Fuerteventura - Canary Islands

Photo taken of the Atlantic Ocean just before a storm. 

Fuerteventura (strong wind) lies south of Lanzarote and closest to the African continent. This is the second largest of the Canary Islands and also, possibly the windiest.
This was our first stop before we continued to Lanzarote.
I have to admit, this island was unlike any island I have ever visited.
As our plane approached the island, I looked out totally mesmerized. In all my years of travel, I have never seen landscape like this. Not a tree in sight. No grass. No rivers. No lakes. Not even a stream. Just black and then dark brown (almost red) soil for miles and miles. As the plane began to prepare for landing, the blue shades of the Atlantic Ocean (at a distance)  provided a much needed contrast.

The first thing I realized when I got out of the airport was the humidity in the air. Having flown in from cold and dry weather, this level of humidity was a welcome relief. The temperature was in the range of 20 to 26 degrees during our entire stay.

We decided to stay in Corralejo. This is a town on the north east coast of the island and home to Corralejo Natural Park and also the harbour.

Corralejo was once a fishing village and even today, has retained some of its original character. You can find plenty of quality affordable and luxury accommodation here along with restaurant and cafes to suit different diets.
I would absolutely recommend hiring a car to tour around this island because there is a lot to see around if you like unusual landscapes. This island has really ideal wind conditions if you are into wind surfing and water sports.

 Most hotels and resorts have a dedicated service desk to get you in contact with instructors and sometimes, they take you there in a mini-bus. The place we were staying at had regular classes for amateurs and experts. The advantage of living in Corralejo is the ability to go island hopping. Since our next stop was Lanzarote, this made perfect sense.

There are several beaches in Fuerteventura. Some of them rocky and some of them sandy. My favourite beach was the one at La Oliva on Grandes Playas (in your navigation look out for the RIU, Oliva Beach Resort). There is a huge parking area near the dunes at the back that gets relatively full by noon so I would recommend getting there by 10:30.  This beach has sand instead of pebbles and is ideal for relaxation.
 If you wish to go to a nearby island for a half day visit, you can head over to Lobos. It's barely 2 kms away by boat and comes in the La Oliva municipality. Lobos which means wolves was named after the monk seals that once lived there. After this island was discovered, these seals were hunted down mercilessly for their skin and sadly, they are close to extinction today. If you are into bird watching, you are in for a treat as well.
 Please note, that you cannot stay overnight on this island. Only day trips are permitted and you have access to only some parts of the island if you wish to go on walking trails.
If you would like to understand about aloe vera and their uses, there is a huge plantation of aloe, cactus and olive trees in La Fuentita near Gran Taranjal. Unfortunately, we got there a little late (too much time spent on the beach!) and couldn't actually go on a tour of the place.
Overall, this island has plenty of watch points and the landscape is spectacular if you drive down all the way towards the south.

The soil continues to range from shades of black to red mostly and it's very arid.  The roads at some point are steep and narrow and it can get a little unnerving when you are at a certain elevation.

View from a watch point

An oasis after driving  through arid landscape. 

When it comes to eating options, you have so much to choose from!

Baby squid at l'osteria dei colori

Tapa bars, cafes, restaurants and even beach shacks. We even found a vegan place that serves exceptional food. Don't expect regular shops to open before 10 am. And, no one calls its a night till way past midnight. For the young, there are several clubs and for the mature older crowd, there are plenty of fine dining as well as casual dining restaurants. Given its proximity to the ocean, expect nothing but the freshest of fish.


We had the most delicious Spanish food at Casa Domingo.  It's a tapas bar/restaurant that's popular with the tourists and locals. They had so much to offer that we had a tough time deciding what to get. Finally, we asked the hostess for her recommendation. We got chicken and fish croquettas (outstanding), seafood stuffed peppers (outstanding again), fried anchovies (super fresh) and wrinkled potatoes. Frankly, the quantity was  too much but when there's good food on the table, you never complain. You tuck it all in! And that's exactly what we did.

Dessert at Casa Domingo

Another gem was this place called Sanus. Staggering number of dishes on the menu and just as staggering number of people waiting to get a table! Do not even venture here if you don't have a reservation. Of course, you might find a seat at 10 pm but most of the seafood will be over by then. We found the owner really kind and helpful and he  guided us through the menu and helped us decide and also, stopped us from over-ordering. This is a great place to go to if you have gluten allergy/diabetes/lactose intolerance and other conditions that stop you from enjoying good food or even if you are a vegan/vegetarian. The owner has taken into consideration dietary restrictions and compiled a truly comprehensive menu. I only wish our stomachs were big enough to accommodate all that food.

Starters at Sanus

Paella at Sanus

We had the paella and two starters with a wine he suggested and we were stuffed. We had to politely turn down his offer of dessert. Moral of the story : Skip lunch if you have to go here. Also, Casa Domingo and Sanus SHOULD NOT be done on the same day!

Yet another really big surprise was La Scarpetta da Mario. Yes, Italian food. In Spain! We almost didn't step in but looking at the crowds, we decided to go in and boy, were we glad! The best Sangria I have tasted followed by the most outstanding seafood tagliatelle. It was little Italy in Spain!

My partner chose the vegetarian stuffed ravioli which had candied pumpkin. I tasted a little bit of his dessert, a  panacotta with a berry compote and found it really tasty. The restaurant is owned by Italians and run by Italians so expect nothing but the best in flavours and textures. The owner also walks around asking you for your suggestions or comments and we realized many patrons were Italians!

 If you are vegan, a great place to visit is the H2O Juice Bar and Vegan cafe. It's open for breakfast and lunch. The owner has daily specials and some classics. We tried a pumpkin burger and a mushroom burger, both regular sized and found them too big but delicious!

We also ordered their carrot orange juice and ginger pineapple pear juice. Again, tall glasses  but outstanding quality.
Over all, our trip to Fuerteventura was nothing short of spectacular. We got great weather, stunning landscapes and outstanding food. And the added bonus, taking a boat from the harbour to Lanzarote. We deliberately chose the open top ship from Romero and it was the highlight of our trip. Don't believe me, look at the pictures.

You can buy tickets a day before you choose to travel or on that day too. There are no dedicated seats allocated but choose the ones up front so you get unrestricted views of the approaching island. The captain told us that sometimes you can see whales but we weren't as lucky that day.
I hope you enjoyed this two-article series on the Canary Islands. If you have questions or comments,  feel free to send me an email or use the comment box below.
Gracias!