Fuerteventura 5: Desert Sunrise, Around El Cotillo

Sunrises proved to be not that spectacular at all. There were mists in the air making the sun very weak until it rose high above the horizon. Of course, we didn't know that until we tried our luck in the Corralejo desert. :)





The road leading from Corralejo to the south along the eastern coast looks something like this. Great surface but high shoulders, which make it impossible to stop anywhere but at designated parking spots.

In the afternoon we explored the area around El Cottilo, which we had seen a glimpse of the day before. Our first stop was Majanicho, a hamlet of maybe a dozen houses.

The area in the northern part of Fuerteventura is arid (no surprise there) and a few volcanic hills can be seen in the distance.

The only green thing we saw was this cactus ...

... with pretty long thorns.

At the northwestern tip of the island near El Cotillo there is a red and white lighthouse called Faro del Tostón. The bay next to it offers a number of small coves with calm waters, perfect for swimming.

There is also a museum, but it was closed when we were there.

El Cotillo is marked by impressive cliffs and sand beaches that extend toward the horizon.

As almost any place we visited it was deserted. Well, almost deserted. I think I saw a few people strolling along the shore. :)

Cliffs in the distance.

Another great day was over and we sped back to Corralejo to catch dinner. We got there at the last minute! :)

To be continued ...

Fuerteventura 2: The Hotel, Salt Pans, Yellow Beach

Our home for the whole week was Las Marismas Apartment Hotel in Corralejo, in the north of the island. It was very pleasant and quiet, I especially liked the fact that the whole building complex was low-built, the apartment was spacious, the food was abundant and tasty, but we made a mistake when booking the package by taking both breakfast and dinner. The latter meant we had to be back at the hotel at 8 p.m. at the latest to catch dinner, which was at the exact same time as sunset, and if we were on the other side of the island, enjoying the best light of the day, it was next to impossible to get back in time. Needless to say, we skipped dinner a couple of times. Forget the stomach, photos come first! :))








The following day we rented a car. Fuerteventura is small, only about 1600 square kilometers, but you don't want to deal with public transport when taking photos is your main objective. Buses don't tend to go to idyllic locations at sunset, much less wait for you to finish the photo session. ;)

It was late, almost noon, when we left Corralejo. We headed south and after an hour we stopped at salt pans with a museum called Las Salinas del Carmen. The light was harsh, but the salt evaporation ponds were interesting anyway.



There was also a whale skeleton on display. It doesn't look big in this photo ...

... but believe me, it was HUGE!

We explored the coastal area to the south a bit but were soon stopped by this sign.

Close to Corralejo, there is a Parque Natural de Corralejo, consisting of the desert and sandy beaches. The sand was yellow, the sea was deep green and turquoise, and thanks to the constant wind it wasn't too hot to walk around.




To be continued ...