Driving to Betancuria: Fuerteventura

We often visit Fuerteventura; Jack has been coming here since he was very small and absolutely loves it. We also have family who live in La Oliva making for a cheap holiday and easy access to the sun and sea. This year, we decided that we needed more car adventures and wanted to explore more of the island. I wanted this to include driving to Betancuria, the ancient capital of the island. Along the way, we would stop at Antigua and Ajuy, both beautiful towns in their own right.

Before we began our road trip, we stocked up on the essentials. Water, baked goods and cheesy music and began the road trip to Betancuria. Quite frankly, it proved to be a lot more epic than we first thought.

Driving to Betancuria

We set off at around 08:00am. It gets really hot in August and we had to tick a few places off the list before the heat became unbearable.

First stop was the local bakery, Mi Dulce Hogar, for two of their ringed donuts and a much needed coffee. Armed with our breakfast, we descended into the heart of this desert island, driving to Betancuria.

Stop 1 – Antigua

Our first road trip stop was Antigua, the capital of the central region of Fuerteventura. I had heard that it was quite a pretty village, and I was keen to visit. It’s also the gateway to the mountain roads we inevitably had to brave to reach the more perilous locations!

After a good forty minutes, we reached Antigua and had a look around. They were preparing for the Carnival, and annual party that takes place across the island each year. Flags were everywhere and the streets were being cleaned in anticipation.

The town was rather empty, which meant that we could spend time exploring its streets and seeing the different sights.

The two key things to see here is the square (with a corresponding Spanish-style church) and the cheese museum, which you can read in my blog post here.

Antigua also boasts a terrific view of the mountains in the distance. This showed us what we were up against in terms of mountain roads as you could see the light reflect off the cars as they ascended.

It looked windy and scary. Jack said that he had been on them before but never driven them himself. This naturally filled me with the upmost confidence that I was going to make it to lunchtime.

Driving to Betancuria had now become rather stressful. Not even the cheesy music, featuring 80s and 90s iconic anthems, could lighten the mood. It was like a rollercoaster ride, which seems a good idea, until you begin realising how high you really are.

The roads (FV-30) were relatively windy, but luckily could squeeze two cars at a time. We slowly made our way up and I was able to admire the views across the almost-Martian landscape.

Stop 2 – Mirador de Guise y Ayose

After one extremely steep corner, we reached the peak of the mountain and actually a pretty cool viewpoint. Mirador de Guise y Ayose offers amazing views out across the north of the island. On it stand two large men, who represent the Kings of ancient Fuerteventura. It is famously a stargazing spot, but I can’t say I am in a rush to brave the road back after dusk.

There is also weirdly a restaurant up here, but that requires even more climbing up a windy road. Either way, these views alone made driving to Betancuria worth it.

Stop 3 – Betancuria

After soaking in the view, we began our way down the mountain. In the distance we saw Betancuria as a green scar amongst a sandy hillside.

Driving to Betancuria is not without its perils, but the road down to the sleepy village makes it all worthwhile. It feels as if you have discovered a lost world as it looks so much greener than the rest of the island.

Despite it being relatively early, it was already relatively busy. Betancuria, unlike Antigua, is very much on the tourist trail and it was only going to get worse as the day progressed.

After parking up (you weirdly have to pay here, but don’t in any of the significantly bigger and busier towns), we wandered up into the village. It was incredibly pretty, with different trees and flowers bringing out tropical bursts of colours. I felt more like I was in Latin America rather than the Canary Islands, but I wasn’t complaining; it was gorgeous.

We walked about for a short while, taking in the smells, sights and peaceful sounds. Whilst there is not a lot to see here, you come to Betancuria to be transported back to the past and to really see a sleepy side of the island.

There is also an excellent museum on history of the island, along with a pretty church, the Iglesia de Santa Maria, and plenty of restaurants, although we were slightly early for lunch.

After a good hour of sight-seeing and photo-taking, we got back into our trusty little car and decided to drive to Ajuy, the next part of the road trip.

After driving to Betancuria via that mountain road, we had assumed that the ridge had been crossed and that there would not be any further issues. How naive we were.

Just five minutes after we left, we realised that we were again ascending. This time though, there was an almost-vertical drop on one side, with no metal barrier. Instead, large blocks of white concrete guarded the edge of the road which, whilst likely (?) sturdier, had gaps in the middle which meant I could see the long way down. To make matters worse, it went on into eternity.

At one point, the road turned a corner and we were greeted with a large valley of tall mountains and deep drops. I could see the white dots snaking up it, showing where our journey would take us, which made us shudder with anticipation.

To make matters worse, the road was only wide enough for one and half cars, making the entire process more stressful. Slow and steady doesn’t begin to describe our driving style, although clearly some of the other road users hadn’t received the memo that there was a cliff right next to us!

Stop 4 – Mirador del Risco de Las Peñas

Half-way along the road, we paused at the Mirador del Risco de Las Peñas to take in the view.

We could see the mountains fall back down to the coast and, whilst it was pretty, we really just wanted to get back in the car and be done with the road.

After what seemed like a good few hours (more like twenty minutes!), we made it off the road and were back at sea-level. We were just a stone-throw away from Ajuy now and the final part of our road trip.

Ajuy

Ajuy is a small fishing town on the Western Coast. It is famous for having a black-sand beach and for the unique geological features, namely caves made from ancient lava plumes.

Legend tells tales of pirates who would hide their treasure here before going back to plunder parts of the Atlantic.

Parking here is a bit of an issue. We would recommend parking at the very first car park that you see as you enter. If you leave it too late, you end up in a maze of ‘no entries’ and ‘one way’, which can leave even the locals feeling confused.

Once parked up, we headed up a steep path on the beach towards the caves. The path is right on the cliff-face and so we were battered by the wind and sun. The temperature had picked up and so it was sweaty work hiking across the uneven surface.

The caves were about a kilometre from the start of the path, but the views of the coast and cliffs were very impressive and picturesque. We probably left it a bit too late though as it was quite busy and walking was slow and stop-start.

After around twenty minutes, we finally made it to the caves. We walked down the wooden steps into the mouth of one of the biggest. The waves battered the rocks at the entrance and made me question how on earth pirates had gotten over them.

The cave went back a fair way and, apart from the main atrium, the surface was rocky and not suited for our footwear. Either way, it was very impressive and made for an excellent end to our trip.

After this point, we decided to head back to the North, find a little restaurant (Ajuy is rather expensive) and enjoy a pizza and a beer; just what we needed.

Whilst driving to Betancuria may be filled with interesting roads, each stop along the way made it worth it.

The sights of Fuerteventura are criminally underrated, and most tourists just go for the all-inclusive option, which is a great shame. If you ever come to the island, make a point of exploring. It makes it come alive.

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My Travel Tips and Recommendations

Flights

My usual go-to for booking flights is Skyscanner, the flight search engine. What I love about Skycanner is that you have various options depending on your situation. If you know where you want to go it’s easy – all you need is to search for your destination and dates, and you are provided with all flight options to choose from. If you haven’t decided on your next trip yet, you can use the Everywhere tool for inspiration and to find the cheapest places to fly to.

Accommodation

Whenever I plan my travels Booking.com is my best friend. The website is super easy to use and provides a whole range of accommodation from fancy resorts to budget hotels. Jack and I also regularly use Airbnb – in particular, for staycations in the UK.

Things I can’t travel without

As a travel blogger and keen photographer I never travel without my trusty technology. Always packed are my

Canon EOS M3
GoPro Hero5 Black
I’m also saving for a DJI Mavic Pro

Travel Insurance

It is so important to be prepared for all possibilities when travelling and you simply shouldn’t travel without insurance. I would personally recommend World Nomads or the Post Office – both are affordable and certainly won’t break the bank.

Driving to Betancuria: Fuerteventura