, the plants holding it together are the fragile part: keep to the tracks.
There is little shade, and the wind that made these dunes is usually still doing it.
3. Isla de Lobos
A small uninhabited island off the north coast, reached by a short boat trip from Corralejo. Visitor numbers are capped and you need a free permit booked in advance, which is why it stays as it is.
There is a walking route around it, a lagoon, and a lighthouse. It is a half day, there is nothing to buy, and the permit rules are enforced.
4. Betancuria
The island's old capital, inland and set among hills to be less visible to raiders from the sea. It is small, quiet and green by Fuerteventura standards.
The drive there through the interior is much of the value. The viewpoint on the road down from the north is worth the stop.
5. The kite and surf coasts
Not a single place. Fuerteventura's wind is the most reliable in the islands, and stretches of the east and south coasts are among the better places in Europe to sail or kite.
Sotavento in the south is the best known and holds international events. If you do not do either sport, going to watch on a windy afternoon is still worth an hour.
Practical notes
There is a lot less here than on the western islands, and that is the attraction. Distances between fuel, water and food are longer than you expect, so fill up before crossing the interior.
The wind is a constant rather than an event. It makes hot days comfortable and it also makes you burn without noticing, and it turns a calm-looking sea into something with real force in it.
Cofete deserves repeating. It is beautiful, it is remote, and the water there kills people most years. Enjoy it from the sand.
