Email     Print     Bookmark & Share
 

Fuerteventura Travel Guide

Print our full travel guide to Spain
Spain travel Forum

Fuerteventura
Sotavento Beach, Fuerteventura © Spanish Tourist Office
Only 60 miles (100km) separates the island of Fuerteventura, second largest in the Canary archipelago, from the continent of Africa, and this sunny island shares the same latitude (and therefore weather conditions) with the renowned holiday destinations of Florida and Mexico. Unlike those bustling resort-ridden vacation stations, though, Fuerteventura is relatively undiscovered, its more than 150 idyllic sandy beaches only sparsely populated and many seldom visited at all.

The island has an arid volcanic landscape, and apart from the beaches, not much to recommend it in the way of tourist amenities or attractions. This has kept the mega resorts and mass summer package holiday trade at bay, but it does have a fair share of day-trippers from the resorts of Lanzarote and Gran Canaria who come seeking a respite from the crowds. The island's two main resort towns are Corralejo and Caleta del Fuste. Fuerteventura is easily accessible from the other islands in the archipelago by ferry or air. The airport is situated close to the island's capital of Puerto del Rosario.



Resorts

See our separate guides to the following Fuerteventura holiday resorts: Caleta de Fuste and Corralejo


Attractions

Baku Water Park © monstermunch99

Baku Water Park

A perfect day out for the whole family, Baku contains a water park with gentle slides and shallow pools for young children, an animal experience to get the pulse racing, and Parque Europa which opens in the evening offering a range of shows...  see full details



Beach on Fuerteventura © Yoshi

Beaches on Fuerteventura

One does not need to go far on Fuerteventura to find a perfect beach, even if you are intent on seeking out solitude away from other holidaymakers. The best can be found around Jandia, on the southern tip of the island. Juan Gomez...  see full details



Betancuria © Bilal11

Betancuria

The original capital of the island Betancuria was founded in 1405 by Norman conqueror, Jean de Bethencourt, but suffered repeated raids by pirates who eventually totally sacked the city and caused its citizens to move elsewhere. Today it has a small population of a...  see full details



Parrot doing puzzles © Mphung

La Lajita Zoo

The little fishing village on the east coast of Fuerteventura has been put on the tourist map because it offers one of the island’s main attractions, the ‘Oasis de Los Camellos’ zoo. The zoo is home to a small selection of animals, but the...  see full details



La Oliva windmill © Edub

La Oliva

The village of La Oliva was formerly the home of the military governors of the island between the 17th and mid-19th centuries. The Governor’s townhouse has been restored and is open to the public. Also in the centre of the village is the...  see full details



Cactus Flower © Fir0002

Oasis de Los Camellos

This animal park in the small village of La Lajita has one of the most important botanical gardens in Europe with over 2,300 varieties of cactus. The local fauna is well represented too, with four demonstrations per day - parrots, snakes, sea lions...  see full details



Puerto del Rosario © Gerd Fahrenhorst

Puerto del Rosario

The main town of Fuerteventura, Puerto del Rosario on the western side of the island was once called Puerto de Cabras (goat harbour), and even today it is said that goats outnumber people in this whitewashed town. Only recently capitalising on the tourist trade,...  see full details



Quad biking in Fuerteventura

Quad Adventures

Explore the north of the islands on a guided quad bike tour along contoured dirt tracks. This attraction will appeal to older kids although the younger one scan ride tandem with an adult. Safety is high on the agenda so proper equipment and...  see full details


Spain travel Forum



Compare the prices of flights to Fuerteventura. Search a huge range of deals online to find the best price.
Explore Spain on foot or by bike with a small intimate group of like-minded adventure seekers.
Intrepid Travel, one of the world's leading suppliers of small group adventures focused on getting off the beaten track, interacting with the locals and having real life experiences throughout Spain.