15 secret places and hidden gems in Fuerteventura

When you go to Fuerteventura you will find many unique places because it is a unique island! Some places are quite famous, but there are some places you will not find even on Google Maps, so I have created this list of hidden gems and secret spots for you to discover on this wonderful island and explore it to the fullest!

Read more » 21 best Instagram photo spots in Fuerteventura, Spain

1. Arco de las Peñitas

Arco de las Peñitas is a must-see place for everyone visiting Fuerteventura. Although the climb up there is quite steep in the last part and it takes about 25-30 minutes to get there, it is so worth it!

Arco de las Peñitas is not an official tourist attraction, there will be no signposts or information boards around there, but it has become one of the most visited places on the island. So it is not a secret place, but it definitely is one of my favorite unique places in Fuerteventura! I even went there twice, haha!

To get there leave your car at the parking place (it is a big gravel area), then head in the direction of a country house and continue on the road past it. On the right, you will see the Barranco de las Peñitas ravine with big boulders and palm trees.

After the ravine, there will be a path uphill in the direction of the arch. At first, the path will be quite distinct but later on, it will go in many directions, and actually, there are various paths leading up to the arch – just keep your map open and follow the direction.

At one point we had to climb up a huge boulder, but it is not too difficult. Right after the huge boulders, you will see the arch on your left. This arch is super unique – you will not find anything like this on the island!

Location: Parking place · Arco de las Peñitas

2. Barranco de los Enamorados or Barranco de los Encantados

Barranco de los Enamorados or also called as Barranco de los Encantados is an easy hike in the heart of Fuerteventura. This actually might be the most famous hiking route in Fuerteventura, so it is not a secret place, but it is definitely one of the super unique places in Fuerteventura!

On this trail, you will discover beautiful rock formations which are actually millions and millions of years old fossilized sand dunes in crazy shapes. The trail is about 3 kilometers in one way and, so 6 kilometers in total.

The most beautiful shapes and formations are located later in the trail, not at the beginning. There are also multiple side ravines to explore.

Location: My photo location · Parking and the start of the trail

3. Rock with a circular hole at La Pared

One of the most unique and secret places in Fuerteventura has to be this Rock with a circular hole near La Pared town. It is almost the perfect circle-shaped hole in the cliff next to the ocean. It is definitely big enough to sit inside it and has a great view of the ocean and the coastline. So cool!

Getting there is not easy – you can either walk from La Pared town (it is about 2.8 kilometers from the parking lot) or you can try to drive closer to it by car.

There are no official roads, however, there are some dirt/sand/rock roads that are simply horrendous, but if you have a Jeep or something like that you can try to get closer.

If you switch Google Maps to satellite view and zoom in, you will notice there are a couple of roads going parallel to the coastline from La Pared. However, I would choose to walk, because the coastline is simply beautiful!

Location: Rock with a circular hole · Parking at La Pared beach

4. Barranco de Cho Cruz

Barranco de Cho Cruz is something similar you will see at Barranco de los Enamorados, however, this one is more unknown and more secret. Barranco de Cho Cruz offers many narrow side ravines with crazy rock formations to take pictures in and explore.

If Barranco de los Enamorados is a hike where you are guaranteed a lot of company along the way because of its’ popularity, then Barranco de Cho Cruz is a great option to hike into the wilderness with almost no people around you.

To get to this hike you will have to drive to Lajares town and turn off-road to the Cañada de Melián dirt path that starts here. Then continue the route for about 2.4 kilometers until the Barranco de Cho Cruz path starts.

From the starting point of the path, it will be about 1.5 kilometers to the best spots on the trail – there will be multiple side ravines leading away from the main path. You can explore them – they are not too long so you will have to come back to the main trail and continue exploring the next side ravine.

If some nice photos is all you are after then you can turn back because the area around 1.5 kilometers from the start of the trail is the best spot with multiple side ravines for some photos. After that, it will only be a lonely sandy path.

Also – make sure you pre-download all the information and map on your mobile phone because the area is a bit of a blind spot and you will not have much cell service (at some points there will be none).

Location: Barranco de Cho Cruz · Photo location

5. Popcorn beach or Playa El Mejillón

I would definitely put Popcorn Beach or Playa El Mejillón amongst the TOP 3 most famous beaches in Fuerteventura! However, I would also probably put it as the most unique beach in Fuerteventura!

The beach is full of marine algae called rhodoliths that looks almost exactly like popcorn. It has been washed ashore and all the beach is covered with small, white ‘popcorn’ pieces.

Definitely stop at this place – you can only see something like this once in your life! Please remember that it is forbidden to take rhodoliths with you – their home is at the beach!

Location: Popcorn Beach

6. Bee cave near Playa de Garcey

One of the most unique places in Fuerteventura is this so-called Bee cave near Playa de Garcey (see the exact locations below!). It is also quite a secret place – there are no official routes, no signposts, it is not an official cave and it is super remote.

You have to drive on gravel roads quite a bit plus the cell service is bad and sometimes non-existent. It is not the quickest stop to make and will require a little bit of effort however it will be an adventure you will remember from your trip!

I call it a Bee cave because the yellow ceiling of the cave looks like honey cells in a beehive. To get there you have to reach Playa de Garcey and park your car at the beach. It is a gravel road but more or less manageable even for small cars.

Then climb up the coast and follow a path to the South. You can either go right along the seashore and explore beautiful rock formations or you can walk a bit off-coast if you want to save time and go straight there. I have to tell you that the coastline is very beautiful!

The cave is located about 1 kilometer to the South from Playa de Garcey beach. When you see a small and narrow cove, find a path that leads down the cliff and follow the sandy trail along the cliff till you reach the deep end of the cove. You will recognize it from the photo.

Location: Playa de Garcey · Bee cave

7. The Crocodile Rock

If you are truly on the hunt for some unique and not-so-well-known spots in Fuerteventura, then you have to visit the Crocodile Rock. It is located about 300 meters north of Playa de las Hermosas.

The easiest way to get there is to drive to the beach, park your car at the beach and walk along the coast to the rock. It will only take you a couple of minutes to reach it.

The rock is a unique rock formation that looks like a crocodile with an open mouth (well, does it?). That whole area is full of interesting rock formations, but the Crocodile rock stands out the most.

This is definitely a great photo place! Also a great place for watching the sunset, having a picnic, or a quiet time away from the crowds as it is a bit remote, but still easily reachable.

Location: Crocodile Rock · Parking at the beach

8. Playa de la Solapa with multiple sea caves

Playa de la Solapa is a beautiful black sand beach on the West coast of Fuerteventura and one of the most unique places in Fuerteventura. It stands out from the rest of the beaches with multiple (and huge!) sea caves and big rocks on the beach.

This is a great place for exploring and taking photos. This is also THE place to go during low tide when all the sea caves are accessible and safer to explore. I do not recommend visiting during high tide!

You can get to the beach by car and park it right on the cliff before the beach. Then follow a path down to the beach and turn left. If you follow the seashore to the left from the beach you will soon see both – the big rocks and all the sea caves one after another.

The biggest sea caves are located about 250 meters from the beach – around HERE and HERE! No wonder Marvel Studios decided to film some scenes for ‘Eternals’ on this beach – it is so cool!

Location: Playa de la Solapa

9. Arco del Jurado or Peña Horadada

If you happen to visit the famous Ajuy caves, then this Arco del Jurado arch is a spot you have to include in your trip! Arco del Jurado is also known as Peña Horadada is a huge natural arch that rather looks like a giant hole inside a cliff next to the ocean. The view is quite majestic!

To visit this unique place you can either drive a car on a bumpy gravel road to the very beach of Arco del Jurado or you can walk here on foot from the Ajuy village. You have to walk in this direction from the village to visit the Ajuy caves anyway. So why not walk only 1 kilometer extra to see this unique arch?

Location: Arco del Jurado · Parking at the beach

10. Water lagoons at Sotavento beach

Playa de Sotavento is a chameleon beach and one of the most famous and unique places in Fuerteventura. During low tide, it looks like a white-sand desert – an incredible emptiness around you as far as you can see.

However, it comes alive during high tide – when the water comes in, the area turns into water lagoons with these beautiful and picture-friendly sand strips that stay above the shallow water. It looks like a tropical beach!

Beware that not all high tides are the same! It will be more visible during some high tides, but not much visible during other high tides. When we went there we got the not-very-well-visible one. However, there were still some places with sand strips in the water that looked really cool from above.

You can park your car right at the beach on both ends of the beach. If it is the not-so-visible high tide, then maybe it would be better to drive to the southern end of the beach – that is where we found these amazing sand strips.

Location: Playa de Sotavento · Parking (Southside) · Parking (Northside)

11. The desert of Fuerteventura – Corralejo sand dunes

Corralejo sand dunes are a phenomenon and one of the most unique places in Fuerteventura! It is a 10-kilometer long and 2.5-kilometer wide area of white sand dunes – it basically is a local desert!

It is an amazing place for some nice photos or just to have a picnic. On the other side of the road, you will find Grandes Playas de Corralejo beaches. There are 9 kilometers of beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise water to enjoy!

Exploring this area is a must in Fuerteventura – you can take a walk, have a picnic, go for a swim or even learn or do some water sports. It is a great place to simply spend the day at the beach!

Location: Dunas de Corralejo · Grandes Playas de Corralejo

12. Istmo de Jandia en Barlovento

I found Istmo de Jandia en Barlovento to be one of the most unique and secret places in Fuerteventura! It is one of the remotest spots on the island and therefore very few people ever go there.

If you are dedicated to spending the day in nature, exploring the coastline, and wandering the white sand desert then this place is for you!

Istmo de Jandia en Barlovento is the narrow and desert-like area in the Southern part of Fuerteventura right before the Jandia peninsula. Many people don’t know that Corralejo sand dunes are not the only dunes in Fuerteventura.

Located exactly around the area where Istmo de Jandia en Barlovento is located on Google Maps you will find the second sand dune area in Fuerteventura – Sand dunes of Jandia. The picture above with me walking down the sand dune mountain was taken here.

This area also offers completely empty beaches (but hard to access) and coastal sandstone rock formations like the sandstone column pictured above. Be careful as the coastal area is very fragile – we saw a couple of sand slides!

Also, the sandstone formations could be fragile. All in all, we absolutely loved this secret area of Fuerteventura. We met only one person there and I believe it will remain super remote unless they build a proper road there.

How to get to Istmo de Jandia en Barlovento?

Getting to this area is not an easy task and that is why not so many people come here. You can always walk from La Pared town, but it will be a 10-kilometer hike one way.

We drove a car on a gravel road across the land from the FV-2 highway, then parked our car and walked the remaining 2 kilometers to the coastline. The road from the FV-2 highway starts here and we used Barranco del Rinconcillo to drive across the peninsula.

You can switch Google Maps to satellite view to see the road. Then we parked our car around here because the road after that becomes too sandy and too risky to drive. After that, it is all about hiking, because you will basically find yourself in a sand desert!

Location: Istmo de Jandia en Barlovento · Sand dunes of Jandia · Sandstone column of Jandia

13. Secret lava caves near Los Estancos

If you are an adventure lover like me you will like to visit these lava caves near Los Estancos town. They are not an official tourist attraction but definitely an interesting and unique place to visit!

The caves are located at the side of a volcano. You can park your car at the side of the road that goes up the volcano and follow a path that leads to the caves.

We spent some good 15 minutes just walking around and looking inside every opening discovering even more and more caves. There are bigger cave openings where you can easily go inside and explore. Just walk around and see for yourself!

These are definitely very unique caves in Fuerteventura and you won’t find anything like this anywhere else on the island! Remember that the soil is fragile, so be mindful of where you climb and step!

Location: Lava caves · Parking place

14. Cofete Beach

Cofete Beach is one of the remotest and most beautiful places in Fuerteventura! It is a 14-kilometer-long sandy beach with beautiful mountains on one side and an endless blue ocean on the other side.

Getting there is an adventure in itself! You have to manage a 20-kilometer drive on gravel roads, but it is so worth it! This is at least a half-day adventure, so plan your time to explore everything!

There are a couple of spots you can include in your Cofete trip like Mirador de Cofete overlooking the beach and the mountains, the huge Roque del Moro rock in the ocean, El Islote islet, the Casa Winter museum, Cofete village, and of course the main Cofete beach.

If you want to see the Roque del Moro rock, you will have to leave your car at the parking places uphill next to the road. There is a rather steep and incredibly bumpy road leading downhill – it is definitely a no-go for regular cars.

If you have a Jeep or something like that you can try to drive down to the beach. To see the main Cofete beach or walk to the El Islote islet, you can park your car here.

15. Cuevas de Ajuy

Ajuy caves are probably the most famous caves in Fuerteventura! They are an official tourist attraction so you will find signposts and some extra information about them.

There are two gigantic caves right next to each other – actually, they are connected and you can get from one cave to another through a hole in the connecting wall between the caves.

You will have to drive to Ajuy village and park your car in the parking lot next to the beach. Next to the parking lot, you will notice a path leading up the cliff. The only thing you have to do is follow a path. It is only a couple of hundred meters walk to the caves.

When you reach the caves you can climb down the stairs and go inside them! The caves were meant to be tunnels connecting the village with the little bay where they are located. However, the project was abandoned a long time ago. Read more about different caves in Fuerteventura HERE!

Location: Cuevas de Ajuy · Ajuy parking lot

Bonus! Ermita de Violante

Ermita de Violante must be the cutest and tiniest church in Fuerteventura! It is located on a small hill and there is nothing around it so it stands out really well!

Only one person fits inside it, but it looks like a mini version of a proper church. Definitely a unique spot and quite a secret spot as well.

To get here you have to drive to Violante village and park your car around here at the side of the road. You can’t drive closer as there is a private road, but you are allowed to walk there.

When you leave your car just continue uphill and along the house where you will find a path leading further uphill. As you follow the path you will get to the top of the hill where this beautiful little church is located.

Location: Ermita de Violante · Parking place