Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

A water sports and sun lover’s dream, boasting over 75Kms of beaches, Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary Islands and is only 100Km from the African coast. It has, by far, the best beaches in the Canaries (and some would say, myself included, in Europe).

Just like its Northern sister, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura has a dry sub-tropical desert climate with little rainfall and offers both summer and winter sun.

A Surfing, wind-surfing and kite-surfing mecca, the best of the best return every July for the PWA World Wind-Surfing Championships at Playa de Sotavento, just south of Costa Calma. Other festivals such as the International Kite Festival in November (held at El Burro Beach in Corralejo) and the WOMAD Festival in November (held in Gran Tarajal) draw visitors from all over the world.

Traditionally, British tourists tend to stay in Corralejo and Caleta de Fueste, while German tourists stay mainly in the south in Costa Calma and Jandia/Morro Jable. For those staying in the north, we would highly recommend a visit to the south, as the beaches are some of the best in Europe. Do bear in mind that many of these beaches have no lifeguard and are popular with nudists.

Surfers congregate in the north around Corralejo and El Cotillo and at La Pared at the west of the the Jandia isthmus. Wind and kite surfers tend towards Sotavento, Costa Calma as well as in Corralejo.

Betancuria was the capital of Fuerteventura from 1404 to 1835 and is well worth a visit to see the church of Santa Maria and the abandoned 15th Century Franciscan Monastery. The access is via mountain roads from the North and South with stunning views, especially from Morro Velosa just off the FV-30 in Parque Rural de Betancuria.

For more information on Fuerteventura, visit Fuerteventura Guide