Fuerteventura for Rest and Relaxation

The Canary Islands are composed of 7 main islands: Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote, El Hierro and Fuerteventura.

Compared to Tenerife, Grand Canaria and Lanzarote; Fuerteventura has less tourism history. The first impression this island gives off to the Northern European tourist is a sense of barrenness. It gets very little rainfall, and most of the year there is plenty of sun and its beautiful sandy beaches are in constant contrast with lava rock coastline.

Fuerteventura is the the flattest island in the chain, so there are very few obstacles to break the gentle breeze which is ever present, and sometimes (in spring and autumn mainly) even quite heavy, to cool you down when soaking up some sun. For this reason, tourists need to be extra careful, because you don't realize how much sun you're really getting and can get sunburn very easily.

Temperatures year round rarely exceed 30ºC, with an average daytime temperature in summer of 25ºC, and 21ºC in winter. The hottest month is September. Being that Fuerteventura is a dessert island, the temperatures at night do experience quite a change as sand and rock are incapable of preserving heat for very long, so it is advisable to always have a jacket or pullover handy if you're going on a day trip or taking an evening stroll.

One of the best things the island has to offer are its varied beaches and vast unpopulated spaces. Here you can hire a car and look for your own private spot and have no one else there to bother you while you are soaking up some sun. Or if you prefer, you can go to the more frequented beaches like the ones in 'Las Dunas de Corralejo' (the Corralejo sand dunes) in the north, Caleta de Fuste (centre); Gran Tarajal, La Lajita, Costa Calma (towards the south), or the vast extensions of beaches in Jandia and Morro Jable (on the south tip of the island).

Many people return year after year to the island because it is a welcome change to the overpopulated Grand Canarian and Tenerifan beaches and resorts. Many come on package holidays offered by My Travel, Thompson and many other tour operators, yet other tourists who know the island a little better are more the do it yourself type. These often look spend their holiday doing water sports like surfing (wind and kite surfing also), snorkling, scuba diving and sailing.

Attractions for the family include the Baku water park in Corralejo, the Oasis Park (wildlife reserve), and day trips to inland towns to get to know what the island is traditionally about. Take a scenic camel ride if you want to enjoy the great outdoors in a unique way. Trike and quad and motorcycle rental is also popular.

Puerto Del Rosario, the capital city is not very touristy at all, but offers a large shopping centre (Las Rotondas) and other shops in the town centre for things that you may not find where you are staying.