With three thousand hours of sunshine a year, Fuerteventura is the closest Canary Island to the African coast with only 100km separating the 'Punta de la Entallada' from Cape Juby in Morroco and is the second largest (after Tenerife) of all the islands.
The weather conditions of Fuerteventura are very similar to Florida and Mexico which are on the same latitude, which make this the ideal holiday location.
There is nowhere else in the Canaries with as many enormous sand dunes and long sandy beaches. Even though most of the land consists of stone and rock, these are some of the most impressive beaches in the whole of Europe. Approx 98km long and 30km across at the widest point. Its miles and miles of broad sandy beaches and golden sand dunes make Fuerteventura the ideal holiday resort for everyone.
The Beaches of Fuerteventura
There are over 150 beaches on Fuerteventura, stretching approximately 125 miles, of all varieties, from Morre Jable, which has fine white sand and mild tides, to El Aljibe, a stretch of black volcanic sand with heavy waves.
Beaches in the north tend to be of the sand dune variety, while those in the south are more flat. There are around 125 miles of beach on the island. In time this page may become two or three or even more, but to be going on with here is a summary of some of the magnificent beaches to be found here on Sunny Fuerteventura. Naturism, or nudism is acceptable all over Fuerteventura, but with so much beach available they tend to use the quieter stretches of beach away from the general family holidaymakers.
History & Culture
In the history of time Fuerteventura is generally regarded as the oldest of all the Canaries and its strange contours come from various volcanic episodes. The last eruption occurred around 7,000 years ago so you're pretty safe. Should you wish to see some volcanic activity take a trip to the neighboring island of Lanzarote, it's well worth it. See our Ferry page for details on how to get there. You can also take a short boat trip over to the small island of Los Lobos (only 6sqkm) and really get away from it all.
There are many new attractions inviting tourists to discover different aspects of the Island's landscape and culture such as the Betancuria Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography and Tefia Craft Village to name but a few.
The weather & climate
The climate of the Island is influenced by several factors: The North East Trade Winds, Latitude, Lack of Altitude and the Canary Current.
Unlike the western Canary Islands (and like it's nearest neighbour, Lanzarote), Fuerteventura does not have high mountains. What this means is that the trade winds just pass over the island without precipitation. The only exception to this is at the peaks of Jandia in the very south of the Island, which just about makes it into this zone.
When Rain does occur it is usually between October and March and it brings a touch of green to the North-West part of the Island and the mountainous areas around Betancuria. It is still scarce enough around the main resorts on the east coast to ensure that the landscape remains desert-like all year round.
Sometimes the wind veers to a more easterly or south-easterly direction and this brings the dust-haze or Calima along with searing temperatures from the Sahara desert.
The cold Canary current means that water temperatures are slightly cooler than you might expect at this latitude (especially along the north coast) – although at 22 or 23 degrees Celsius in late summer, they are still very pleasant.
