02 February 2020, by Oana Badiu
Jandia Peninsula and Jandia Natural Park are my favourite places on Fuerteventura island! You can discover beautiful wild beaches, barren mountains, sandstone canyons and giant cliffs battered by big waves. Jandia Peninsula is a unique place of volcanic origin, with sharp mountains that give way to amazing white sand beaches, which stretch for many kilometers along its coast!
The easiest way to get around Jandia and Fuerteventura in general is to rent a car. Even though the roads in Jandia Nature Park are a bit rough and dusty, a normal car should be able to handle it just fine if driven carefully.
Cofete beach is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen! Bordered by the great mountains of Jandia, this is the most amazing place on Fuerteventura and you can see this beach from multiple angles along the Jandia Peninsula. The road to Cofete beach is rough, but so worth it!
We visited Fuerteventura during Christmas time and there were only a few people here at the time of our visit, even though it’s one of the most popular places in Fuerteventura.
On the way to Cofete beach there is a viewpoint called on Google maps “Punto de vista sobre puerto de montaña”, where you can admire Cofete beach from above. There is also a hiking trail towards “Montana Aguda”, where you can get an even better view.
If you have a drone, I highly recommend bringing it with you! Drone photography at Cofete beach can turn out stunning! You have big, white, foamy waves, golden sands and big mountains, which make the perfect “ingredients” for a great landscape photograph from above! There are also plenty of places where you can fly your drone without disturbing the people visiting Cofete. There are kilometers of untamed landscape, with no people in sight where you can practice your aerial skills.
I like to call Roque Del Moro the hidden gem of Fuerteventura, since it was the most interesting place I have visited on the island, however I only discovered it by accident. In fact, it was such a great place that I decided to dedicate a blog post just for Roque Del Moro! Check out more photographs and details about getting to Roque Del Moro and the interesting things you will discover on the way!
Pico de la Zarza, also known as Pico de la Jandia is the highest peak in Fuerteventura, rising 807 m above sea level. This 12.6 km round-way easy hike is well worth it, with stunning views towards Cofete Beach and the mountains of Jandia. Read more about “Hike to Pico de la Zarza, Highest Peak in Fuerteventura”.
Punta Jandia Lighthouse was completed in 1854 and it's the oldest lighthouse in Fuerteventura and one of the oldest lighthouses in the Canary Islands. The lighthouse is still active and it flashes a white light every four seconds.
You can walk along the coast near the lighthouse and admire the waves that make Fuerteventura so famous among surfers.
Continuing your drive from Punta de Jandia towards the northern side of Jandia you’ll see some great views of the coasts that Jandia Peninsula has to offer! Playa de los Ojos was a nice place to stop and admire the waves and the rocky, golden shores.
It’s a long and dusty road towards Punta Pesebre, but you won’t be disappointed to have made it this far! On the road to Punta Pesebre I only saw 2 cars and when we arrived it was just us. The rugged and wild coast of Fuerteventura is at its best here! If you have a drone, please bring it along with you because you will get to experience some really great views from above.
Most people stop exploring Jandia by now and turn back, however I highly recommend going forward and explore Caleta de la Madera!
The road on Google Maps stops at Punta Pesebre, however it is possible to drive to Rabo de Raton on a smaller path. We had a small car, a VW Beetle and we didn’t have any issues driving here, but of course, you need to drive slowly and carefully. Continue on the dusty path ignoring the first parking place and driving a little bit further along the rocky coast until you reach a hiking trail and a parking place next to it. The car path ends here and a seamlessly endless hiking trail starts, with no tourists in sight!
I was surprised I didn’t find this magnificent view when I was searching for things to do in Fuerteventura! Caleta de la Madera is one of the most spectacular landscapes on Fuerteventura and it’s the perfect place for photography! You can explore this rugged coast as much as you can by following the hiking trails on maps.me.
Many consider Playa de Sotavento, also known as Playa de Jandia, the most beautiful beach in Europe! I saw this beach during high tide and low tide, and it is stunning no matter the time of the day! This beach stretches for many kilometers and it also includes a natural reserve. Best is to park your car at “Risco del Paso” and then walk along the coast as much as you want. If you go in the middle of the day, at high tide you can see with your own eyes how the water slowly engulfs the beach and then recedes. There are many fish who take refuge between the small bushes of the beach and they attract many interesting birds, like egrets and spoonbills.
I recommend taking a polarized filter with you in order to capture an explosion of color from the golden sand and blue water!
The beach is very popular for kitesurfing and you can rent and learn how to kitesurf at several places along the beach.
Playa de Sotavento is also a great place to watch the sunrise!
Most of the pictures taken from the distance of Playa de Sotavento are taken from this viewpoint next to the road.
There are many walking paths around and you can also enjoy the landscape of this golden sand hill, which looks amazing at sunrise!
This is how this sand hill looks during the day. Still beautiful, but very different in my opinion.
Often mistaken for Punta Jandia Lighthouse, Morro Jable Lighthouse is a newer lighthouse, built in 1991. It is surrounded by a natural reserve and a hotel area. Like all beaches in Fuerteventura, the beach around Morro Jable Lighthouse, called Playa de Matorral, is also stunning and it’s a great place to relax and enjoy the water.
One morning after I took some pictures of the sunrise, I discovered a pair of Hadada Ibis, just next to the road, foraging in the grass. I was pleasantly surprised and I rushed to the hotel to get my bigger lens to take some pictures. Luckily when I returned the ibises were still here for a couple of minutes, just enough for me to snap a few photos!
Jandia Peninsula was way more surprising and interesting than I originally thought it would be. Just by searching the internet it didn’t look so attractive to me because most of the articles focus on the beaches and not on the nature and landscapes! I hope this blog post is a bit different than the others and helps you discover the true beauty of Jandia Peninsula on Fuerteventura island!
I have spent my week in Fuerteventura staying at MUR Faro Jandia Fuerteventura & Spa, which was a nice hotel and I can definitely recommend.
