The 10 most beautiful sights on Fuerteventura / Travel Guide
Here is a list of the top attractions on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura that you should not miss on your next vacation.
Fuerteventura is one of the Canary Islands and is the second largest island in the archipelago after Tenerife. Like the other Canary Islands, Fuerteventura is of volcanic origin and trips inland are rewarded with starkly contrasting, rugged natural beauty. Here you will find the most beautiful sights of the island.
1. Jandía Peninsula and Punta Jandía Lighthouse (Punta Jandía y Faro de Punta Jandía)
In the southwest, the island narrows to a narrow isthmus and then widens to form the Jandía peninsula, whose west coast has some of the most beautiful beaches in Fuerteventura. The majority of the peninsula is also designated as a nature park, the defining topographical feature of which is the Pico de Jandía (see below) – at 807 meters the highest point in Fuerteventura. At its westernmost end, the peninsula ends at Punta de Jandía, a cape on which a lighthouse built in 1864 stands. From there you not only have a fabulous view, but you can also enjoy absolutely melancholic sunsets.
2. Pico de Jandía (also: Pico de la Zarza)
In the middle of the Jandía Nature Park, the 807 meter high Pico de Jandía is enthroned as the highest point in Fuerteventura. The alternative name of the mountain is also Pico de la Zarza. You can climb it for a fantastic panoramic view over the seaside resorts of the peninsula and – on a clear day – all of Fuerteventura, whereby the path leads through the ruggedly beautiful nature of the surrounding area, which is characterized by bizarre rock formations, cooled lava flows, sand fields and countless dunes Shades of color and sparse vegetation of cacti and agaves.
3. Villa Winter (Casa Winter)
In a secluded part of the Jandía Peninsula, on a hilltop near the village of Cofete, lies the mysterious Villa Winter. The German engineer Gustav Winter had it built in 1937 and there are a number of conspiracy theories surrounding the role of the building in World War II. These range from submarine spare parts storage to housing high-ranking military personnel. While many of these theories have neither been officially confirmed nor disproved, the villa’s remote location does the rest to fuel such conspiracy theories again and again.
4. House of the Superiors (Casa de los Coroneles)
In 1708, a group of Spanish military colonels, the so-called Coroneles, took control of Fuerteventura and established a quasi-military rule. This was done under the pretext that this was the only way to protect the island from the pirate raids that regularly plagued it. The Coroneles chose the small town of La Oliva on the north coast as their “capital”. There they built the Casa de los Coroneles as a government building. The two-storey, rectangular building with its large forecourt was intended to exude political authority. At the two corners of the front facade crenellated towers tower over the roof. However, they were not used for defensive purposes, but only to further emphasize the authority of the building. Today an art gallery is housed in the House of the Colonels.
5. Punta La Entallada Lighthouse (Faro de Punta La Entallada)
On the east coast of Fuerteventura, near the village of Las Playitas, you will find what is perhaps the most beautiful lighthouse on the whole island. Built in 1955 by the architect Carlos Alcon, it exudes Moorish style influences. The lighthouse and its outbuildings are built of volcanic rock in different shades of colour, which together with the bright white mortar joints create an interesting pattern. The lighthouse sits on a 196 meter cliff above the sea and offers excellent views.
6. Los Lobos Natural Park (Parque Natural de la Isla Lobos)
Only a few kilometers north of Fuerteventura is the small island of Los Lobos in the crystal clear sea. It is almost uninhabited and designated as a nature park in its entirety and is home to a wealth of flora and fauna, including a number of bird species, some of which have become rare. Hiking trails criss-cross the island and explore small volcanic cones (so-called “hornitos”), salt marshes and the 19th-century Martiño lighthouse.
7. Corralejo Natural Park (Parque Natural de Corralejo)
This nature park with its numerous bathing bays, a collection of impressive red sand dunes and steep cliffs from which you can watch magical sunrises is located on the east coast. However, one should not expect complete seclusion here, because the park has numerous hotels and other tourist facilities. However, if you don’t necessarily want to be a hermit, you’re in good hands here. You can also hire horses or, more stylishly, camels for rides across the dunes.
8. ACUA Water Park (Parque de ACUA)
This extensive, privately run leisure and cultural park is also located in the Corralejo Natural Park. Although its “cultural attractions” were of course built purely for tourism, ACUA is still recommended for a fun-filled day out with the whole family. As the name suggests, many of the attractions revolve around having fun with and in the water. There are water slides of different sizes and shapes, a water slide, a “wild water run” and much more. The park is also ideal for children.
9. Montaña de Tindaya (also: Montaña Sagrada)
Despite its modest height of only 401 meters, the Montaña de Tindaya in the interior of Fuerteventura is still a picture book (now extinct) volcano; namely in the classic cone shape. It was considered sacred by the natives of the Canary Islands, the Guanches, which is why it is still alternatively known as “Montaña Sagrada” (Holy Mountain). Nearby you can admire prehistoric rock drawings of the natives on rock faces.
10. Calderon Hondo
At the northern end of the island, near the village of Lajares, rises another volcano, the 278 meter high Calderón Hondo. It is not usually recognizable as such by laypeople at first glance, because from a distance it looks more like two separate ridges. This is due to the fact that the former cone collapsed. The volcanic crater, located where there appears to be a ‘valley’ between the two ‘ridges’, is at least 66 meters deep. A paved hiking trail leads up to the rim of the crater, where you can take a look into the chasm with its yellowish sulfur deposits from a viewing platform.
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