TRIPS

Fuerteventura and Lanzarote: The Perfect Pair II

View from Mirador del rio

02/04/2019


The recurring question before booking flight tickets to the Canary Islands is: “Which island is the coolest to go?”... and the most frequent answer is: “They are all beautiful and different, it really depends on your own taste”... Ahh, ok, thanks. Full of doubts and without a clear plan of which of the 7 islands to visit, I was sure of a few things. I aspired to visit a low populated island where I could focus on improving my surfing, avoiding the stress and macho attitude that seem inevitable in popular surfing spots. After a few nights of research, I decided that Lanzarote and Fuerteventura make the perfect destination for anyone longing to escape the crowds, explore rich culture, beautiful landscape and, of course, have a memorable water sports trip.

 8 min read

This is second part of the article 'Fuerteventura and Lanzarote: The Perfect Pair I'. To read first about Fuerteventura click here.

Getting to Lanzarote

A short 25 minute ferry ride from Corralejo (Fuerteventura) to Playa Blanca (Lanzarote) brings you to another world. I am not a geologist, but Fuerteventura and Lanzarote probably looked very similar at some point in their geological history, but nowadays these neighbor islands show two completely different color palettes.

In the first part of this article, we defined Fuerteventura as Mars, while Lanzarote is the moon. A black layer covers Lanzarote's landscape from a catastrophic eruption in 1730. Relatively new, the solidified lava has formed a rocky terrain that that still shows the island's volcanic history. The Black and grey of the ground contrast with vivid green in vineyards and window frames, adding some color to the white sophisticated traditional houses.

Black Canvas for a total artist

I think it’s impossible to understand the island of Lanzarote without mentioning César Manrique’s impact on his home island. Irreverent, brave, ballsy, bisexual... Manrique was a painter, designer, sculptor, garden designer and architect; an all-round artist. He was born and raised on Lanzarote by a wealthy family and, after periods in Madrid and New York, he returned to the island, inspired by materic and arte povera, land art and contemporary architecture. He realized his island could become a white canvas (actually black) and an outdoor workshop in which he could explore his artistic creativity.

For most of his contemporary co-citizens, however, Lanzarote was just a place for rocks and rabbits. Manrique understood the poetic and the touristic potential of black rock desolated fields, dramatic caves or lava jets frozen in time. He once said: “This is the most beautiful place on earth and I want people to look at it through my eyes”. Lanzarote was a piece of art itself, Manrique was its official curator.

He documented the layout of every house, each road, cave and volcano and encouraged the authorities to enforce regulations around the sustainable development of the island. This was not easy and he often used his art to express his ecological activism. Somehow, artist and activist needed each other to exist and both grew to become maybe the most powerful voice in Lanzarote. Yes, he was a control freak and he checked the colour of every house window and every single plant species. Manrique thought that everything should adhere to his vision of Lanzarote. He curated the island from a contemporary mind-set, foregrounding the raw, natural and indigenous qualities of the land.

It is well known that the artist himself stopped his car to personally explain (tool in hand) to the road workers how the volcanic lapilli should lay down the car roads:

“Asphalt roads should look like original lava perfectly flattened by a roller, not like artificial human-made road”

You cannot miss perfectly integrated this architectonic work:

  • Mirador del rio. Panoramic view of the archipelago and la Graciosa
  • Jameos del Agua. Amazing work of integrated nature.
  • Cactus Garden. 
  • Manrique’s House-Museum
  • Fundación César Manrique

Nowadays, Canarian islanders compare the striking visual and ecological differences between Lanzarote and others, such as Tenerife or Gran Canaria, and say with a certain melancholy: "There should have been a César Manrique fighting on every island".

Famara, La Santa and the Northern Coast

While Lanzarote had Cesar Manrique to intervene on it's wild space, and Fuerteventura did not, both islands do share certain features. Famara is to Lanzarote what Cofete is to Fuerteventura: enormous dramatic cliffs meet the ocean to make the perfect beach for learning water-sports:

Looking at a map, Lanzarote's sharp reefs seem to make it less friendly for beginner surfers than Fuerteventura- but Famara beach is an exception. You can go wrong and wipe out in the water as many times as you want on this monumental sand beach break. This is the place in the island for learning any water sport, from single surf lessons to a few-days surfcamp with yoga lessons, kitesurf lessons and stand up paddle sessions.

If your experience level allows you to take some risks, go to the nearby fishermen village called La Santa where you will visit three mythical international breaks: La derecha de La Santa (right), The left (The Slab) and El Quemao, the last two require a good physical condition and dealing with two hazards: “Locals only” and knife-sharpened volcanic reef. It’s not a joke, try to go with your teacher or a local surfer if you gonna get wet here.

Other spots to definitely check in the north are Jameos del agua, Caletón del Mero, Caleta Caballo, Arrieta, all with different technical levels.

Panoramic view of Famara Beach and nearby town Caleta de Famara.
Panoramic view of Famara Beach and nearby town Caleta de Famara.
Sunset on Famara Beach.
Sunset on Famara Beach.
Sleep on a yurt on the beach and surf the first waves every morning.
Sleep on a yurt on the beach and surf the first waves every morning.
Famara is pretty consistent, there is always a wave for having fun.
The surf in Famara is pretty consistent, there is always a wave for having fun.


Timanfaya and driving around

You don’t need to be a geologist to notice that Lanzarote’s original landscape was covered by the 1730 eruption which transformed the terrain, giving it it's distinctive lunar appearance.The epicenter of this explosion was located in the Timanfaya National Park, nowadays a surreal area, boasting incredible vistas, unusual colours and outer-space panoramas.

Most tourists don't get to appreciate the full wonder of the national park, as they only see the landscape through the window of a tourist bus. If you make a reservation (one month in advance), you will be included in a small group permitted to hike in the park.

Other must visits in the island are:

  • The wonderful white and monumental town of Teguise.
  • Amazing bodegas y vineyards with circular terraces of volcanic lapilli.
  • Charco Verde, a wonderful green lagoon by the sea and the cliffs of Los Hervideros.
  • The white sand beaches in the southern coast around Punta del Papagayo.
“This is the most beautiful place on earth and I want people to look at it through my eyes”. César Manrique

Eating and drinking: Teleclubs, beach Restaurants and wonderful wineries.

Local gastronomy on the Canary islands is a real pleasure. Everywhere you can find local fish restaurants offering affordable prices, amazing rice and papas arrugás with moho picón, (boiled in salty small potatoes) which are served as a side dish in the seven islands. El Golfo is a small fisherman's village, perfect for having a quiet swim and enjoying probably the best beach restaurants on the island. This village is located near to Charco Verde (or Charco de los Clicos). But what also makes eating on Lanzarote a unique experience is the opportunity to mingle with locals in their teleclubs, maybe the closest concept to what in Tenerife is called Guachinche. These teleclubs got their name for being the only place in town with a television. Nowadays, they are fully equipped social meeting points where you can have ridiculously cheap local specialties.

Another unique specialty in Lanzarote is wine. You can definitely learn and enjoy a lot in the island about this gift of nature. They have a pretty special way to cultivate it. First of all, they take advantage of the special volcanic soil. Volcanic lapilli is one of the most fertile soils for growing grape vines and wineries use the volcanic hillsides for their vineyards. Another unique method is growing the plant inside a round hole in the ground surrounded by a half circle stone wall. The hole keeps humidity condensed during the night, while the wall protects the plants from the strong winds in the area. This distinctive method has strengthened the international reputation of Lanzarote wine.

La Graciosa, the 8th Canary Island?

I grew up thinking that the Canary Islands were formed of 7 individual islands. However, for years now, La Graciosa has fought to change its administrative identification from Islet to Island. I'm not certain of the progress, but do not be surprised if you see different sources acknowledging 7 or 8 islands. 

What everyone can agree on is that La graciosa is perfect for those wanting a remote escape. This island is to Lanzarote what Lobos is for Fuerteventura, an extra gift for those who want to explore off the beaten track.

La Graciosa (The Gracious) is the biggest and only inhabited island (population: 700) of the Chinijo Archipelago. Getting there just requires a short ferry trip from the northern village of Orzola. Driving is not allowed on the island, so I suggest renting a bike (with or without surfboard rack) or just walk through its wild trails, reaching white-sandy and pristine-water beaches. This is a great choice for a unique bicycle surfari experience and the view from the top of an ancient volcano is the perfect end to your trip.

Article supervised and edited by Molly Patrick.


Mariano Galán is co-founder of Dedico. With a Bachelor degree in History of Art and MA in Multimedia Design he likes being involved in our arts and creative content. He is also a water guy and has been enjoying surfing for almost 30 years.

Why visit Lanzarote and Fuerteventura together?

  • Experience two very different Islands on the same trip.
  • Combine top water sports and cultural attractions.
  • The multi-destination itinerary may be cheaper than flying to just one of the islands.
  • Fuerteventura has cheese, Lanzarote wine.
  • Fuerteventura has an International water sports community. Avoiding a couple of spots, localism will not ruin your holidays.

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