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Fuerteventura

The oldest and windiest of the Canaries, sitting about 100 kilometres off the African coast.

Canary IslandsCapital: Puerto del Rosario

AdventureBudget FriendlyOff The Beaten PathFamily Friendly

Fuerteventura came out of the sea roughly twenty million years ago, which makes it the oldest island in the archipelago and, by now, the flattest — the volcanoes have eroded into low brown ridges, and there is very little to slow the wind crossing them. Sotavento, on the Jandía peninsula in the south, has hosted a windsurfing world cup since 1986 for exactly that reason.

It is also the closest Canary to Africa, about 100 kilometres, and looks it: dry, treeless and grazed by goats, whose milk goes into the majorero cheese that carries its own protected designation. The trade-off is sand. The island has more beach than any of its neighbours, including the shifting dunes of Corralejo in the north.

Quick facts

Currency

EUR

Euro

Language

Spanish

+ English

Power

—

Driving

Right

US-style

Airport

FUE

Fuerteventura

Emergency

—

Police · Fire

When to go

Monthly breakdown

Storm risk: None

Jan

Best

Feb

Best

Mar

Best

Apr

Best

May

Best

Jun

Best

Jul

Best

Aug

Best

Sep

Best

Oct

Best

Nov

Best

Dec

Best

Best monthsRainy season

Major events

Feb

Carnaval de Puerto del Rosario

The island's largest carnival, with a Drag Queen gala and a parade through the capital, followed by a sardine burial on the beach.

Carnival

Jul

Fuerteventura World Cup

A windsurfing and kiteboarding World Cup event held on Playa de Sotavento since 1986, timed for the strongest trade winds of the year.

Sporting

Sep

Fiesta de la Virgen de la Pena

The island's patron saint pilgrimage to Vega de Rio Palmas, with walkers arriving overnight through the ravine.

Religious

Hidden gems

Beach

Cofete

A 12-kilometre beach on the Jandia peninsula behind a mountain ridge, reached by an unsealed track; no facilities and a dangerous shore break.

Nature

Ajuy caves

Sea caves cut into the oldest exposed rock in the Canaries, seabed material lifted above the surface before the islands existed.

Village

Betancuria

The islands capital until 1834, sited inland in a valley because the coast was too exposed to Barbary raids.

Local food

Queso majorero

dietary_tags.vegetarian

Goat cheese with its own PDO, rubbed with gofio, paprika or oil; the island goat breed shares the name.

Carne de cabra

Goat stewed slowly with wine, garlic and bay until it falls apart, served with papas.

Pescado a la espalda

Whole fish split flat down the back and grilled skin-down so it cooks in its own juice.

Safety tips

Water-Safety

The island is one of the windiest in the Canaries, which is why it draws kite surfers, and the same wind builds rips on beaches that look flat. Cofete in particular has no lifeguard at all.

Health

The constant breeze hides how strong the sun is and people burn without feeling hot. Reapply on the beach far more often than you would elsewhere.

Transport

Reaching Cofete means a long unpaved mountain track that most rental agreements explicitly exclude. Damage there is not covered, and recovery is expensive.