Corralejo, situated in the north of Fuerteventura, is about 40 minutes’ drive from the Airport and attracts a mix of tourists from all over Europe. The town manages to retain some of the character from its days as a dusty port outpost, giving it more appeal than many purpose-built tourist resorts. There is a large, slightly Bohemian, ex-Pat community here, many of whom are Surfers attracted by the adjacent North Shore breaks, further adding to Corralejo’s scruffy charm.
Corralejo is a lively resort with a great choice of cafes, bars and restaurants – the atmospheric Plaza Felix Estevez (Music Square) is a small pedestrianised plaza filled with the tables and chairs of its wall-to-wall restaurants. Nightlife, focused around Centro Atlantico, should satisfy most, as long as they don’t expect Magaluf-style debauchery.
Orientation
Corralejo’s ‘old town’ is located around the port at the northern end of the resort. From there, the resort’s main shopping street, the Avenida de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (formerly Avenida General Franco), leads south towards the outskirts of town and the motorway. This busy commercial street is lined with modern shop frontages, but lacks the charm of the scruffier ‘old town’ with its many bars, cafes and restaurants. The beaches are located to the south and east of the port, eventually leading to the dunes, some 3km from the centre of town.
Parque Natural de Corralejo
The Parque Natural de Corralejo, just south of the town boasts nearly 8Km of white sand beaches backed by stunning sand dunes (a photographers dream with long evening shadows). Unfortunately, two large hotels were built in the area before it was designated as a natural park in 1994. Every November, the International Kite Festival is held at El Burro Beach, a great spectacle, well worth a visit with lots of family activities.
Sunbathers aren’t short of space in Corralejo; the town beaches tend to offer a little more shelter, though there can be a bit of harbour-rubbish in the sea here. If you are heading to the Parque Natural (dunes), try to get there early and head for the small zucco’s (stone semi-circular shelters) which offer protection from the wind.
There are plenty of beaches for surfing, wind surfing and kite surfing with a number of schools if you would like a lesson or two. The harbour/marina in Corralejo offers fishing, jet-ski and glass bottom boat excursions along with day trips to Isla de Lobos (a small island just north of Corralejo) and regular ferries to Playa Blanca in nearby Lanzarote (just 30 minutes away). A small Water Park (Acua) is located at the Southern end of town (closed during the Winter months).
Click here for details on how to get to Corralejo from the airport.
Further Reading
Corralejo Excursions
Top 5 things to do in Corralejo
How to get to Corralejo from Fuerteventura Airport
The Sand Dunes of Corralejo
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