Best beaches in Fuerteventura
Home to arid semi-desert landscapes and diverse marine environments, Fuerteventura's great wealth of plant and animal life has seen it declared a protected Biosphere Reserve. The island’s 340km of coastline includes expansive stretches that remain virtually untouched and encompasses dozens of sandy beaches with clear blue waters. Read on for our guide to the best of them...
Piedra Playa
Within a short distance of the coastal town of El Cotillo in the northwest of the island, Piedra Playa is a secluded, unspoilt beach with broad stretches of fine golden sand. Easily accessible by car, paths lead down to the beach from the hills surrounding it. Piedra Playa is undeveloped – there are no bars, restaurants or sunbeds – but there are lifeguards on duty during the summer months (Jul–Oct) to safeguard the many surfers and boogie boarders who are attracted by the large waves. Strong currents mean that swimming can be dangerous.
Las Grandes Playas de Corralejo
Near the northern tip of the island, the resort town of Corralejo is peppered with tapas bars and restaurants. Just south of the town, the idyllic white sands of the wide expanses of the Grandes Playas de Corralejo lead down to clear, turquoise waters. Extending along the coast for around 4km in total, the stretch closer to town is breezy with waves breaking on the beach, making it an ideal destination for water sports such as, surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.
Further along, there are a couple of large hotels and a few bars dotted along behind the beach. The soft sand and gentle waves offer ideal conditions for swimming and families with children. A stroll down the sands here takes you along seemingly endless swathes of virgin beaches, some for nudists, backed by vast dunes which make up part of the protected Parque Natural de Corralejo.
Grandes Playas de Corralejo. Photo: nito/Shutterstock
Gran Tarajal
The urban beach at Gran Tarajal, the second-largest port on Fuerteventura, is by no means the most beautiful on the island. However, it is sheltered from the wind and its clean, dark sands disappear into crystal clear waters which are usually calm, making it perfect for children to enjoy and swimming. Narrow streets lead away from the beach, while its broad promenade is planted with palms and lined with restaurants some of which serve menus of delicious seafood.
Panorama of Gran Tarajal beach, Fuerteventura. Photo: Marcin Krzyzak/Shutterstock
Playa de la Barca
The south of the island also offers some beautiful beaches. Just south of the resort town of Costa Calma, the long white beaches of Sotavento start. Playa de la Barca is a stunning, breezy beach that is affected dramatically by the tide. When it is high, an expansive, shallow tidal lagoon is created, providing superb conditions for kitesurfing and windsurfing, with just a slender arc of sandy beach remaining.
The upmarket Meliá Fuerteventura hotel sits in prime position overlooking the beach, opposite the René Egli Centre where the PWA Windsurfing and the PKRA Kiteboarding World Championships are held each year in late July–early August. However, you don’t have to be an expert to get out on the water here – kitesurfing and windsurfing classes are available to suit all abilities.
Playa de Cofete
In one of the most isolated places in Fuerteventura, the windswept Playa de Cofete is a breathtaking pristine, wild beach stretching out for miles and backed by the jagged mountains of the Jandía Massif. Access is only possible by negotiating 20km of dirt roads from the town of Morro del Jable. The drive takes around an hour and is best undertaken in a 4x4 vehicle, but regular cars can also make the journey if driven carefully.
It is windy, Atlantic breakers crash onto the beach, and strong undercurrents in the water mean it is dangerous for swimming. But a stroll along the seemingly endless sands of this virgin beach with the ocean on one side and mountain peaks on the other is truly unforgettable.
Playa de Cofete. Photo: Tono Balaguer/Shutterstock
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