Only 60 miles (100km) separates the island of Fuerteventura, second largest in the Canary archipelago, from the continent of Africa, and this sunny island has the same latitude (and therefore weather conditions) as the famous holiday destinations of Florida and Mexico. Unlike those bustling resort-ridden vacation stations, though, Fuerteventura is relatively undiscovered, its more than 150 idyllic sandy beaches only sparsely populated and many seldom visited at all. The island has an arid volcanic landscape, and apart from the beaches, not much to recommend it in the way of tourist amenities or attractions. This has kept the mega resorts and mass summer package holiday trade at bay, but it does have a fair share of day-trippers from the resorts of Lanzarote and Gran Canaria who come seeking a respite from the crowds. The island’s own 2 main resort towns are Corralejo and Caleta del Fuste. Fuerteventura is easily accessible from the other islands in the archipelago by ferry or air. The airport is situated close to the capital of Puerto del Rosario.
The semi-desert Island of Fuerteventura lies just under 100km off the coast of Africa (near the border of Morocco and Western Sahara). It enjoys a near-perfect climate with average monthly temperatures ranging from 17°C in January to 25°C in August.
Fuerteventura is the longest Island in the archipelago at 98km north to south and the 2nd largest Canary Island, the larges being Tenerife. The unforgiving barren and arid interior of the island shares much with it's African neighbours of Morroco and the Western Sahara including sparse rainfall, rocky-desert landscapes (the temperature of these rocks can reach 67°C on a hot day!) and simple flat-roofed white-washed villages.
Fuerteventura is perhaps most famous for it's beaches, with over 50km of stunning white and golden sand. Despite Tourism being a relatively recent phenomenon on the island, there is a well developed infrastructure with Golf Courses, a Zoo, a Water Park and numerous Marine Excursions. If you fancy something a bit more active, the Island offers great Surfing, Windsurfing and Kite Surfing as well as Big Game Fishing and Diving.
If you just want to take it easy, then those miles of white sandy beaches make the perfect getaway, even in peak season you should be able to find a relatively secluded spot for yourself.
In short, there is plenty for Families, Twenty-somethings and Sports enthusiastes alike.
Beaches
The miles of white sandy beaches that disappear into turquoise waters make the beaches of Fuerteventura by far the best in the Canary Islands.
These perfect white sand beaches are not the result of sand being blown across from the Sahara Desert (as some Guidebooks claim) but are in fact composed of broken shells and other remains from marine organisms.
Fuerteventura can get very windy, though normally it is possible to find a sheltered beach somewhere along the east coast. It can be perfectly calm in Morro Jable and very choppy around the Dunes of Corralejo on the same day. If it is a little choppy, it can often be worth driving around a little in search of a sheltered cove.
The western beaches such as those at El Cotillo receive bigger swells and are popular with surfers, though there are some sheltered coves and lagoons there too.
There are so many gorgeous beaches in Fuerteventura that we could not possibly describe them all.
The following is a summary of the beaches by area, though this shouldn't stop you from exploring the rest of the Island's beaches.
Restaurants
In all of the Tourist resorts on the island you can find exactly the types of restaurants that you would expect in a Tourist Resort: Chinese, Italian, Tex-Mex, French, International, All-day English Breakfasts etc. as well as some genuine Canarian Restaurants that serve Fresh locally-produced food. The quality varies considerably as do the prices, but a good meal with wine will usually cost quite a lot less than in the UK.
As you would expect with this being an Island, Fish and Seafood feature predominantly in the Island's cuisine. The goat is the other major influence (Goats are everywhere in Fuerteventura) and local Goat's Cheese can be found on most menus. |
