| The Canary Islands are split into 2 Spanish provinces; The Westerly Islands of Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera and Hierro from the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife ( chief town Santa Cruz ) while the Eastern Islands of Gran Canaria, FuerteVentura and Lanzarote from the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
( chief town Las Palmas ).
Fuerteventura is the island with the oldest history and the longest, whitest beaches of the Canary Islands. Only a narrow channel separates Fuerteventura from the African continent. Although not as well known as some of the other islands in the Canaries, Fuerteventura is a beautiful island and is ideal for those wanting a different holiday. From whale watching to surfing there is something for everyone. It is also a paradise for spending holidays at the beach as well as for fishing. The capital Puerto Rosario, the oldest town of the entire Archipelago, even has beaches very close by. Windmills are a prominent feature on the island, a reminder of its farming past and many are being restored as tourist centres with a vision to recreating the landscape of their working past.
There are three main tourist resorts on the island of Fuerteventura, Jandia ( in the south ), Corralejo ( to the north ) and Caleta de Fuste ( to the east ).
Jandia in the South has some of the best beaches on the island, with over 20km of coast with long stretches of pure white fine sand and endless lagoons and dunes. Even if you are staying elsewhere on the island it worth visiting the area. The
World Windsurfing speed and slalom event takes place every year in August! With the winds blowing all year round from the northwest it is a surfers paradise. The atmosphere here is quite laid back with an abundance of bars and restaurants around the resort.
Corralejo in the North is a much livelier resort and very popular with foreign tourists. With its crystal clear water and white sand that seems to go on for ever,
it is no wonder that this area is regularly used for filming Music Videos, photo fashion shoots, TV advertisements. The beaches here are on a smaller scale, but still great for sunbathing and for the eveing the Atlantico Commercial has plenty
of bars and restaurants to choose from.
Caleta de Fuste, to the east of the island is close to the Airport, and is a man-made resort, purposely built for tourists! It is very spread out and due to the fact it has been purpose built there many, many Chinese and English restaurants and not many Canarian or Spanish ones. Karaoke and entertainment bars are also very popular throughout this resort. Consequently it makes for a very lively nightlife,
but one that includes the children. The man-made beach has even had the sand imported.
History / Places of Interest
Fuerteventura was developed at the same time as Lanzarote, approximately
16-20 million years ago and is the second largest Canary island. Fuerteventura is the shape it is today due to millions of years of erosion and unlike Lanzarote there has not been any volcanic activity in the modern times.
Newer theories claim that the origin of the archipelago is explained by the lifting of the sea bottom as a result of a creasing in the Earth crust. The oldest rock was found in Fuerteventura and is about 35 million years old. However, it would be
very difficult to establish the exact age of the Canary Islands despite knowing this.
The northern part of the island between Cotillo and Corralejo is only 8.000 years old and of volcanic origin. The solidified magma is still clearly visible in some parts of the west coast.
A lovely village to visit is Betancuria. It is named after Jean de Bethancourt, who conquered the island for the Spanish crown in 1402 and later, in 1405, founded
this little village as the first one away from the coast in the protection of the mountains. Although the bishop never visited the island there is, still to this day, the old bishops church.
Also worth a visit are the ruins of the Convento de Buenaventura. This former monastery was renovated a few years ago and now radiates a comfortable tranquillity. Seven monks converted the inhabitants of the island from here. They came to the island in 1416 and immediately started to build this convent, which
was dispersed in 1835 and served the community as a quarry for a long time. All the valuable objects and also the beautiful Mudéjar-ceiling were sold or moved to other churches. More recently a mirador (lookout point) was built at the Montana Tegú above Betancuria from which one has a fantastic view over the centre of the island.
Weather
Fuerteventura has a lovely warm climate all year round just like the other islands
in the Canaries. Although still warm during the day in winter, it does drop chilly in the evening.
Population / Demographics
Population : 30.000 +
Local time: There is no change. GMT - 0 hours
Climate - 20ºC ( 68ºF ) in winter months and about 25ºC ( 77ºF ) in the summer.
Transport
The airport is located close to the capital Puerto del Rosario 4km ( 2miles ) and only 10 minutes from the resort of Caleta de Fuste, a new modern airport which is impressive in design.
Local bus service - There is an excellent service and it is best to check times due to possible seasonal changes. |
