Known as the island of winds and the island of fortunes, Fuerteventura is the second largest island and one of the most popular holiday destinations in the Canary Islands. The island's strong winds, coupled with its subtropical location, strike a perfect balance that creates ideal weather conditions all year round. Winter is virtually indistinguishable from summer and even though the island is full of lush vegetation, rain is rare. Fuerteventura is popular for its unique culture, which blends traditional Hispanic and Canarian elements with unpretentious charm.
The island boasts dozens of attractive beaches, world-famous sand dunes and unique flora, making it a protected biosphere reserve by UNESCO. There is something for everyone here in Fuerteventura, from sprawling golf courses and windsurfing world championships, to family-friendly theme parks and stunning secluded beaches. Fuerteventura attracts numerous holidaymakers throughout the year and has them returning time and again.
Family friendly
Artificially built to be the ultimate child-friendly beach, Caleta de Fuste is a horse-shoe shaped bay that has virtually zero surf and is calm all year round. Alongside the beach there are numerous tourist facilities, including communal showers and toilets, restaurants and various entertainment venues.
A fun-sized, child-friendly beach, Playa del Bajo del Medio is a popular destination for families with children in La Oliva. The beach sports gravel-sized, white sand and almost no surf. The waves are calm and there are good lifeguard services at hand, making this beach ideal for young children.
Another family favourite, Puerto Remedios-Las Agujas is a scenic beach near Corralejo. The beach is 250 metres long, with clean white sand and very calm surf. There are several tourist-friendly facilities including showers, toilets, food vendors and sun loungers.
Lively beaches
Muelle Chico is one of Corralejo's busiest beaches. There is always music playing and something going on here. Muelle Chico is 90 meters long and has very fine, white sand. The beach attracts lots of young visitors and has many beach bars next to each other, all facing the tiny island of Lobos across Corralejo.
Ajuy is a popular beach with fine, obsidian-black sand. The Ajuy is considered one of the prettiest sights in Fuerteventura and there are always tourists visiting here for the sights and sounds. The beach has very violent sea current making it hard to swim past the shallows, so it is mostly partying that attracts tourists here. An overlooking cliff gives a commanding view of the beach.
Costa Caleta is a busy and well-developed beach resort with several restaurants beach bars and seaside shops. The beach features a small bay, which reduces sea surfs and attracts tourists and locals alike.
Blue flag
The famous 30-km long Sotavento beach is Fuerteventura's largest blue flag beach. Pristinely clean and very tourist-friendly, Sotavento have fine, golden-coloured sand and azure water. Most of the beach has calm surfs, which grown in intensity as you swim deeper, so it's best not to swim to far away from the coast. Nonetheless, numerous lifeguard depots are positioned across the beach's length to prevent accidents.
El Caserón beach is a popular blue flag beach that spans almost a kilometre in length. The beach has fairly rough surf, making it risky to swim too far but is otherwise ideal for families with children, elderly tourists and tourists with disabilities. The beach has two car parks, a disabled access ramp, communal baths and toilets, hammock areas, a bar-restaurant and many other amenities.
Another long blue flag beach, Grandes Playas is 3450 metres long. The beach has white sand and a few pebbles, and is considered one of the cleanest coastlines in the Canaries. The beach is family-friendly and features numerous tourist facilities. Local authorities patrol the area to ensure the Grandes Playas remains clean and tourists could even be fined for littering the beach so bin it don't drop it!
White sand
Las Lajas de Punta Prieta is a busy beach that spans 450 meters and is 65 meters wide. It is known for its very fine, white-coloured sand, which is mixed with large boulders. This is a child-safe beach with lifeguard services and numerous amenities.
The Esquinzo beach has only become popular just recently thanks to the creation of the newly-built village of Esquinzo. The beach nowadays attracts many tourists who come for its azure waters and fine, golden sand.
Water sports
El Bajo Negro is a 300-meter long beach situated on the northern side of the island. The beach attracts water sports enthusiasts thanks to its strong, violent surf, which creates top surfing and windsurfing challenges. There are lifeguard services to prevent accidents but nonetheless this beach is not child-friendly.
Bajo del Dormidero is a popular water sports beach on the windy northern side of Fuerteventura. The beach attracts professional windsurfers and sailors who often use it as a starting point to sail up to the islet of Lobos and back.
El Moro beach attracts windsurfers who come to train their skills before the windsurfing world championships that take place each year in August. The beach has very good lifeguard services but virtually no tourist facilities.
La Barreta de Abajo is a busy beach near Corralejo that attracts young people interested in water sports. You can find water sport equipment for rent and meet other water sports enthusiasts but don't expect lots in terms of other facilities here. This beach attracts lots of windsurfers and surfers but only when the surf is just right.
Diving & snorkelling
La Pared is a long bay on the west coast of Fuerteventura. The geography makes this beach ideal for diving. Strong winds raise sand and make it mildly uncomfortable for people to relax on the beach but the La Pared gets its fair share of snorkellers and swimmers nonetheless. The few tourists who don't come here for diving are mostly naturists.
Pozo Negro is a secluded beach far from the well-beaten tourist track. It attracts divers who visit here through one of the local diving schools to explore the area's fascinating underwater world. In terms of tourist facilities, there are only a handful of local restaurants and nothing else. Apart from divers, mostly locals visit this beach.
La Lajita is a secluded beach that attracts snorkellers and not many other tourists. The sea here is very calm and there are no tourist facilities to speak of.
Fishing/boating & sailing
The coast of Corralejo is perhaps the best spot to find fishing and boating trips, as well as to arrange sailing tours and lessons on Fuerteventura. As one of the busiest beaches on the island and close to Fuerteventura's largest port, this is the place to go for fishing and sailing. Daily boat trips around the island or to nearby islands are always on offer, and numerous sailing schools offer their services from offices located just metres from the beach.
The village of La Oliva is a busy starting point for fishing and boating trips. Located in the northern side of the island, La Oliva beach welcomes locals and tourists who wish to sail around the island. You can arrange for fishing trips with locals or rent out a boat and go fishing by yourself. In order to be allowed to sail alone, you need to display your qualifications, so make sure you bring your papers along.
Black sand / rocky
El Salmo is a remote beach that is rarely visited by tourists. Locals have built small stone castles around it, creating an eerie atmosphere on the beach. The El Salmo features black sand and sizable rocks that make getting in and out of the water a bit painful. However, towards the end of El Salmo to the south, the beach gives way to the Mal Nombre beach, which features finer black sand and is a favoured spot by naturists.
Perhaps the most famous black sand beach on Fuerteventura, Giniginamar is located in a quiet, charming bay and is a much loved spot for couples. The beach's fine, black sand gives it a unique charm. There are a few pebbles which don't detract from the beach's beauty. This is not a family-friendly beach as it has no tourist facilities.
Secluded
El Charco de Bristol is a remote beach near the village of La Oliva. The beach spans 100 meters and offers fine, golden sand. El Charco de Bristol is a popular spot for naturists who come here to socialise, swim and sunbathe.
The beach of Cofete is a charming location that attracts naturists thanks to its remoteness and mysterious beauty. The beach is often deserted and the sea quickly becomes turbulent if you swim too far. Cofete beach spans more than 3 kms and has no facilities.
Naturist
Las Clavellinas is a fairly deserted beach that attracts naturalists and couples in search of some peace and quiet and privacy. It is 110 metres long and sports fine white sand. There are no tourist facilities and no lifeguard stations.
Corralejo Viejo is a small beach in Corralejo that is suitable for naturism. The beach is 195 metres long and has the characteristic fine golden sand of Corralejo. The surf is quite violent so naturists here tend to sunbathe rather than actually swim.
Gran Tarajal is a secluded beach with pitch-black fine sand. The beach is inside a remote bay and located away from the mainstream tourist attractions. Naturists come here for sun and solitude. This beach offers no facilities and is completely unsuitable for children and elderly people.