There’s no better way to imagine a place than to hear first-hand from someone who’s been. We’re thrilled to present this account from local KAYAK travel expert and photographer Oliver Woo of his amazing journey to Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands.
I’ve always loved Spain, and I’ve travelled a lot in Spain, but the Canary Islands always seemed too remote to tempt me into a trip until I heard my friends talking about it. I realised I barely knew anything about these faraway islands, much less the drastically different character each one holds. The Canaries are located to the west of Morocco and are actually closer to Africa than Europe, but because they are a Spanish territory, tickets are still really cheap from Europe.
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The archipelago contains both large and small islands, including Tenerife and Gran Canaria, the largest and most famous islands.
Fuerteventura is the fourth largest island in terms of population. While Tenerife and Gran Canaria are known for their lush forests, Fuerteventura and its neighbour Lanzarote look like Martian landscapes, with red and barren volcanic terrain. However, unlike Lanzarote, where continued volcanic activity has turned much of the landscape into a charred black otherworld, seismic activity is not ongoing on Fuerteventura.
The remote Cofete beach, rather cut-off from the rest of the island, is known by the enchanting nickname ‘the loneliest place in Spain’. It’s located about 5km from the south-west tip of the island and with no access to the northern side of the beach, you can only enter by crossing through the Jandia Nature Park from Morro Jable. Due to its remote nature and unpaved roads, many people don’t even consider a trip to Fuerteventura, but if you choose a reasonable car rental, it’s not impossible to get around – you don’t even have to have a four-wheel drive vehicle.
But for my first visit to Cofete I decided to walk.
If you go by car, you have to go the long way round, but on foot it’s more direct – by crossing the island over the valley from Morro Jable you can arrive at the beach in 2-3 hours. However, trekkers should be advised that even though it is not that far away, the path to the beach covers difficult volcanic terrain, with no shade in the middle to protect you from scorching sun and strong winds whipping overhead. Both of these can quickly become overwhelming, so bringing along a jacket is highly recommended.
The walk takes you along a mountain route straight out of the Lord of the Rings, with more wild goats than the entire human population of Fuerteventura. Eventually, you will arrive at the town of Cofete.
The village, for it is really too small to be called a town, has a population of only about 30. Because there is not even a shop here to buy provisions, it is best to stock up on food or drinks for the beach in advance – (you can do so at Morro Jable).
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From Cofete ‘town’, it’s only a 500-metre walk down to the Playa de Cofete. The scenery here is exotic and otherworldly – you may have a strong feeling you’re on another planet. Sitting on this beach I could hardly feel a trace of civilisation. It’s sort of how I imagine the protagonist felt at the beach in Planet of the Apes.
This beach receives very few visitors. Not only as it’s so hard to reach, but also due to the wind, which creates waves so strong that swimming is inadvisable here (in fact, drowning deaths are an all-too-frequent occurrence every year)
However, if you want to spend your leisure time enjoying some sun, there are few better places in the world: here you can enjoy the sun’s rays and a good book under African skies, without worrying about seeing or hearing any other tourists.
Some visitors here take advantage of the solitude to sunbathe in the nude sunbathing – there’s not much risk of being seen because of the scarcity of other people around. My recommendation is simply to walk along the beach without a sound, imagine you’re the last person on Earth, and see how long you can go before something brings you back to reality. The walk from the entrance in the middle of the beach to the southern end of the beach takes around an hour, and you might not see another soul.
There is really nothing else in the area, (hence the ‘loneliest place’ moniker), but if you have some time left, there is one place to visit: Villa Winter. It was built in 1937 by a German engineer, Gustav Winter, and is known as the subject of several conspiracy theories, the most famous of which claiming that it was used as a secret military facility for German U-boats during WWII, but nothing has been proven definitively.
After a brief stroll through the villa, I crossed the windswept valley again before sunset and returned to Morro Jable.
I wasn’t originally planning to return, however, the mysterious charm of Cofete pulled me back, and I returned the next day, this time by car, for another visit. This time my plan was to set off early in the car and spend the entire day on the beach without worrying about the time. You shouldn’t have any problems getting there in a normal car, but leave extra time as the road is very rugged, with many cliffs and some areas where only two cars can pass.
A note of advice: If you do not hire a car and instead plan on using public transport, it is a good idea to check the timetables in advance. The last bus from Cofete to Morro Jable leaves at 16:30, so it’s a good idea to plan your schedule so you will not miss it. If you do, you’ll be stuck – you won’t find any rooms to spend the night here. Also, with the strong winds, it can be easy to forget just how hot it really is, which means sunstroke is a risk – so make sure to bring a good hat to block out the rays.
Once on foot, once by car, I ended up visiting Cofete. But its spell has lingered long in my mind. There are many beautiful beaches all over Spain, but the desolate scenery, the strong winds, and the sunshine combined make this one a unique attraction unlike any other beach I’ve seen.
My trip to Fuerteventura does not end here. There are still many tales to recount of this strange and wonderful island. If you want to know about every corner of Fuerteventura you’ve never heard of, check back in soon. You may want to look forward to the next one.
*Note: These rates are based on search queries made on KAYAK.co.in on 11 January, 2018. The prices are quoted in INR. Flight prices are based on results for a return economy flight search. Hotel prices are for double occupancy and include taxes and fees. Prices are subject to change, may vary, or no longer be available.
