Best beaches in Fuerteventura
One of our favourite things to do is go to the beach, and there are so many to choose from in Fuerteventura. We spent as much of our spare time as possible at the beach, which was made easier thanks to our Airbnb by the sea. Though the beach closest to our villa – Playa Punta Prieta – was rocky with rough seas, there are a lot of sandy options too. These were our favourite beaches in Fuerteventura.
In Corralejo
Corralejo National Park and Grades Playas
To the south of Corralejo is the huge Parque Natural de Corralejo. The sand dunes stretch for kilometres and you can walk through them, or choose to relax on the long strip of white sandy beaches instead. The sea here is calm in places and rough in others so look out for flags that indicate whether you can swim, or if it’s more of a surfing area.
The names of each area of beach doesn’t always line up with the names on Google Maps. But our favourite spots along here were:
Playa del Moro, which shows on Google Maps as Alzada
Playa Dormidero, which is just north of what shows as Moro on Maps
Grandes Playas between the two RIU hotels, and El Bajo Negra just to the south of the hotels.
Playa de la Goleta
Playa de Corralejo Viejo and Playa de la Goleta are next to each other, just a couple of streets back from the town centre in Corralejo. They aren’t the nicest beaches in the area, but if you’re in town and want to spend an hour or so by the sea Playa de la Goleta or Playa Vista Lobos are probably the best places to do it.
The sea is clear and fairly calm so it’s a great place to swim. It’s rock in places, but if you don’t want to go in you can sit and watch kite surfers, sailors, and other watersports from the beach with the view of Isla los Lobos. It’s also right next to the marina, so there are plenty of places to eat.
Playa del Bajo de la Burro
Playa del Bajo de la Burro is known as one of the ‘popcorn’ beaches on the north coast, about 10-15 minutes from Corralejo. Others include Majanico and El Hierro. The road is a bumpy track and you can see rodiliths (the calcareous algae that looks like popcorn when they die) on more central beaches like Viejo and Goleta.
In the North
Isla los Lobos
Playa la Concha is the long sandy beach on the island, and you’ll find a smaller beach to the east of the port. We decided to hike around the island and finished with a couple of hours relaxing at Playa la Concha. But you could skip the hike and spend all day relaxing on the white sand and in the calm blue waters.
Find out more about our day on Isla los Lobos in our blog: The best hikes in Fuerteventura.
Playa Concha in El Cotillo
Another conch-shaped beach with calm seas is just to the north of El Cotillo. It’s only 20 minutes from Corralejo but the water is very different and it’s not a great place to surf. But it’s a beautiful beach and a great place to relax for an afternoon.
In the South
Laguna de Sotavento
Laguna de Sotavento is on the Jandia peninsula, south of Costa Calma. It has fine white sands and turquoise waters, which collect in a lagoon pool as the tide goes out. It’s less windy with calmer water than other beaches on the island, and the lagoon is popular with kite surfers and windsurfers.
The beach is long and fairly quiet so it’s easy to get a nice spot away from other people. The drive is about 1.5 hours from Corralejo, and there is a beach bar for snacks and drinks.
Playa de Cofete
Cofete is one of the most famous beaches in Fuerteventura. Remote and pristine, it’s a sweeping 10km stretch that can only be accessed by a long dirt road. It takes about 50-60 minutes from Morro Jable (2.5 hours or more from Corralejo) but is well worth the effort.
The length of the beach means it’s easy to get a spot that’s far from anyone else. And though the sea is too rough to swim in you can still paddle and cool off in the shallower waves. We spent around 3.5-4 hours at Cofete before heading home early enough to not be stuck on the mountain roads near sunset.
Other beaches
There were a few beaches on our list that we didn’t make it to as we opted for others nearby:
Jandia
Flag beach, Corralejo
Playa del Castillo
Playa del Matorral
La Pared
Playa de Butihondo
Gran Tarajal
Playa Blanca, Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Mal Nombre
Costa Calma & Playa Esmerelda