The best thing about Canaries in general is the mild climate, which allows you to visit it all year long with temperatures between 20 and 28 degrees. Also for that, it remains one of the most favourite destinations during winter months. Even though, Fuerteventura is way less touristic (and inhabited) than for example Tenerife or Gran Canaria, which may be another plus. We visited it in November 2022 and had the most beaches almost for ourselves.
Even the island's name itself is often linked to the strong wind in Fuerteventura, so there is no wonder it is a popular destination for those who enjoy windsurfing. If you are not into water sports but still like action, you can also find trails for some hikes or have fun in the dunes, but if you are a nightlife lover or expect green nature and forests, you better decide for another of the islands. Also, beware that 28 degrees in Fuerteventura might feel different than 28 degrees in Tenerife, caused by the wind, which might be refreshing, but can also start to bother you after a while.
If you are planning to visit Fuerteventura, we highly recommend to rent a car. It is the easiest way of transport, as there is almost no public transportation.
The best options for accommodation are along the eastern coast, such as Corralejo, Costa Calma and Morro Jable. We stayed in a really nice villa we rented via Booking.com with a view of the volcano Bayuyo. It was in a good location in Corralejo and not so far from the airport. As there was a kitchen, we saved some money cooking breakfast and dinner ourselves and ate outside only for lunch.
We decided to show you our itinerary and share our experience and some tips. It was our first time in Fuerteventura and we created this itinerary ourselves, at home before the travel. We spent there only four days (well, three and half), as we connected it with the visit of Vicente's family in Tenerife. We flew first from Germany to Tenerife South, and after a few days we took a plane from Tenerife North to Fuerteventura. This flight takes only 45 minutes and it is a smaller plane. Binter airline is specialised on flights between the Canary Islands, if you are also interested to visit another one in one run.
When creating our 4-day itinerary, we divided our plans into 4 parts of the island, so that we save some time and see as much as possible on each day:
The North - volcano Calderon Hondo, Corralejo beaches and the "popcorn beaches"
The East - Arco de las Peñitas, Costa Calma and Sotavento
The South-West - lighthouse Entallada, Mirador del Salmo, Morro Jable and Cofete beach
The North-West - El Cotillo
This is just how we did it. Maybe you are planning to stay longer in Fuerteventura? Maybe you want to see different things than we chose for this itinerary? In the end of the article we also mention some alternative ideas and interesting spots to visit. Feel free to exchange some of the places in our itinerary for another ones, according to your needs and interests.
1. Day - The North
Calderon Hondo
The first day we started active, with a morning camel ride to Calderon Hondo, a volcano near the Lajares village. You can either go by walk or on camels! Whatever option you choose, do not forget sun protection, water and sports shoes.
While you are enjoying the views from the camel's back (well, from the seats on it), which is a fun experience itself, the tour guide will be telling you very interesting facts about camels, the island, a bit of history and how the camels got there. He is also super funny, so altogether it is a really nice experience we will never forget. Note, that the camels will only take you to the foot of the volcano and wait for you there to take you back down after you climb the volcano up and down. So do not forget to wear comfortable shoes for the final hike, which is steep.
If you want to go by walk, you can either start at the meeting point we mentioned above or go from the other side and park here, if you do not have that much time. The first route is around 30 minutes by walk, while the second one takes only 10 minutes. There is also an option for a longer hike (or by bike) too, starting in Corralejo. The official route is called "Camino de Las Calderas", is 13 km long and goes along the volcano Bayuyo too. All the way from Corralejo to Lajares will take you around 3 hours by walk. The trail is most of the way flat and wide, so you will see a lot of bikes too.
Corralejo
This is the most touristic town in the north of the island. It is popular for the Corralejo Nature Park with its windswept dune beaches, including Playa del Moro. It is one of the best locations for accommodation, as we already mentioned above. We stayed in one of the "Villas Dreams".
After riding camels, we headed to the city centre of Corralejo and after a short walk stopped for lunch. We ate fish and a paella in Restaurante Sotavento by the beach, watching the port and the neighbouring island - Isla de Lobos - a very small uninhabited island between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, which is one of the most favourite places to visit when in Corralejo.
The landscape on Isla de Lobos has a unique character. The entire island is covered with white sand and black lava rocks. There are very nice calm beaches with crystal clear water, ideal for snorkelling. The most popular place is El Puertito, a beautiful lagoon with a wooden pier, located just behind the port. Otherwise there is just a few fishermen' houses and a restaurant, the only one on the whole island. You can also hike around the whole island in about two hours. You will walk through a fascinating volcanic landscape with lava hills.
The ferry to Isla de Lobos from the port of Corralejo takes only 15 minutes. There are also group or individual boat and catamaran tours and day-trips. Some of them include snorkelling, too.
We skipped that one (but plan to visit it the next time) and after the lunch we visited Grandes Playas - the Great Beaches of Corralejo. These are basically more beaches connected into a huge one. This beach is also famous for the International Kite Festival which is taking place there every autumn. It is a unique chance to see bears, octopuses, sharks and many other creatures flying in the air, haha!
To get there, there is only one road, which goes through the middle of a dessert in the Natural Park of Corralejo. You can park the car along the main road or, like we did, by the Hotel Riu Palace - which is directly on the beach. It is a really nice beach to take a little break.
Popcorn beaches
After chilling at the beach by Corralejo, we decided to spend the golden hour at the famous "popcorn beaches" in the North / North-West. These beaches got their nickname from the little white stones that cover the sand and look literally like popcorn! In fact, they are not stones but algae fossils called rhodolits.
To get there by car from Corralejo, head west and drive along the northern coast towards Majanicho. We stopped in two of these beaches, Playa El Mejillón (also called Playa del Bajo de la Burra) and Playa El Hierro by the Majanicho village. It is kind of a remote place and the road is basically a dirt track with lots of stones and holes, so you better drive slower. Also, in the evening it is slightly colder there and the wind does not help it, so pack a sweater. On your way back, it is the best if you head south and take the classic road (C. la Cancela) instead of the rocky one when it gets dark.
2. Day - The East
Barranco de Las Peñitas
On the second day, we actually started active again, with a hike to the Arco de las Peñitas - a natural arch in the rocks, created by the erosion. It is an impressive spot for pictures and breathtaking views.
To get there (from Corralejo), you have to drive around an hour heading south, towards Pájara. We recommend to leave early, before the sun gets too strong, because in the mountains is not that windy and no shadow either, and to have more time for other places later in the day, too.
For the drive, it is simple with Google maps - just search for Arco de las Peñitas, it will direct you to the parking. Then you go down the path behind the house and then, before the abandoned building turn right. From there, the way kind of disappears in the rocks and you just keep climbing up as shown on the map below. The hike takes around 20-30 minutes climbing up and a bit less going down. Be prepared for steep climbing over big rocks at the top before reaching the arc.
Costa Calma and Sotavento
After the hike, you will probably agree with us, it is time to chill. And the best place for that is at the beaches in Costa Calma and/or Sotavento. We will leave this part a bit more open, depending on your preferences and actual mood. We made it to both.
We drove around 45 minutes from the Barranco till Costa Calma. The road FV-605 will take you through breathtaking mountainous landscapes.
We stopped at this viewpoint on the way. There is also a bigger one (probably with nicer views, too) on the other side of the road, but as we were headed south and just stopped for a few minutes, we did not go till there.
Costa Calma is one of the most touristic cities in Fuerteventura and the beaches around are one of the most beautiful ones. It was around 1 PM and we decided to stop at the beach Playas de Costa Calma. We had some snacks packed and ate them at the beach, but you can go for lunch first, of course. We spent around 2 hours at the beach, chilling, and then had an amazing late lunch in El Bar de Marko y Monica, which is just a few minutes walk from the beach. We tried a lot of typical tapas plates - our most favourite are Pimientos del Padrón (grilled green paprikas sprinkled with sea salt) and Queso canario con miel de palma (Canarian cheese with palm honey).
After the food break, we drove to Sotavento - the highlight of our trip (that is the white beach you see in the very first picture of the article). There is a parking directly at the beach at Risco del Paso. We recommend stopping there, because of the easy access and the most beautiful part of the beach. Sotavento beach is almost 5 km long, all the coastline between Costa Calma and Jandía.
Playa de Sotavento de Jandía is one of the widest beaches, especially when the tide is low. But, when the water comes back at high tide and covers most of the beach, it creates beautiful shallow lagoons in the middle. It is really a special experience, when you walk out onto the sandbanks and the little waves are coming from all directions, as if you were on a tiny island. On windy days, you will see the lagoon full of kitesurfers.
We spent there the whole evening, having fun in the lagoons, walking on the sandbanks and enjoying the sunset at the big dune above the beach. We felt like small kids, running in the sand and sliding the hill down. Such a joyful moment!
3. Day - The South-West
On the third day, we spent a lot of time driving, because we had to travel all the way from the North-East where we were staying, to the South-West and back, but it was definitely worth it. In this case, it might have been better if we stayed somewhere more southern, for example in Morro Jable or Costa Calma, but we planned our itinerary for each day kind of last minute as we travelled together with our family, so we felt more comfortable staying all three nights in one place.
Entallada lighthouse
In the morning, we left towards Tequital, which is around an hour drive. We took the FV-1 and FV-2 roads along the coast and drove through Las Salinas - a town famous for its salt flats Salinas del Carmen and The Salt Museum, which is worth a visit as well.
And as you see below, we just could not get enough of all the different landscapes. I mean, this is nothing we see every day, the nature in Fuerteventura is really spectacular.
When you reach Tequital, you get to a roundabout where you have to turn all the way (leave at the fourth exit) and then exit the FV-2 road turning right towards Lugar Tequital (see below).
On the next crossroad turn right again, towards Tiguitar. Stay on the road, driving carefully as it is rather a dirt track and keep turning right at the junctions until you reach normal road again (FV-511). Turn left and go all the way up to the mountains towards Faro de la Entallada.
Now any minute you should see the lighthouse on the top of the rocks! We say it again, be careful there, as the road gets narrower the higher you are, and there is not much space if a car is coming from the other direction.
It is one of the nicest and biggest lighthouses in Canary Islands. It is placed on a cliff and gets super windy, but the views are worth it. Inside the building, there is a small museum and you can also climb up to the rooftop for more views.
Mirador del Salmo
And off to another viewpoint. This one is also possible to do on the day 2 of our itinerary, when you are at Sotavento. Viewpoint del Salmo is just by the main road (FV-2) above the beach, so it offers the best views of the Sotavento lagoon. There is a colourful bench which looks cute on pictures.
I think, we do not have to say more here. Just enjoy the view.
Morro Jable
Next stop on the way is Morro Jable. A touristic and harbour city with hotels, shops and restaurant along the beach Playa del Matorral. You will also find there tennis and beach volleyball courts, outdoor gym areas and playgrounds.
We walked around and had lunch in Asador La Parilla - a beachfront grill restaurant with a terrace and ocean view. We ordered grilled fish and steaks, which we can highly recommend.
In front of this restaurant, there is also a lighthouse, directly at the beach. Morro Jable is a nice place for all kind of activities from chilling at the beach, active relax like walking or swimming, or outdoor sports.
Cofete beach
Let's spend the rest of the day at the wildest beach in Fuerteventura and one of the most beautiful in the world. Be ready for a rocky off road drive experience and the most rewarding destination. The way to Cofete is only 22 kilometer long but takes another one hour from Morro Jable.
It is a mysterious and remote place, completely separated of the rest of the island by the mountains, with only dirt tracks leading to it. If we already mentioned to be careful when driving in Fuerteventura, now we mention it again, stressing it even stronger. The best is to go with a 4x4 car. If you are going to drive a rental car, beware that the insurance usually does not cover any off road accidents. Also, make sure you get back before it gets dark, the road is in the middle of nowhere with dangerous holes and no lights.
Another option is going there with a tour instead - for that, you might need the whole day, which we would probably do, if we had a day more. As we said, this itinerary is only an example of how we did it, having only 4 days and wanting to see as much as possible.
But, if you still decide to go by car: on the way from Morro Jable, there is only one junction after around 11 kilometres. There, you will want to turn right up to the mountains, where the road gets curvy and narrow. On the top, there is a viewpoint with one of the most breathtaking views we have ever seen, but also very strong wind. From there, you just continue all the way down to the beach parking. You will drive through the Cofete village, consisting of a few houses and hut only occasionally inhabited, and a restaurant.
Further in the hill, there is the Casa Winter - a villa built by German engineer Gustav Winter during the Second World War. A mysterious mansion with an unsure history and purpose, which led to several conspiracy theories.
The beach itself is almost 8 kilometers long and together with the highest mountains of Fuerteventura creates a special atmosphere. We walked all the way to the peninsula El Islote (which is further than it seems) and back. As the beach is so huge and harder accessible, you will always be there almost alone. However, this area is not for swimming. The unpredictable waves and strong currents in this part of the island make bathing very risky and not recommended.
We felt like in heaven. Having the beach just for ourselves during a beautiful sunset, foggy mountains on one side and ocean on the other side, we were speechless. We could not believe that such a place exists and that we had the chance to visit it. I mean, in the pictures it looks amazing, but being there is an unforgettable experience.
4. Day - The North-West
On our last day, we had only until the afternoon before our flight back home. And after the previous active days, we all agreed it is the best time to just chill at a beach without long driving. As we stayed in Corralejo, we could not leave without visiting El Cotillo, which is only 20 minutes away to the West.
El Cotillo
This small fishing village is popular for its lagoons and white sand beaches with crystal clear water. Especially the beach La Concha is really beautiful. As it is separated from the open ocean with a stone barrier, there are no big waves which makes it perfect to swim and snorkel. There is also a big parking right behind it.
The rocks at the north coast create many lagoons and natural pools, called Los Charcos, which are also very nice to swim. The nicest ones are on the outskirts of the city, in a natural desert environment at the foot of the lighthouse El Tostón. Find the exact location here. These are ideal for those seeking tranquility. If you travel outside the summer season it is very likely that you can enjoy this place in complete solitude. The lighthouse is nowadays housing a Museum of Traditional Fuerteventura Fishing.
With that, we came to the end of our 4-day itinerary for Fuerteventura! Let us know if you like the places and if some of our tips were helpful for you. We believe you will love it as much as we did. And even if you are not planning to visit it and read it till here, we appreciate your support!
Another places you should visit or do if you are staying longer / options to swap with the places above:
Isla de Lobos - only 15 minutes boat trip from Corralejo port
Playa La Pared - watch squirrels joining you along the way
Windsurf lesson or quad adventure in the dunes or buggy tour
Natural pool Krabbenfelsen in Caleta de Fuste (East) or natural pools Aguas Verdes (West)
Salinas del Carmen - salt ponds and Salt Museum near Caleta de Fuste (East)
Playa de los Ojos - one of the best spots to watch the sunset + there is a small cave you can visit if the tide is low + you might meet donkeys on the way - the road is basically the first half of the dirt track leading to Cofete, just instead of turning right at the junction, you turn left
Caves in Ajuy and black sand beach (West)
Barranco de La Madre del Agua - trail starting from Ajuy village, leading to a little oasis with palm trees and small river - possible to connect with Barranco de Las Peñitas
some of the mills, for example Molino de Tefía in the South or Molinos of Villaverde near La Oliva village
Barranco de Enamorados - beautiful sandstone ravine formed into unique shapes, a 6 km hike
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