Walking & Hiking In Fuerteventura: Nine Best Trails For Views & Fun!

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Last updated on October 20, 2022 by Wandering our World

With great weather all-year round and a stunning volcanic landscape, Fuerteventura is one of those destinations you can never stop returning to. We’re not the only ones returning year after year to the Canary Islands’ second largest island either, asFuerteventura has become a must visit destination for sun seekers as well as hikers and walkers.

As we truly believe the best way to see this special part of the world is to discover the island by foot, we felt compelled to share with you someof the best walks in Fuerteventura!

To make things easy, we’ve split our favourite walks inFuerteventura into short, mid, and long range trails, and detail them below.

Each one has something that makes it special – be that spectacular views, incredible lava sculpted landscapes, or deserted beaches.

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Hiking InFuerteventura: The Four Best Short Range Walks

1. Playa de Cofete

This isn’t a trail, but this huge wide beach in the Parque Natural Jandía is one of our favourite spots for walking.

Expect a beach that feels wild and remote, and all against a backdrop of dramatic mountains and Fuerteventura’s highest peak. This is one of the island’s most rural beaches and a great place to feel submersed in nature.

The beach itself is miles long and so there’s plenty of space to walk, sunbathe, and enjoy being outdoors.

Because the road to get here is difficult and mountainous, very few people come here in comparison to other beaches in Fuerteventura. However if you don’t want to drive you can also catch a bus to Cofete which is the small village that sits beside the beach.

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2. Puerto de la Peña

This hike is only about a mile in length but it’s a tough walk that will see you climb steep stairs and traverse uneven ground. Subsequently, we would rate it as medium in difficulty. However the reward is discovering Playa del Jurado – one of the most remote and unknown beaches onFuerteventura.

You’ll come across huge caves on this walk too which you can go inside and explore – just take care. All in all this is a fantastic little hike in Fuerteventura, which shouldn’t take longer than an hour. See the trail map here.

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3. Monte Aguda

If you don’t want to hike up Fuerteventura’s highest mountain (more on that later), you can walk up Monte Aguda which sits right beside it, and is around three times smaller in height at 262 meters. That makes this a relatively easy hike (with some steep parts), and it usually takes around 40 minutes to reach the top.

For such a short walk you get some fantastic views down towards the beach and sea, and it really does feel like you’re higher up than you are. Expect to meet many squirrels and wild goats on the way!

The hike down is sometimes harder than the way up because the soil is loose and slippery, so take care and wear proper footwear. You can see the trail route by clicking here.

4. Presa de las Peñitas – Ermita de la Peña

This two mile trek takes you into rare greenery on the island, as you journey through the Barranco de las Peñitas ravine towards a lake surrounded by vegetation and giant boulders. This is an easy hike that shouldn’t take longer than 1-1.5 hours there and back. Off the main path are some small climbing routes which are perfect for rock climbers with the right equipment.

The walls of the ravine are dramatic looking, and there’s impressive natural rock formations and an arch to walk through. The views down into the valley are fantastic too.

Look out for wild goats on your way – many live in this valley. You can see a map of the trail at this link.

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Hiking InFuerteventura: The Four Best Mid-Range Walks

5. Isla de Lobas

This six mile walk takes place on the small island ofIsla de Lobas which lies just off the north coast ofFuerteventura. The trail goes from north to south along the eastern coast of the island and then back south through the center with the option to summit the peak of a small volcano. Then you will eventually come to a lovely little beach called Playa de la Caldera.

Isla de Lobas feels in a world of its own and in many ways it is. It’s a protected landscape that can only be reached by a ferry from Corralejo which you have to book in advance.

You will also need to request a permit to visit – that’s free and you can request it here. The extra effort is worth it though as you will be greeted by white sand beaches and shallow crystal clear water in an area that’s notoften visited by tourists.

The hike itself is pretty easy as most of the terrain is flat, but the ground can be uneven so make sure you take proper footwear. In total, plan for at least 3-4 hours on the island, including time to enjoy the gorgeous swimming water and beaches. See a map of the trail here.

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6. Salinas del Carmen to Pozo Negro

This trail takes you from the picturesque salt pans at Salins del Carmen, down the east coast to the quaint fishing village of Poso Negro and its black sand beach. You’ll have superb ocean views the whole way as you trek through volcano-sculpted landscape that feels otherworldly.

There and back, the walk should take around 2-3 hours and is six miles in length. Our tip is to visit the Museo de la Sal inSalins del Carmen, which is where this walk starts and ends. It’s a great little museum where you can learn about the salt industry in the town, and even try your hand at harvesting salt! See the trail map here.

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7. Dunas de Corralejo

This walk in the Dunas de Corralejo Protected Natural Park will bring you into one of the most peaceful areas of Fuerteventura, where sun-reflecting sand dunes contrast with turquoise-hued sea.

There are a few potential walks throughout the park, but there’s an 8 mile trail (there and back) that we really love. You begin the walk at the marina in the pretty town of Corralejo and walk the coastal road south (stick to the road closest to the sea), it zigs zags a bit but eventually it turns into a beach walk.

Continue on the beach path until Hotel Boutique Caleta Bar, and then rejoin the Avenida Grandes Playas Corralejo Road that runs beside the hotel – you’re now in the Natural Park!

Continue on this road until Riu Olivia Beach Resort and just past that you will find yourself amongst several fantastic beaches like Playa El Bajo Negro and Playa del Dormidero. Take a picnic and enjoy, or the hotels dotted along the path also have bars and restaurants if you fancy a cold beer on your way!

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8. Pico de la Zarza

This 8 mile hike (there and back) will take you toFuerteventura’s highest peak – Pico de la Zarza – that stands at 807m tall. There is a free parking lot at the beginning of the trail and the path itself is well signposted from the car park – just put Parking for Pico de la Zarza into your Sat Nav to find it.

The hike can be hard going in places and the trail is a little monotonous, but should take around 4 hours up and down. The reward is the best panoramic views you can get ofFuerteventura and out across the Atlantic Ocean. The views down towards Playa de Cofete are quite spectacular too.

It’s sometimes cloudy at the top but the clouds usually pass by within 10-20 minutes so definitely wait a while at the peak just in case. Keep an eye out for the wild mountain goats too!

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Hiking InFuerteventura: An Incredible Long Distance Walk

9. GR131 Camino Natural de Fuerteventura

This is the ultimate long distance hiking route in Fuerteventura, and will see you trek nearly 100 miles from Isla de Lobos to Punta Jandía. The actual trail is an easy-moderate hike, but will take a week to complete. On the way you will pass turquoise lagoons, lava-sculpted landscapes, desert, remote beaches and parts of Fuerteventura tourists never see.

On the way you’ll pass many beautiful and historic villages, but accomodation is hard to come by so wild camping is probably the best option. Wild camping in Spain is officially illegal, but we’ve found that it isoften tolerated on multi-day hiking routes like this one.

You can see a map of the trail, as well as breakdown of the different stages, here.

Recommended For Hiking & Walking InFuerteventura

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  • Wandering our World

    Hi and welcome to Wandering our World! This article was written by one of the Wandering our World team - a team of travel enthusiasts who live around the globe.