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Cofete beach and the Jandía mountains seen from the track over the pass
Volcanic ground on Lobos with the Caldera cone and the sea, Fuerteventura behind
The turquoise Sotavento lagoon behind its long sandbar, seen from the air
Bare dunes of the Corralejo natural park with a volcanic cone on the horizon

Things to do in Fuerteventura: 14 experiences

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Photo: JensKunstfreund, CC BY-SA 4.0

Corralejo

Get your Lobos Island permit, then take the boat from Corralejo

Check dates and prices

Photo: Tamara Kulikova, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sotavento (Costa Calma)

Learn to kitesurf or windsurf in the Sotavento lagoon

Check dates and prices

Photo: dirkvorderstrasse, CC BY 2.0

Corralejo

Walk the Corralejo dunes down to the Grandes Playas

Photo: Benjamín Núñez González, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fuerteventura is the second-largest of the Canary Islands and the flattest: a dry, wind-shaped island of long beaches, volcanic cones and bare brown hills, declared a Biosphere Reserve in its entirety in 2009. Most visitors come for the sea, and the island rewards a little planning: Lobos needs a permit, most whale and dolphin boats leave from the far south, and the wind decides where you kite or surf.

The north, around Corralejo, packs the most into a short distance: the dunes, the boats to Lobos, the surf and kite schools, the lagoons of El Cotillo and the volcanoes around Lajares. The south, from Costa Calma to Morro Jable, is about the long beaches of Sotavento, the dolphin boats and the track over the mountains to Cofete. In between, the interior keeps the old capital, Betancuria, the cheese of Antigua and the darkest skies.

14 things to do in Fuerteventura

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The harbour breakwater at Morro Jable below the Jandía mountains, seen from the water

Go dolphin and whale watching from Morro Jable or Corralejo

Morro Jable

About 2 hoursBook ahead

Waters protected for the bottlenose dolphin, where striped and Risso's dolphins are regular too and whales are a bonus.

Check dates and pricesTwo-hour Morro Jable boat for dolphins, snorkel stop
Volcanic ground on Lobos with the Caldera cone and the sea, Fuerteventura behind

Get your Lobos Island permit, then take the boat from Corralejo

Corralejo

Half a day (one 4-hour shift)Timed entry

An islet of under 5 km² facing Corralejo, with a lighthouse trail, natural pools and room for 200 visitors a shift.

Check dates and pricesCorralejo to Lobos and back by boat
Bare dunes of the Corralejo natural park with a volcanic cone on the horizon

Walk the Corralejo dunes down to the Grandes Playas

Corralejo

Half a dayFree

The largest dune field in the Canary Islands, white sand running down to about nine kilometres of beaches.

The turquoise Sotavento lagoon behind its long sandbar, seen from the air

Learn to kitesurf or windsurf in the Sotavento lagoon

Sotavento (Costa Calma)

Book ahead

A sandbar holds a lagoon about three kilometres long of flat, shallow water to learn in, with steady trade winds in spring and summer.

Check dates and pricesBeginner windsurf taster in Costa Calma bay
Atlantic swell breaking over the reef at Playa del Castillo, El Cotillo

Take a surf lesson on the north shore

Corralejo

Half a day (about 4 hours with transport)Book ahead

The north shore is where the island's surf culture lives, with schools that pick the beach each day by the sea.

Check dates and pricesSurf class from Corralejo, van to the day's beach
The long, empty sand of Cofete beach with the Atlantic surf and El Islote in the distance

Cross the Jandía mountains to Cofete beach

Cofete (Jandía)

Most of a dayGo alone or with a tour

12 kilometres of empty sand on the wild, windward side of Jandía, with no paved road to reach it.

Check dates and pricesCofete and lighthouse jeep safari from the south
The church of Santa María in Betancuria with the village and bare hills behind

Spend a morning in Betancuria, the island's first capital

Betancuria

2 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

The islands' first capital, founded in 1404 in a mountain valley out of reach of the pirates who raided the coast.

Tours in Fuerteventura
Sea caves in the cliffs of Caleta Negra at Ajuy, on the west coast

Walk to the Ajuy caves on the west coast

Ajuy

1 to 2 hoursFree

Caves cut into the oldest rocks in the Canary Islands, ocean-floor sediments far older than the island itself.

The deep crater of Calderón Hondo, with lava fields, volcanic cones and the sea beyond

Hike up to the rim of Calderón Hondo from Lajares

Lajares

About 1.5 hoursFree

Climb to the rim of one of Fuerteventura's best-preserved craters and look straight down into it, with Lanzarote beyond.

White sand and reef-sheltered lagoons at Playa Los Lagos, north of El Cotillo

Swim in the El Cotillo lagoons and stay for sunset

El Cotillo

Half a dayFree

Just north of a fishing village, a reef holds back the Atlantic and leaves calm, turquoise coves to swim in.

A wedge of Majorero goat cheese with its orange rind

Taste Majorero cheese at its museum in Antigua

Antigua

1 to 2 hoursNo booking needed

Spain's first goat's cheese with a protected designation of origin, made from the milk of the island's Majorera goats.

Tours in Fuerteventura
Bare hills of Pájara seen from the car park of the Sicasumbre astronomical viewpoint

Watch the night sky from the Sicasumbre viewpoint

Sicasumbre (Pájara)

2 to 3 hours after darkBook ahead

The whole island is a Starlight Reserve, and away from the resorts the sky gets properly dark.

Tours in Fuerteventura
Fish swimming in the clear water of the harbour at Caleta de Fuste

Dive or snorkel off Caleta de Fuste and Corralejo

Caleta de Fuste

Half a dayBook ahead

The tourism board's dive sites sort themselves by level, from a sheltered shore dive to volcanic "mushrooms" on the sand.

Check dates and pricesFirst try dive with an instructor at Caleta de Fuste
Tindaya mountain rising alone from the plain, seen from Montaña de la Muda

See Tindaya, the sacred mountain, then the old houses of La Oliva

Tindaya (La Oliva)

2 hoursFree

A lone mountain the island's Indigenous people held sacred, with hundreds of footprint-shaped engravings carved near its summit.

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Fuerteventura airport (FUE) is 5 km from Puerto del Rosario, the capital, with flights from most of the European Union and the United Kingdom. The island also has three ports: Corralejo faces Lanzarote, Morro Jable has boats to Gran Canaria in about two hours, and Puerto del Rosario takes ferries and cruise ships. Island hopping is covered on the Canary Islands page.

  • Getting around

    A hire car is the practical choice if you want Betancuria, Ajuy, Calderón Hondo or Cofete on your own schedule. The guagua (bus) network, run by Tiadhe for the Cabildo, has 18 lines; the ones visitors use most are 01 and 10 (Puerto del Rosario to Morro Jable), 03 (to Caleta de Fuste), 06 (Puerto del Rosario to Corralejo), 08 (Corralejo to El Cotillo) and 111 (Morro Jable to Cofete). Many tours and surf schools collect you from your hotel.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, a week is the right length: three or four days in the north for Lobos, the dunes, El Cotillo and a surf or kite lesson, two or three in the south for Sotavento, a dolphin trip and Cofete, and one day across the interior for Betancuria, Ajuy and the cheese museum in Antigua. With four days, pick one end of the island and do one day trip to the other.

  • When to go

    Any month works: the climate is mild all year and it hardly rains. The sports set the calendar. The trade winds blow mainly from the north and are strongest in spring and summer, the kite and windsurf season, while October to April brings the bigger surf. Winter days are shorter, with sunset around 18:30 against 20:30 in summer, and nights can be cool, so pack a warm layer.

  • Where to base yourself

    Corralejo, in the north, is the most convenient base: the Lobos boats, the dunes, many of the surf and kite schools and plenty of restaurants. El Cotillo and Lajares are quieter surf villages nearby. In the south, Costa Calma sits next to Sotavento and Morro Jable has the dolphin boats and the bus to Cofete. Caleta de Fuste, 7 km from the airport, has a sheltered beach and suits families and divers.

Questions travellers ask

Do I need a car in Fuerteventura?

Not for a beach week in Corralejo, Caleta de Fuste or Morro Jable: the guaguas link the main resorts, and many tours and schools collect you. To see Betancuria, Ajuy, Calderón Hondo or Cofete on your own schedule, a car makes it far easier, and Cofete has only two buses a day.

Do I need a permit to visit Lobos Island?

Yes. Every visitor needs a free authorisation from the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, requested on LobosPass (lobospass.com) for a morning (10:00 to 14:00) or afternoon (14:00 to 18:00) shift, each capped at 200 people. The boat ticket from Corralejo is separate, so get the permit first and then book a crossing that fits your shift.

Is Fuerteventura worth it in winter?

Yes, for mild weather and waves: the climate stays mild all year, and October to April is the season for bigger surf. The wind for kitesurfing and windsurfing is steadier in spring and summer. Days are shorter, with sunset around 18:30.

Is it better to stay in the north or the south of Fuerteventura?

The north (Corralejo, El Cotillo) suits an active trip: Lobos, the dunes, surf schools and volcano walks are all close. The south (Costa Calma, Morro Jable) has the longest beaches, the Sotavento lagoon and most of the dolphin boats. For a week, split your stay between the two.

Can you swim at Cofete beach?

It is not a swimming beach. It faces the open Atlantic, and the island's tourism board describes its bathing conditions as unsuitable because of the wind and surf. Walk it, then swim on the calmer leeward side at Morro Jable or in the Sotavento lagoon.

How many days do you need in Fuerteventura?

A week covers the north, the south and the interior without rushing. With four or five days, base yourself in one end of the island and make one long day trip to the other.

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