Monumento Natural de Ajuy in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

Along the west coast of Fuerteventura there are 120 million year old rocks that are older than the Canary Islands themselves.

This area of geological significance and incredible beauty is called Monumento Natural de Ajuy – but how can such a statement be claimed?

The oldest island in the archipelago, Fuerteventura was formed 70 million or so years ago and faults pushed the ancient limestone sediments above the water line.

To visit this treasure, head to the fishing hamlet of Ajuy, where you’ll find quaint seafood restaurants and a beach as black as night.

The cove is surrounded by cliffs that stand over 30 feet tall and are pounded by fierce surf daily.

The black lava sand is much better for sunbathing and admiring the scenery than it is for swimming, due to the strong current. In less than a mile hikers can enjoy the splendid trail from the beach that uncovers the treasures traversing the cliffside: marine fossils in the sediment, treacherous roaring waves, and a cave carved out of from sea.

The path is well maintained and easy to walk, but it can be slippery at times so wearing a good pair of shoes is recommended.

After walking the coast the trail splits, and heading down to your left there is a place to watch the captivating swell.

Limestone in this area is extremely pure, and thus very popular. In the 18^th century a quarry was built to ship the limestone cut from the cliffs and deliver it to the neighboring islands. You can see remnants of this industrial complex, shafts and fire stoves, along the trail.

At the trails end there are stairs that lead into the Cuevas de Ajuy, which was used as a storeroom for the lime.

The intricate and jagged rocks here are exquisite, it is easy to find yourself imagining which pieces could be eroded away in the next millennia.

It was certainly a rough day when I visited, the massive waves were spectacular to watch. As I began walking down the stairs to explore the cave, a near catastrophe struck.

Seemingly out of nowhere a shockingly massive and powerful wave poured in to the grotto filling it entirely!

Forcefully the water rose into the cavity half the way up the stairwell. I couldn’t believe my eyes, as there were no danger signs warning visitors of this possibility, and the area was completely dry beforehand.

My legs got soaked and I had to hold on to the banister so I wouldn’t be smashed against a wall or fall down the stairs. Thankfully, I wasn’t in the back of the cave where I could have been severely injured, or even pulled out to sea. And thankfully, the elderly man who was just down there exploring the area, who barely made it up the stairs was on his way back, survived never knowing what could have occurred if he had been down there a few minutes later. I am unsure if this was a rogue wave, or a common occurrence, but with no signage please heed this warning and use caution on a rough day.

I visited early in the morning to avoid crowds, tours were starting to gather at the entrance as I was back…though I couldn’t help but fantasize about visiting at dusk – this would be a flawless place to watch the sunset sink under the western horizon.