Everything about vacationing in Fuerteventura, its features, resorts, and beaches. You’ll learn what this island is all about (spoiler alert: it’s a desert), the pros and cons of vacationing in Fuerteventura, how to get around the island using public transport, and how to get to the island from other Canary Islands. There will be plenty of useful information to help you plan your dream vacation

Vacationing in Fuerteventura: Pros and Cons of the Island for Tourism

Fuerteventura is one of the seven main Canary Islands. It’s the second largest in terms of area but the fourth most populous, with only 100,000 residents.

Interesting to Know:

One of the most popular tourist islands, Gran Canaria, is slightly smaller in size than Fuerteventura but has nine times the population. Fuerteventura has the lowest population density of all the Canary Islands. The central part of the island is practically uninhabited.

The capital of the island is the small town of Puerto del Rosario, with a population of 35,000.

What sets Fuerteventura apart from other islands:

  • It’s a desert island. Unlike the other islands, there are no forests or greenery, just desert. When traveling around the island, you’ll feel like you might encounter Zorro at any moment, or that you’ve landed on Mars and the next turn will reveal the Curiosity rover.
Fuerteventura for travel
The entire island looks like this.
  • The highest point of the island is only 807 meters, and the mountains here don’t hold back clouds, resulting in frequent strong winds. Therefore, the island is perfect for kite surfing enthusiasts, but for beach vacations, you need to carefully choose a resort protected from the winds, and such resorts do exist on the island.

At first glance, the island may not seem very attractive, but its significant downside is only one: the lack of greenery, forests, and picturesque landscapes found on other islands. Here, it’s all desert, except for the areas where green zones have been artificially created.

fuerteventura best place to stay
One of the most popular beaches in Fuerteventura is Playa del Matorral near Morro Jable. A huge plus of the island is that there are no crowds of tourists here like on Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

Because it’s a desert, the island attracts fewer tourists, which is a shame. Here are the advantages of Fuerteventura compared to Tenerife and Gran Canaria: no traffic jams, plenty of free parking, lots of space on the beaches, and no crowds at tourist attractions. The island is ideal for those who prefer solitude; tourist flows here are tens of times lower than on neighboring islands. Although there are still many tourists during peak season, it’s much fewer than on Tenerife.

Interesting Island Features

Here are a few unique features of Fuerteventura that you won’t find on any other island in the archipelago:

  • Throughout the island, there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Barbary ground squirrels, which tourists call Canary chipmunks. They are almost tame, and there are many of them in tourist areas. Bring a bag of dried apples or raw peanuts (unsalted and unroasted) from home and always carry it with you on the island. But please don’t feed them cookies or bread; it’s very harmful.

In the article ‘Top 14 Attractions of Fuerteventura,’ locations with many of these squirrels are highlighted.

fuerteventura chipmunks
How many squirrels did you count in the top photo? They are aggressive beggars. And signs like the one in the bottom photo are only found in Fuerteventura. Of course, squirrels are not to be fed.
  • 100-150 years ago, Fuerteventura was the capital of whaling in the Canaries. After the prohibition of any whale hunting on the island, monuments to these magnificent mammals were erected. There are four of them on the island, and one more is in Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote. All these installations are made from the skeletons of whales of different species in actual size.
Fuerteventura whales
This is one of the four real whale skeletons on the island. In the article about attractions (link above), you’ll find the coordinates of all these installations.
  • Betancuria – a small village in the center of the island with a population of 800 people became the first capital of all the Canary Islands when Europeans arrived here in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.

Getting to Fuerteventura and Island Transportation

Key Points and Article References to Answer All Transportation Questions:

  • Fuerteventura has one international airport. It receives flights from Europe, including all major European low-cost carriers such as Wizzair, Ryanair, Vueling, and others. Additionally, inter-island flights within the Canaries are operated by local airlines like Binter and Canary Fly. You can quickly and affordably travel between any islands in the archipelago.
how to get fuerteventura
Small twin-engine ATR-72 aircraft operate between the Canary Islands. You can reach Tenerife in just 40 minutes, which is very convenient. Traveling by ferry with transfers can take the whole day.

Flights are convenient when you need to reach islands in other parts of the archipelago, such as Tenerife, La Palma, or La Gomera. If you want to travel between Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria or Lanzarote, ferries operate on these routes.

  • For details about ferries between the Canary Islands, prices, tickets, and nuances, read the linked article. There you’ll also find information on how to reach Fuerteventura by ferry. But for your information:
    • Fuerteventura to Lanzarote: 25 minutes by ferry.
    • Fuerteventura to Gran Canaria: 2 hours by ferry.
    • Important: The island has two ports, one in the south and one in the north. Ferries from the southern port only go to Gran Canaria, while those from the northern port only go to Lanzarote. It’s crucial not to confuse them, as they are 100 km apart. There are frequent cases of tourists booking cars in the wrong port or arriving at the wrong one, which wastes time and money.

Now, a brief overview of transportation on the island. Here’s what you need to know:

  • There’s only one company Tiadhe managing 18 bus routes covering the entire island.
  • You can view all routes and schedules on their website: https://tiadhe.com/en/home/
  • On average, bus fares range from 3 to 6 euros per trip, depending on the distance. Tickets can be purchased from the driver
fuerteventura buses
All roads on the island look like this. There’s a short stretch of four-lane highway near Morro Jable. Traffic on the roads is almost as shown in the photo. Buses are few and run infrequently.

Important to Know:

The island is large, but buses only operate between towns. You can reach any resort or the capital from the airport or port by bus. However, traveling around Fuerteventura by bus isn’t feasible. Most of the island’s attractions can only be reached by car. Car rental is very popular among tourists, affordable, and rental companies offer very flexible terms. Almost all tourists on the island rent a car.

Personal Experience, Pitfalls, and Car Rental Specifics in Fuerteventura.

Fuerteventura Beach Resorts, or Where to Stay

Fuerteventura is known for having the longest beaches in the Canaries. Unlike other islands where the coastline is mostly rocky due to solidified lava, almost the entire coast of Fuerteventura consists of one long continuous beach. And all these beaches are sandy.

Important to Know:

Since there are no tall mountains here and Fuerteventura is in the Atlantic, where strong winds prevail, it’s important to choose a resort protected from the wind. Strong and cold winds blow from the north and west, from the ocean, while dry and hot winds come from the east, from Africa, known as “calima.” All the best beaches and resorts in Fuerteventura are located on the eastern coast.

Below is a ranking of the best beach resorts in Fuerteventura, with coordinates, photos, and the author’s personal evaluation. I must say, there aren’t as many resorts here as on Tenerife or Gran Canaria, but there are also tens of times fewer tourists.

  • Morro Jable, in my opinion, is the best beach resort on the island. Gorgeous long beach, excellent water entry even for children, no waves or wind, with a promenade and all necessary infrastructure. My personal favorite. And Playa del Matorral, which starts from Morro Jable, stretches 10 km to the north. For particularly active tourists, and there are many of them here, this is an ideal place for beach walks.
    • Coordinates of the most developed part of Morro Jable: 28.051135704702723, -14.351169547206393
    • Just 1 km from Morro Jable is the continuation of the same resort – Solana Matorral. The same infrastructure, the same beach, just a neighboring town, the suburb of Morro Jable.
morro jable hotels
Morro Jable resort, where the main beach starts. In my opinion, this is the best beach resort on the island.
  • Costa Calma (28.15844230409525, -14.228308930048673) – a small resort town. Quite popular with tourists because accommodation here is cheaper. The beach is long and sandy, but not as beautiful as in Morro Jable, and there’s no promenade. Overall, it’s suitable for relaxation, but this resort lacks beach and surrounding beach infrastructure.
Costa Calma hotels
The main beach of the Costa Calma resort. There’s no promenade for walks or restaurants with views of the Atlantic. But there’s a beach and ocean, which is enough for many people.
  • Castillo Caleta de Fuste (28.395651433819843, -13.856091662633919) – an excellent beach resort just south of the airport, which has been actively developing for the past 8 years. There’s plenty of accommodation and hotels, excellent infrastructure, and a long promenade along the ocean to the south. On the downside, planes fly overhead all day, as the runway is very close, making it quite noisy at times. However, there are no flights at night.
    • The main beach of the resort is situated in a bay, sheltered from waves and currents but not from winds. The ocean here is always calm, making it perfect for the little ones. If you’re traveling with children, I recommend reading the article linked below to learn about the specific features and hazards of vacationing with kids in the Canaries.
Caleta de Fuste hotels
The promenade in Castillo Caleta de Fuste. Along the promenade, there are many equipped beaches, so there’s always enough space for everyone.
  • Puerto del Rosario – the capital of the island. While not exactly a mega-cool beach resort, it boasts a great urban beach and, most importantly, all the necessary infrastructure, supermarkets, shopping centers, and a beautiful promenade with stunning installations. You can confidently consider this city for your beach vacation; just choose accommodation closer to the beach, as the city is quite large in area.
    • Coordinates of the main urban beach, Playa del Pozo o Playa Chica: 28.494050876152965, -13.8625058715254
    • A beach with incredibly beautiful water color, protected from waves and ocean currents.
Puerto del Rosario hotels
The main beach of Puerto del Rosario is located in the city center. As you can see in the photo, the water here is very calm.
  • Corralejo (28.735834428292844, -13.867741824495303) – the northernmost resort town on Fuerteventura. The advantages include all the necessary infrastructure, a port from where you can reach Lanzarote in just half an hour, and the town itself is very picturesque and beautiful. On the downside, the beach is rocky in some places, so not everywhere is suitable for swimming, but there are enough places for bathing for everyone.

These are all the main beach resorts on the island. If you’ve noticed, they are all located on the eastern coast of the island; there’s nothing on the west. My personal top picks and the best resorts on the island, where I happily return, are Morro Jable and Puerto del Rosario.

If you’re looking for a beach for surfing or kite surfing, read the article linked to find the necessary information.

In conclusion, Fuerteventura is completely different; it’s unlike Tenerife and other Canary Islands. At first glance, it may seem like it’s just a desert with nothing to do, but that’s not the case. If you have two weeks of vacation, I recommend allocating 6-7 days for Fuerteventura; you won’t regret it. Here you’ll find both beaches and cool attractions

Useful links to help you plan your dream trip to Canary Islands:

  • Car Rental: LocalRent or DiscoverCars – the most popular car rental platforms.

  • Accommodation:
    • Trip.com – the largest accommodation booking platform.

    • or TripAdvisor – to compare prices among other platforms and choose the best one.

  • Budget-friendly vacation packages to Spain and Canary Islands: CheapOair.

  • Tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator – hundreds of offers, whales and dolphins, entrance tickets with discounts.

  • eSIM and internet: Airalo.

  • Flights: WayAway compares prices among dozens of companies.

  • Travel Insurance: EKTA.