General tourism on the island of Lanzarote is mainly focussed around the plentiful beaches and coves but whatever part of the island you choose to stay in there are plenty of little surprises just begging to be found. The island is renowned for having little gems tucked away just off the beaten track waiting to be re-discovered by travellers prepared to explore what the island really has to offer, and quite often these can be found not to far from your resort or holiday villa, especially in the more rural areas.

This unique little island is home to diversity of little known of beauty spots as well as a wide array of artistic and natural attractions that seem to have been sewn into the rich tapestry of the islands landscape by the famed local artist Cesar Manrique.

Arguably, Lanzarote’s most talked about attraction has to be the 300 plus volcanoes that can be found here. These were created by a spell of seismic activity during the 18th century that continued for a period over six years. As a result the interior of the island today looks like the moon – with lots of lava fields and spent peaks and unless you have been tucked away in isolation over the past few months, you will be well aware of the amount of debris and ash just one volcano can produce.

This left the area with very little in the way of flora and fauna able to grow or survive here so it comes as something of a surprise to discover that this arid island can actually sustain its own wood. Visitors taking the trouble to explore the north of the island will find El Bosque perched on the Famara massif range of cliffs. The wood is not too easy to find but is populated with Canarian pines and acacias and also delivers an impressive view of the local bay so make sure you do not forget to bring your camera or camcorder to capture this unique beauty spot.

El Bosque is also situated not to far from the other better known green zone here on the islands, which of course is the Valley of 1000 Palms. The area is said to resemble the picture that most people would conjure up in there minds of a desert oasis with palms gentle swaying back and forth and the rustle of palm fronds in the warm Canarian breeze.

If you visiting the Island of Lanzarote try and reserve a few days to get out and about so you can experience the other delights the island has to offer apart form its delightful beaches.

The beautiful island of Fuerteventura is sometimes considered as the land of eternal sunshine.  This is perhaps on the account that it has approximately 3,000 hours of sunshine every year.  As the closest among the Canary Island to the African coast with only about 100 kilometers from Punta de la Entallada in Cape Juby of Morocco, it is the second biggest island after Tenerife.  Fuerteventura features excellent weather conditions comparable to Mexico and Florida making it the ideal holiday location for any discriminating tourist.

When it comes to long sandy beaches and beautiful sand dunes, no other islands of the Canaries have more.  Despite the majority of the island being made of stone and rock, Fuerteventura features some of the most impeccable beaches anywhere in the European continent.  It cannot be denied that the 98km long coast which stretches 30km across at its widest point are truly something that any tourist will enjoy.

The Historic Features of Fuerteventura

Seldom do people realize that the history of a destination can also serve as a magnet for both local and international tourists.  This holds especially true for Fuerteventura which has one of the oldest histories among the Canary Islands.  With strange contours attributed from different volcanic episodes with the last recorded happening some 7,000 years ago.  The volcanic activity in the area is quite unique that if you want to witness dormant volcanic activity you can travel to nearby Lanzarote.

The history of volcanic activity associated with the island of Fuerteventura has also made it one of the best water sports destinations in the whole world.  Without fail, hundreds of windsurfers, surfers, and divers flock to the island especially during the month of July for the P.W.A. World Windsurfing speed and slalom events held in the southern portion of Fuerteventura at Sotavento.

The various island landscapes are also considered as one of the reasons why tourists have made Fuerteventura one of their favorite destinations.  A trip to this wondrous island is never complete without visiting the Betancuria Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography as well as the Tefia Craft Village among others.

The Ideal Fuerteventura Holiday

Think of the ideal vacation that you want and without a doubt Fuerteventura can make it come true.  With a host of activities to spice up your beach holiday to make it more enjoyable, everything is definitely a possibility in this favorite among the Canary Island.  Caleta de Fuste is one of the more amazing beaches in Fuerteventura which allows tourists to stay in villas right next to the beautiful and inviting waters of the ocean.

Tourists who come to Fuerteventura certainly know how to enjoy their vacation.  And if you are one of those who never seem to find the right vacation for you, this island paradise will teach you what it means to be on a holiday.  You will never run out of activities on your holiday, in fact, you may even feel that your holiday is not long enough to take in all the activities as well as the amazing sights that Fuerteventura has to offer.

Location and Geography of Fuerteventura

With all the beautiful things to expect at Fuerteventura, undoubtedly you would want to know just where this island jewel lies.  Basically it forms part of Las Palmas which is a province of Spain.  Lanzarote and Gran Canaria are the other islands in the province.  Considered as the oldest among the Canary Island, it has a contrastingly modern landscape because of the weathering of its original land features.

No volcano can be seen in Fuerteventura but there are numerous evidences which attest to the activity based on the topology of the island.  Located at the most eastern portion of the Canary Island, majority of the sand on its beaches are believed to have washed up from the Sahara.  This is considered as the reason for the formation of the 125 miles of beach area of Fuerteventura which is considered as one of the finest in the world.

Fuerteventura is basically an elongated island with 1660 square kilometers of land area.  It is 100 km long and 31 km wide which is very ideal for tourists who want to enjoy trekking or nature hiking.  The island is basically composed of six municipalities:

1.    La Oliva
2.    Betancuria
3.    Puerto del Rosario
4.    Tuineje
5.    Pajara
6.    Antigua

These municipalities provide tourists with ample destinations for sunbathing, watersports, and all around beach fun activities.  With such wide choices of activities and features, it is a definite must that your trip to Fuerteventura should be well planned.

Vacation Climate of Fuerteventura

One of the best reasons to spend your holiday vacation in Fuerteventura is that it features a pleasant climate all year round which is ideal for any tourist.  The island is also sometimes called the Island of Eternal Spring.  The name of the island literally translates to Strong Wind or Strong Fortune with the sea adjusting temperatures to ensure that the hot winds of the Sahara are blown away from Fuerteventura.

Average high in terms of temperature during the winter months is about 22 degrees Celsius with lows of 15 degrees Celsius.  Mean highs during summer is 35 degrees Celsius with lows of 20 degrees Celsius.  Fuerteventura is expected to have an average of 147mm precipitation every year with majority occurring during winter and autumn.

Highest rainfall experienced in Fuerteventura normally happens in October.  High temperatures with accompanying low visibility and dry air are caused by Calima or sandstorms coming from the southwestern direction of the Sahara Desert.

Only a 4 to 5 hour flight time from the UK, this well known and ever popular holiday destination is ideally situated a mere one hundred and twenty seven kilometers off west African coastline and measures a mere 307 square miles, but size isn’t everything. Lanzarote gives you thrilling night life, unforgettable landscapes, family friendly vacation resorts and beautiful beaches – you’ll struggle not to find something for all ages on this hospitable unspoilt island.

The coastline of Lanzarote consists of breathtaking cliffs and simply picturesque beaches. Quite a few of the top beaches are only accessible by a small hike or by charter boat, but the privacy you’ll discover will make the trip well worth the effort. Lanzarote’s majestic cliff line and rugged outcrops are usually best seen from the sea on any of the wide selection of well prepared sight-seeing excursions. Meanwhile further inland you can experience the astonishing Timanfaya park’s craters and lava fields that makes this unfathomable landscape a undeniably unparalleled discovery.

Dining out in Lanzarote should certainly be a pleasurable adventure as the dishes of Lanzarote fuse at the same time the conventional excellent recipes of Spain, with incredible African spices. Traditional rustic meals can be found in most villages and towns, but if you prefer the taste of the sea you will find really good seafood bistros are commonplace in most of the resorts and villages along the coast. You might want to try the traditional goats cheese accompanied by some Lanzarotean Sangria, it’s supposedly quite a bit more potent than the Spanish version.

Locating a good location to stay needn’t cause a challenge as there will be a significant variety of visitors accommodation to select from on Lanzarote varying from more modern purpose built areas on the coast to peaceful cottages inland. Whether you’re looking around for a remote weekend getaway or a longer stay on the island, you’ll discover gorgeous Lanzarote villas to select from for any period and some of the rural holiday villas are also in beautiful locations.

Quite a few of the islands travellers opt to stay in the island resort of Playa Blanca since this is a well-known family friendly resort to the south of the island, where there is a pretty good variety of Playa Blanca villas available at affordable prices. The area provides the best micro-climate on Lanzarote, and it also benefits from spectacular views right across the Bocaina Straits to neighbouring Fuerteventura (home of plenty of photo-shoots), and the tiny islet of Los Lobos.

Playa Blanca is a amiable, peaceful vacation resort which is definitely not seen as being night life central as quite a few of the more vibrant locations of the island, amazingly, instead the focal point here is on protecting the charisma and peace of its working history.