My first impression of the island of Fuerteventura is that it is like a planet from Star Wars. It’s almost like a big barren gravel pit, dotted with the odd building. My home base is the sleepy town of Puerto del Rosario, which has black lava rock beaches and a couple of white sand spots.
I quickly got the hang of the guagua system (local buses, pronounced ‘wah-wah’) and spent my next couple of days heading to other parts of the island. One day I went to the most northern town called Corralejo, which looks like a typical resort town filled with tourists, tacky gift shops, and bars. For the morning I did an inland hike into the deserted mountain areas.
I thought that there were no animals around until I stopped walking to take a picture. Within seconds I was surrounded by these freaky little ground squirrels who were not afraid of me at all. I’m pretty sure that they would have climbed up my legs if I gave them the chance.
That afternoon I took a ferry to the small protected island of Isla de Lobos. There is a trail to hike around almost the circumference of the island, including up it’s one mountain. As you can see, there is not any shade on the entire island, so it was a hot and exhausting adventure.
Another day I went to a town called El Cotillo, which is known for it’s surfing beaches. I spent a bit of time walking the beach but I also walked inland into the middle of nowhere where a guy has built a huge labyrinth. According to the Internet it’s about 3kms of walking to get to the centre (though I would dispute this as it took much less time than that). It was an interesting, meditative experience.
Here’s a photo from above that I found online:
I also checked one of the more ridiculous items off of my bucket list.
Then I headed south of the island to the ferry terminal, where there’s also a turtle rehab centre.
The 2 hour ferry to Gran Canarias seemed like it transported me to another world. This island is so much more lush, green, and populated. I had a couple of days to explore and hike.
Now I’m getting ready to start my journey back to Canada. I have a weekend with my OT girlfriends before Rob takes me home for a haircut and 6 weeks of pretend retirement. See you at the tennis club!