The oldest of the Canary Islands, Fuerteventura is a beloved vacation destination with over 93 miles of golden beaches. Likely named for its strong winds, the island therefore is a favorite for windsurfers. It’s volcanic history has created a myriad of hiking trails and is considered a UNESCO biosphere reserve. It is the least populated of the Canaries, yet it is the second largest in the archipelago – four times longer than it is wide. Don’t forget to eat goat cheese while visiting, majorero is an award winning variation with a protected designation of origin.
+Favorite Beach: Vast dunes and turquoise waters of Parque Natural Corralejo
+Take a vacation from your vacation and day trip to Isla de Lobos just off shore
+Hop on the iconic La Ruta de los Molinos, The Route of the Mills
+Where to Eat: Tapas at El bar de Marko
+Admire the views at Astronomical Viewpoint Sicasumbre
Discover a Region: Jandia
+See the lighthouse, sculptures, salt marsh, and sand of Playa del Matorral
+Take the hair raising drive on the mountainous dirt road to Cofete Beach
+Hike to the tallest point in the island at2,648′ feet – Pico de la Zarza
Take a Hike:
+Calderón Hondo is colorful treasure in the north of the island
+Monumento Natural de Ajuy showcases rough waters that surround the Canaries
+Camino Natural de Fuerteventura leads to an oasis in the desert
Closest Islands: Lanzarote & Gran Canaria
Not only a place of incredible beauty, but the mirador is also a strategic viewpoint utilized since the 16th century. First by Spanish settlers to look out for pirates, then in 1898 a fortress and gun battery were installed during the Spanish-American war. The guns have were dismantled after WWII and subsequently moved to Castillo de San Jose in Arrecife used as decorations. There are two ways to enjoy this vista:
+Enhance the view: Visit the artistic gem created by the islands beloved César Manrique, built in 1974. A café, gift shop, and overlook are expertly camouflaged from the outside to look like a cliff, built up from the old artillery battery using local stone. However, this is all a part of Manrique’s conception to blend nature and design, because inside is an architectural wonderland, organically curved walls, wide slanted windows, stunning sculptures, and the typical Lanzarote fashion of white-washed walls. Outside you can take a coffee or a fruit juice from the café and read up on the information panels or look through the telescopes. There is an entrance fee which is 4,75 euros per person.
At first glance you will see the Monument to Fertility, created by the world renowned and beloved local sculptor, César Manrique. This avant-garde piece was thought up by Manrique and executed by Jesus Soto in 1968, made to withstand the strong winds that blast the islands.
The Fecundity Monument is made up of old fishing boat water tanks and stands almost 50 feet high.
Farm equipment sits at the base of the sculpture providing more to the story.
You can climb within the monument to get a different and deeper perspective of this masterpiece.
Adjacent to the sculpture is the House Museum of the Peasant Farmer, a 300 year old farm house that was restored and enlarged by Manrique.
The artist has been involved with preserving Canarian architecture since the 60s, which traditionally includes whitewashed walls, green windows, chimney and window shutters.
Inside the museum there is a collection of tools used by the peasant farmers, and an opportunity to get hands on.
Visitors for a very affordable price can try out local traditions, such as creating their own ceramics or cooking traditional cuisine.
Further investigation will reveal a stunning spiral staircase leading deep within an old stone quarry and through a volcanic tunnel.
Underground is a jameo, a cave made by a bubble in the lava, where the Monumento Restaurant is located.
The menu offers local cuisine such as fresh fish, gofio – which is made from roasted maize flour, smoked goat’s cheese with cactus jam, and crisp sticks of smoked goat’s cheese with cactus jam.
Local wine is available for purchase, along with folk art, and traditional music.
Good to know:
A bit more upscale than many restaurants on 
There were two fresh fish dishes of the day, we tried both. The sea bass, known as lubina in Spain, is a gorgeous and delicate flaky white fish – clean, fresh, and beautiful.
Plenty of non-seafood options are available as well. For a special night out, you will find a wonderful meal here.
Located in the tourist town of Costa Teguise, the restaurant is hidden in plain sight. While you may not see it right away, as it is set behind the street in an alley, do seek it out. For your convenience, there is a huge and busy free parking lot a block away. Décor is casual, the ambiance is relaxed, service is attentive and friendly. Both indoor and outdoor seating are available. The dedication to local ingredients is brought to your attention in the menu item descriptions, without pretension. 
Though the restaurant is Cuban in name and decoration, it isn’t exactly so in its menu. There are big plates and small plates, we decided to order a few things to share in the style of tapas. Of course it is always in tradition to start with papas arrugadas in the archipelago, the wrinkly Canarian potatoes and mojo sauce.
Utterly tender and clean tasting, the potatoes were cooked perfectly – but what I learned with first bite is that the chef is a master of sauces. Next up Garlic prawns with chili of the country, bubbling furiously in its juices.
So much fresh garlic and a spattering of herbs coated the succulent shrimp, each bite enhanced with a cut of the chili. Next was the baked island smoked goat cheese in a clay casserole with fig marmalade, a combination of immaculate flavors.
The sweet and savory, creamy and fibrous, created an absolutely illustrious compilation. Last but not least, the grilled octopus. So many restaurants get this meat wrong, but this was prepared without fault, beautifully presented with a modern flair.
The tentacles were tender exuding a smoky grilled essence, paired impeccably with the thick sauces made of pepper and sweet potato. Not normally a fan of octopus, but if it all tasted this wonderful it would be a favorite of mine. After the meal was over, our waitress offered us a sweet liquor to cap a splendid meal.
Good to know:
Drive the bumpy dirt road and pay 3 euro to park, rent a bike and take that same track on two wheels, hop on a boat and cross the bay, or hike in along the lovely path.
To get to the first beach it is a hilly 1.2 miles out on a sandy track, but there are seven coves in total and with additional exploration comes added mileage – of course remember to leave energy for your return trip. Find free trailhead parking by Sandos Papagayo Beach Resort. The scenery in Los Ajaches Natural Park is stunning, rounded peaks and open ravines behind you, turquoise water and white sands below.
One of the best things about this beach is the fact that there is no development, set away from the resorts and traffic noise that plagues many of the other Canary beaches.
Another wonderful element is the lack of wind that batters many other beaches on the islands, due to the sheltered location between high cliffs. Playa de las Mujeres is the first and the longest of the coves you will reach, over 1300 feet long and plenty wide.
You can clearly see across the water to Fuerteventura, and if you lounge long enough you can watch the ferry make its way back and forth. This is a historical site of the island’s conquest, where Jean de Bethencourt set up camp in 1402. A castle and chapel were built, but the only evidence left of the city are the wells – the existence of drinking water made it possible for them to occupy the area. Heading up the next hill and down onto the sand again, the next cove is Playa de la Cera, where it is possible at low tide to walk on the sand to further coves.
The farther you go, the less clothing people tend to wear. There is a single restaurant down this way for refreshments, and a campsite for those looking to spend the night.
Good to know:
To join the crowds and hike Montaña Roja de Playa Blanca you will take a 1¾ miles roundtrip lollipop loop gaining approximately 500 feet of elevation on a fairly steep and sometimes slippery path of volcanic gravel.
Finding the trailhead isn’t difficult because you will always see people walking the route, but the GoogleMaps location isn’t right – so park on Calle España near the intersection of Calle Montaña Guardilama, or you can use the coordinates: 28.867409, -13.849717.
Even if you don’t have a car, it isn’t hard to walk from the beach if you are staying in the area. The first part of the trail is pure monotonous elevation gain, but it only lasts a half mile. Then you are at the top of the crater with sublime views out into Playa Blanca and all of Lanzarote on clear day.
Walking the circuit around the crater you can see out to the hills of nearby Papagayo Beach, another fantastic hike.
Further along the rim you can spot Faro de Pechiguera, the lighthouse in town which you can walk to from the promenade along the sea.
Beautiful views stretch out all the way to the cluster of craters which is Timanfaya National Park.
The summit of the volcano is marked by a triangulation station used for geodetic surveying.
It is possible to walk into the center of the crater, barren aside from a small patch of shrubs – do note that this is another steep and slippery path.
If you want to avoid crowds, visit early in the morning. This would also be a lovely spot to catch the sunset, as the hike down is so quick.
To summit the mountain there is a 2 mile long trail with a potential lollipop loop, gaining 1014 feet. Finding the trailhead was a bit of a task, as the GoogleMaps location was off – but you begin on LZ-35 1/2 a mile southwest from the roundabout junction with LZ-301, in the direction away from San Bartolome town. The coordinates are: 28.978159, -13.629403 – though you will find no signage at the ambiguous dirt parking lot at the sign of the road.
There are wooden pegs in the distance marking the trail, they lead past a farm which had many barking dogs (behind a fence) and goats.
Following the dirt trail is easy, initially it is wide and gradual leading up to a maintenance structure.
Deep cracks in the earth appear beside you blistering in this arid landscape.
Falcons and ravens laughed above head and a little snail stuck to a lava rock right underfoot.
Gaining elevation the white town sparkled below, and a chain of volcanoes lined up in the distance.
Soon we reached the crater, which wasn’t the most spectacular sight, littered with gravel and brush. The trail passes right through it and an old rock wall sits on its edge covered in lichen.
Other craters are revealed, their bases tattooed with a patchwork of farms. Craters on Lanzarote open up to the northeast on account of the strong blowing trade winds.
Almost to the summit a highly eroded network of wind caves are on one side of the now narrow trail, and a steep fall on the other side.
Truly stunning views wait as you climb higher and higher, made mosaic by the light and shadow of clouds.
The summit is topped with a power station, which does detract from the atmosphere – but you can’t deny this is a beautiful hike all around, with very limited company.
From here you can complete the lollipop route around the crater, or head down the way you came.
From the parking lot there is a lollipop loop 2.5 miles long around the base of the mountain, with an optional spur to the top standing 1525 feet tall.
Initially the volcano doesn’t look all that impressive, but when you walk counterclockwise a reddish hue is revealed from its high levels of iron oxide. 
A faint trail is visible running diagonally through the heart of the rusty face of the mountain. The path is not a easy one to take, comprised of crushed volcanic where it is difficult to keep your balance in tact. 
Going up is easier than going down, which is extremely slippery. Consider bringing a walking stick for better balance, and wear closed toe shoes (instead of hiking sandals like I did!) because the sharp lava rock will fill them. At the top of the volcano there is a whole new world to see, filled with color. 
The lava is covered in lichen, filling the area with new life – which will eventually erode the lava rock and turn it into fertile soil. 
The ring of the volcano remains intact, usually the flow of lava causes it to fall and create a horseshoe. 
It is truly a magical place filled with vibrant panoramas. You can walk the perimeter of the crater and find another trail leading down, close to the parking lot (equally as slippery) – or you can return down the same path you climbed up and finish the loop around the base. 
Don’t miss one of the most interesting features of this hike, the volcanic bomb. A great geological find, which occurs when fragments cool into solid forms in the air before they reach the ground – but this one is massive, perhaps the biggest in the world 13×16 feet. 
There are 15 informational plaques around the base, so it is very easy to learn about the volcano, geology, and surrounding environment.
The volcanic activity would last for six years and result in an otherworldly landscape, a lava desert devoid of trees and with limited in vegetation.
Many tourists flock to Timanfaya National Park, which is a paid attraction where you cannot step out of your tour bus – even to take pictures. Little do they know that Los Volcanes Natural Park with its similar scenery is right next door, much less restrictive, and free.
That’s where you’ll find the trailhead to the Raven Mountain, located on LZ-56 easily found with its GoogleMaps entry.
The trail is 1.8 miles long, relatively flat, and extremely well marked along a sandy track. It creates a lollipop loop around the circumference of the volcano.
The side of the crater is so perfectly smooth in spots, transitioning into a gravel junkyard in others.
Once you were able to climb to the summit which stands at 1227 feet, but these days the environment is protected for future generations.
You can however enter the awe-inspiring inside the volcanic cone, which is a surprisingly different from the outside. Descending within, the whole world changes into a lunar like landscape with contrasting colors.
Pro Tip: If you are running short on time or energy, the entrance to the inside of the crater is quickly obtained by turning right at the fork.