Fuerteventura was a wonderful surprise of incredible backdrops, vibrant colours and rich textures of nature. It’s a crazy mix of landscapes that were very reminiscent in places of Morocco, Mexico and the wild wild West!!
Hard to explain but we were astounded daily by its beauty, the vastness of untouched land and the jaw dropping coastline both in the north and south – who knew there was so much beauty to see here?!
The north and south of the island are really different … the south is very sparsely built upon which leaves miles of wild dramatic scenes along with amazing, empty and vast beaches that look like CGI movie sets – really breath taking stuff!
Have to say that the long drives to get to specific beaches in the south aren’t that varied or interesting once you’ve taken in the never ending barren views … but always worth it in the end when you turn a corner and get a jaw dropping view of the most picture perfect beach with rolling turquoise waves! COFETE BEACH being the one that really stopped us in our tracks!
On the nature front a trip to the OASIS PARK was one of wonder in the Botanical Garden section where you can walk amongst giant cacti which were so beautifully landscaped.
For us the cacti was the draw to visit … the rest of the park has many a wild animal enclosure in it which did seem well designed but we’re not big fans of zoos and the like!
Heading north there is a definite change of pace and it is very obviously the touristy end of the island! But apart from the main town of CORRALEJO the surrounding areas and small villages again seemed untouched and authentic.
Corralejo is a hub of hotels, apartments, eateries and high street shopping which was buzzing day and night with pubs, bars and tapas leading down to the smaller beach areas and the harbour.
Although we were based there we did have a car and didn’t hang around much as had the pretty LA OLIVIA village to see and BERTANURA a picturesque hamlet to visit.
Also in the north are the dreamy miles of huge sand dunes that come right up to the beaches on that costal stretch which is a beautiful area to explore and get lost in!
COTILLO, a traditional fishing village, is also worth a look as the views and landscape change again into black rock cliffs and breezy beaches with popular rolling, surfer waves. Here you will find a good handful of excellent fish restaurants that all have great views to take in over lunch or dinner!
So summing up … the south is very quiet with no real hub or centre to hang out in of an evening. You are most likely to be in one of the huge, all inclusive hotel complexes so are well catered for regarding eating and entertainment meaning you will need a car to get out and about. Well worth the drive though as we experienced some amazing locations without anyone else being around which was extraordinary!
The north has a lot more life going on and has the wow factor around the CORRALEJO SAND DUNES … the traditional villages around, along with the black rock coastline, make for interesting places to visit.
But in the end whichever part of Fuerteventura you may choose to visit we don’t think you will be disappointed! The all year round sunny, warm weather also makes it a great choice for some Winter sun … am sure we’ll be back!
