The Island of Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura photo gallery

Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary Islands after Tenerife but, unlike it’s three large neighbours, it is still relatively undeveloped as far as tourism is concerned.   There are large centres of tourism such as Jandia, Caleta de Fuste and Corralejo but the rest of the island is still mostly unspoilt.

The main characteristics of the island are it’s miles and miles of virtually white sand beaches, rugged volcanic terrain and the wind which helps to keep the ambient temperature from becoming unbearable.

The secret of the wonderful sand on Fuerteventura is it’s proximity to Africa.   At only 100 kilometres (around 60 miles) from Morocco, it is the closest of the Canary Islands to Africa and it is from the Sahara that all the sand has come.   Through tens of thousands of years the winds, that still caress the island, have been carrying across their tiny packages of sand and depositing them all over the island's shores transforming the otherwise black, volcanic beaches to wonderful stretches of golden white.   The current result of this process is over 100 miles of some of the best beaches in the world.

Fuerteventura's position places it on a similar latitude to Florida and Mexico which, consequently, provides similar weather conditions - but without the hurricanes!   The wind helps to maintain a bearable temperature and humidity during the 3,000 hours of sunshine that bathe the island each year producing an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.

Naturism is accepted throughout the island on the main beaches or, if preferred in the thousands of secluded coves dotted around the coast.   Most naturists prefer the use of the hundreds of ‘lobster pots’ built over the years and scattered all around the beaches as they provide a certain degree of privacy plus protection from the breeze.

Fuerteventura photo gallery