Hello and welcome to always sunny Fuerteventura – an island with an average of 3000 hours of sunshine per year and temperatures that vary between 20° and 35°! Fuerteventura is after Tenerife the second largest of all 7 main Canary Islands (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, as well as and several small islets) in the Atlantic Ocean, that is located only 100 km from Morocco and African Coast, but politically all islands are part of Spain.
Last year – same time (the second week of October) I visited Lanzarote (herehere and here) for a week, but I knew I will visit the Canary Island again, especially during the fall or winter time, as the summer temperature is pretty constant during the whole year. I, as somebody addicted to Vitamin D and sunshine hours, am always searching for sunny hotspots in Europe, where I can enjoy my holidays without flying longer than 4-5 hours! The “whole year perfect weather” islands are on the same latitude as Florida and Mexico, but fortunately, they are not that far away from Austria. This makes them just perfect for a sunny week during the cold seasons in Europe!
René Egli Fuerteventura Windsurfing & Kitesurfing
Playa De La Barca
Meliá Gorriones
The name of the Canary Islands comes from Latin language and surprisingly means the “Islands of the Dogs” and not the “Islands of the Canary Birds” as probably a lot of us probably used to believe. All islands have a volcanic origin and it is the only place which is part of Spain with volcanic eruption nowadays (if you want to enjoy some volcanic activity take a boat trip to Lanzarote here).
Playa De La Barca
Puerto de la Cruz
This year we decided to visit Fuerteventura – with its 660 km² is the second largest, but the oldest of all Canary Island (first volcanic activity was about 70 Mio years ago). Fuerteventura is unique for its desert and 200 km of some of the world’s best beaches. Many believe that the desert sand comes with the Sahara’s wind, but the sand in Coralejo Dunes has biogenic grains with the same material that the Canary Islands are made of.
Corralejo Natural Park, Parque Natural Corralejo
El Cotillo
The reason why I decided to visit Fuerteventura for a week – the enormous bright sandy beaches and the crystal clear turquoise water that cannot be found anywhere else among the Canaries. Fuerteventura is meant to be “Europe’s Answer to Hawaii” as the island has the most impressive and gigantic beaches in Europe.
Betancuria
Parque Rural de Betancuria
But the “Beach Utopia” is not the only one reason why you should choose Fuerteventura for your holidays – it is literally the dream of all water sports lovers out there! Fuerteventura is absolutely the surfer paradise – kitesurfers, surfers and windsurfers feel like home here. Each year during July Fuerteventura is hosting the World Cup of Windsurfing speed and slalom (P.W.A event) in the south of the island in Sotavento (“Playa de Barca” beach where my hotel “Melia Gorriones” was located).
Punta Guadalupe
Playa De La Barca Full Moon
Enough for today! Stay with me – in the next post I’ll share with you the ultimate Fuerteventura beach guide, due to the fact that I probably visited more than 95% of all “paradise-like” beaches.
Playa De La Barca Full Moon
Enjoy the day!
