Fuerteventura – that’s basically sunshine, sand, wind, rocks and more rocks. So, Fuerteventura rocks – even in black and white
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| Destination | Fuerteventura, Spain |
| How and when I got there | Eurowings; return flight from Cologne/Bonn, October 2011 |
| Where I stayed | 2 bedroom Apartments within the “Marfolin” complex (upper floor with rooftop terrace) |
| Restaurants | El Cotillo: Pizzeria Marameo (no website) Restaurant La Vaca Azul (http://www.vacaazul.es/en/ ) Restaurant La Capitana (no website) |
| Things to do | Watch amazing sunsets, swim among the rocks of the northern El Cotillo beach; take surfing lessons or go horseback riding. Rent a car and explore the island, e.g. the small village von Ajuy and its impressive cliffs and surf, or enjoy the view from the Mirador De Morro Velosa |
| Recommendations in a nutshell | If you like landscapes like Mordor (Lord of the Rings) – then Fuerteventura is the place to go. Rocks sand dunes and deserts – great places to take extraordinary pictures! |
| Recipe | Gofio – hearty and sweet, see below |
Fuerteventura – that’s dramatic rocks, stones and cliffs; wind and roaring sea. People who cherish jungle atmosphere won’t get happy here. But it’s a paradise for windsurfers and surfers (for the latter at least on the west coast). Fuerteventura translates to “strong wind”, and that’s program on the island. And gives you wonderful, dramatic pictures:
During our 14 days vacation we took lots of pictures. However, the black and white pictures of our son reflect best the spirit of the island and the – mostly – lunar landscape. So, for this post I decided to go with only black and white and a grainy structure, emphasizing the dramatic scene:
El Cotillo
There are some touristic hotspots like Jandia in the south or Corralejo in the north. And there are several smaller villages for those who like it more rural and quiet. Like El Cotillo on the north-western coast:
Our Fuerteventura guide called El Cotillo “pristine” and “moony” – that’s probably not true anymore.
Tourism found its way to the former insider tip. However, with the waves comes a considerable surfer community and a nice relaxed atmosphere. And some remaining old buildings contribute to a “hippie-esque feeling” as well.
El Cotillo scores with quaint bars and restaurants, nestled around a small beach, where people meet. Whether you like it nor not – you will see the same people every day. So, it’s still a familial place.The small village is inhabited by a few cute little shops. For anything beyond the small souvenir you will need to go to Corralejo. However, if your focus lies more on beaches than on shops, you will find a great variety next to El Cotillo.
Beaches around El Cotillo
The southern beach is a long straight stretch and there are always waves, providing the main local attraction and responsible for the surfer community. Surfing looks pretty easy from the shore. We decided to give it a try and take some surfing lessons. There are some local surfing schools, which offer courses.
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After the first frustrating day I decided that this is not my sport, and rather went for horseback riding. Which is a bit questionable on this island, considering that there are no grassy meadows, but sand and stones. However, we went for a two hour sunset trip along the coast. And that was quite nice:
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The northern beach has a unique lagune-like setting: lots of small bays and rocks in between. And some sea life, if you don’t mind snorkeling in cool water – it rarely gets beyond 20 to 22 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, it’s not too crowded on the beach – except the ubiquitous family…
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Corralejo Dunes – almost like the Sahara
As mentioned, Corralejo is the nearest town deserving the name, and it’s mainly a tourist town. Lots of souvenir shops, restaurants and bars. The spot to see at Corralejo is definitely the famous Natural Park. And famous for its huge sand dunes, which stretch over 11 km along the pristine waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Inside the dunes, you can easily imagine being 1000 km further east – in the Sahara…
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…or on the moon:
In between just two hotels, the “Oliva Beach” and the “Tres Islas”, which are landmarks due to their isolated location:
Mirador De Morro Velosa – get the view
The island is pretty large – in fact, Fuerteventura is the second biggest island of the Canaries. Thus, for getting around the island, a rental car is recommendable. One place to see is definitely the “Mirador De Morro Velosa”, a scenic lookout with vies almost over the entire island. The building and the surrounding garden are nice…
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but more spectacular is the view over the hills and the ascending road, or the volcanos as in the second picture of this post.
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or the volcanos here and as in the second picture of this post :
Ajuy – the pirates gone, but the rocks, caves and roaring sea still there
A bit further down to the south, there’s Ajuy. The small village is nestled among cliffs, rock formations and caves. The latter had been used by pirates in former times to hide their booty, looted on the islands nearby. Today, there’s just a cute little village:
a nice footpath along the coast, passing ancient shacks, towards the caves.
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The setting is impressive: cliffs, huge waves and a roaring sea:
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The village of Ajuy is located at a small beach with huge waves. Sitting at the café next to the beach…
…you can watch the spectacular scene, including brave body surfers. Occasional accidents included…
So, there’s a lot to see on Fuerteventura! Many people might miss the vegetation – we liked the lunar landscape and dramatic coast lines. Fuerteventura is…lots of rocks. Fuerteventura really “rocks”!
And here’s my favorite recipe from Fuerteventura: Gogio, a special Canarian Grain FlourGofio is a toasted grain flour and it is very typical Canarian, as it goes back to the original inhabitants, the Guanche.
Escaldón is gofio mixed with a stock (fish stock, or chicken/vegetable broth – as I don’t like fish) and very simple to make. Ingredients:
Cook until the grains are well done. You may add many other ingredients, like pieces of meat or vegetables, like onion wedges, just as you like.
Ingredients:
Mix the liquid butter with honey, cinnamon, lemon skin and the grounded nuts and almonds, until completely blended. Then add the Gofio slowly, mix until you get a semi-solid mass. Fill into a bowl or wrap with a plastic sheet and put it into the fridge until it gets completely solid. Cut into slices and serve with e.g. vanilla ice cream. |
Greetings from Fuerteventura!
*According to a German Court decision, all texts containing links to commercial pages (e.g. links to Tripadvisor, Airline, hotel or restaurant websites) have to be identified as “commercial” (in German “Anzeige”). As my texts do contain links like that, I therefore identify each post and page containing a link as “Anzeige”. However (and referring to the “About Me” page) I would like to point out that I do NOT post any sponsored content in my texts; I pay for all my trips myself.
