Fuerteventura 10: Arid landscapes, Playa de Sotavento

The area around the road leading south to La Pared on the west coast is very desolate and arid. The colors of the rolling hills are amazing.






Later in the afternoon we returned to one of the beaches of Sotavento in the southeast. The tide was changing the beach fast, creating tidepools and curves in the sand.









When we drove back home, we were rewarded with another display of drama in the sky. Ominous clouds mixed with the sweet light of the late-afternoon sun provided true eye candy.



More photos here. To be continued ...

Fuerteventura 8: Desert, Backroads, Los Molinos

On Day 6, we drove around the northern and central parts of the island. In the warm afternoon light, after a short hike in the desert, we explored the backroads through some relatively desolate valleys and ended up on the coast again, at Los Molinos.
















More photos here.

To be continued ...

Fuerteventura 7: Desolate South, Playa de Cofete

The southernmost tip of Fuerteventura is wonderfully scenic - if you like rock and sand. :) The place is deserted for the most part south of Morro Jable with only a handful of houses here and there. The drive on a dirt road across the south peninsula was, well, dusty, but also unimaginably exhilarating. The stark landscape combined with strong winds that literally sweep you off your feet the second you get out of the car makes for an unforgettable experience.

On the 16 kilometers of dirt road to the south:

The tip of the island with a lighthouse and the village of Puerto de la Cruz in the middle.

Puerto de la Cruz with a huge wind turbine.

We drove to another lighthouse in the vicinity which offers great views of the west coast and the infamous Playa de Cofete.

The west coast is one of the most desolate places on the island.

You want a closer look? ;) This is Cofete, which we later visited by crossing a mountain pass. There is no road along the coast as the terrain is too rugged.

We backtracked a bit and made a left turn to a mountain pass from which the road descends to Cofete. This is the first lookout point with the view of the whole stretch of the beach. Have I told you yet that I almost got blown away by the wind? ;)

I was mesmerized by the panorama.

The winding road going down to Cofete.

The village of Cofete.

Villa Winter on the slopes of the mountain ridge.

The beach was windy and almost abandoned, there were only a few people sunbathing and braving the waves.


I don't know exactly what she was trying to do, but I think her boyfriend was struggling with the waves, camera in hand. :)

It was peaceful, only the wind was howling and the seagulls were screeching.

To be continued ...

Fuerteventura 6: Morro Jable, Playa de Sotavento

Day 5 was a long but wonderful day. We started without breakfast (!) around 7 a.m. as there was a long drive ahead of us to the other side of the island, its southernmost tip. We breezed past Puerto del Rosario, across the inland and reached the sea again around Tarajalejo. From there the relatively empty road took us past Costa Calma towards the biggest resort town in the south, Morro Jable, where we stopped and stretched our legs. The place has a wide avenue with palm trees lined with numerous hotels on one side and the beach on the other.


There is a wide belt of salt marshes between the town and the beach with a wooden walkway leading across it and to a white lighthouse.

The lighthouse with the hotels of Morro Jable in the background.

From the lighthouse there is another walkway across the sand. Poor tourists can't walk on sand, it gets into their fancy shoes, so let's help them with this path! :p The walkway, btw, wobbles really badly and it's very easy to lose balance.

Soon we were bored with the urban beach, so we headed back north along the shore to find a perfect sandy beach with turquoise water. The landscape on the way was out of this world.



And there it was, a couple of kilometers off the main road, our perfect beach.

The whole stretch of the shore, known as Playa de Sotavento, is a popular windsurfing spot.

There is a dune on the beach with nice views of the area.


There were a few people on the beach but as it is so long it appears almost deserted.

The residues of some black stuff leaves interesting patterns in the sand.

The tidal action is also very intriguing. When the tide comes in, it floods vast areas of the sandy beach, creating different tidepools each time.

Just sitting on the beach, watching windsurfers glide past can occupy you for hours.

To be continued ...