In the northeast of Fuerteventura there is a dazzling desert hiking trail to a huge cauldron, Calderón Hondo and its lesser traversed conjoined twin Montaña Colorada.
The two can be tackled in an exciting 3½ mile loop gaining 912’ feet in total, or for an easier day you can simply hike to Calderón Hondo and back where the trail is always well maintained.
To find the trailhead for this hike you can enter the GoogleMaps entry location is named: Start of hiking lajares on Calle la Cancela, 38, 35650 La Oliva, Las Palmas, Spain or use the GPS coordinates: 28.688982, -13.931652.
Heading into the desert, it won’t be long until you reach a fork in the path, head right.
It will lead you past the base of Montaña Colorada, the Red Mountain (not to be confused with another Montaña Colorada on neighboring island Lanzarote).
It’s deep and beautiful color is due to red Lapilli, a volcanic gravel popular on the Canary Islands because it holds humidity. Thankfully, this mountain is only covered with it for a few inches as you can see in its deep pockmarks – and the rest is the less attractive black, thus it was saved from destruction. There some wildlife activity around a stonewall, so many Barbary squirrels emerged from the cracks and came running up to us.
Use caution as they are extremely brazen because they get fed, though this is a terrible shame for the environment because they are an invasive pest from Morocco.
It is hard to use self control and refrain from feeding them because they are just so cute, but please do not add to this problem. Continuing along a second mountain comes in to view, Calderón Hondo is connected via a steep saddle.
Keeping along, follow the path until you reach the point on the left where the old stone Camino Real zigzags up to the summit to reach the mirador.
It is hard to choose what is more exquisite, the views out into northern Fuerteventura, or the 229’ foot deep perfectly round crater.
In the distance you will witness the craters created by the relatively recent Malpais de Bayuyo, emerging around the same time the island of Lobos surfaced.
From dark lava rock to a dusty barren landscape, the views are endlessly intriguing.
With caution, it is possible to walk around the jagged circumference of the crater.
Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife which enjoys the cool air which the elevation provides.
Craters in the Canaries open to the northeast due to the trade winds.
Initially, you will be on a narrow ledge of rough lava rock – but a trail soon flattens out.
The vistas are continuously breathtaking, each step leads to a unique panorama.
At last – a perfect vantage point to take in the colorfully splattered caldera.
Some people choose to only hike half way around the crater and take the saddle over to Montaña Colorada – but I prefer to circumnavigate because there is just so much to see!
After heading back down the stone stairs, make the detour to visit the Old Shepard’s Hut. 
Goats are a mainstay on the Canaries for the meat and cheese, they are seen on almost every road and hiking trail, there were plenty up on the rim of the crater.
This herders hut is one of the only places you can find some shade in the area!
The Camino Real leads out to Corralejo, but that is a hike for another day.
Returning back to Calderón Hondo, take the dirt path that begins to wind around the opposite side of the mountain to complete the loop – or this is the point where you can head back the way you came for an easier hike.
Continuing on it is more narrow and less maintained, but there are more beautiful sights and ruins to discover.
From this distance an old stone structure with an agave plant in it looked like a shipwreck.
As the views of Calderón Hondo begin to fade, Montaña Colorada comes in to sight.
Here you can head up the slippery gravel trail to summit this mountain (or you could just continue around its base to complete the loop in another manner).
The coloring of the mountain is as promised in its name, a vibrant red hues shined bright on a blue sky day.
Views from up here were equally as captivating as from its slightly higher twin, and there was no one on this summit to share them with which made it all the more splendid.
No genuine route is defined, but it is easy enough to follow the herd path down the slope ahead of you.
This portion of the hike is extremely slippery, only recommended for those who are confident in their abilities. The trail reconnects with the original one taken at the beginning of the hike, completing a fantastic loop!