Travel log
- Popcorn BeachSand made of little white pebbles
- Tostón lighthouse
- Flag BeachDozens of kitesurfers on the horizon
- Playa de JarugoSunset among the rocks
- Betancuria
- CofeteSeen from above, after the dirt track
- AjuyLayered cliffs over the sea
- Los MolinosAn hour of dirt track to see a bridge
- Valles de Ortega
- Lobos islandFerry, volcano and one last swim
Easter 2021, in the middle of the pandemic. Malpensa was deserted, there was nobody at security, and a few hours later we were on a straight road through the yellow desert of Fuerteventura. There were three of us: Francesco Lietti, Federico Giordi and me, plus a white rental Volkswagen Polo that would become the star of the trip.
The north: beaches and kitesurfers
We spent the first day in the north. Popcorn Beach, where the beach is made of little white pebbles that really do look like popcorn, the Tostón lighthouse, Flag Beach with dozens of kitesurfers on the horizon. Sunset at Playa de Jarugo, shoes in hand, with the rocks dropping straight into the ocean.
Polo day
The next day we headed inland and south: Betancuria, a viewpoint with metal statues, Cofete seen from above. To get there you take a dirt track hanging over the ocean, and someone had just reminded us that “the car isn’t insured on dirt roads”. Quite.
We call holidays organised with Francesco “Lietti Holidays”, and that evening I posted the day’s to-do list, all ticked off: get a puncture, reset the tyre pressure warning, go off-road for an hour, reset the warning again, find the car’s top speed, be home before 10 pm. All in a single day.
Ajuy, Lobos and handing the car back
Day three: Playa de Tebeto, the cliffs at Ajuy, goats, Los Molinos (an hour of dirt track to see a bridge), a buggy ride we came back from covered head to toe in dust, and the plain of Valles de Ortega with its windmill. On the last day we took the ferry to Lobos, climbed the volcano and had one last swim.
We handed the Polo back punctured and fresh from its off-road adventures. The rental company never noticed. My final review: suitable for off-road use, excellent road holding, excellent tyre pressure sensors.
Practical notes
- Our rental didn’t cover dirt roads, and to reach Cofete and Los Molinos that’s what you drive on: bear it in mind.
- Lobos is reached by ferry and can be explored on foot in half a day, climb up the volcano included.
- The north of the island, from Popcorn Beach to the kitesurfers at Flag Beach, fits into a single day: that’s how we did it.
