Corralejo Dunes

There are few places in Europe where you can walk through a desert of dunes and, just a few steps later, dip your feet into the Atlantic. The Natural Park of the Corralejo Dunes is one of them: seven kilometers of golden and white sand that the trade winds constantly shape, creating a changing landscape that is never exactly the same two days in a row.

A protected ecosystem by the sea

Declared a Natural Park in 1982, this dune system of 2,668 hectares is the largest in the Canary Islands. The dunes were formed from the erosion of shells and marine skeletons over millions of years, giving them that characteristic golden hue. Among the sand grow endemic species like the sea grape and the balancon, adapted to the salinity and constant wind.

The FV-1 road crosses the park from north to south, and on both sides stretch fine sandy beaches with waters of an almost unreal turquoise. Those closest to Corralejo tend to have more people; the further south you walk, the more solitude you'll find. Some coves have barely any visitors, even in high season.

The island of Lobos on the horizon

From any point in the dunes, the silhouette of the island of Lobos floats on the horizon like a promise. The islet, just 2 km from the coast, completes a landscape that feels somewhat prehistoric: sand, wind, sea, and a silence broken only by the waves. At sunset, when the light tints the dunes orange and pink, you understand why this place was protected.

The Corralejo dunes are proof that Fuerteventura is, above all, an island sculpted by wind and time.