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Walking on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

Looking down the path from Montaña de Cardón to Montaña Redondo (Walk 28, Fuerteventura)

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the two easternmost Canary Islands, closest to the west coast of Africa and the Sahara Desert. Rather oddly, these two islands lie closer together than any of the other islands, but at the same time lie further from their neighbours than any of the other islands. They also lie lower than the more mountainous islands further west, and as a result have less rainfall, making them appear particularly arid in many places and even quite desert-like at times. With little shade, walkers need to protect themselves from the sun as much as possible. These islands are often windier than their western counterparts, and occasionally lie in the path of dust storms from the Sahara Desert.

Walking off-trail on lava flows is not recommended, as thin rock crusts may conceal deep holes

Despite the scarcity of water on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, agriculture is important. Extensive areas have been farmed in the past, but many of these parts have been abandoned, with efforts concentrated elsewhere. Most walkers prefer the hillier regions with their extensive views, rather than the lowlands, and most of the walks in this book enjoy some measure of elevation. In recent years many of the old paths in the hills, often linking villages together, have been cleared, restored, signposted and waymarked. Also, a long distance trail, designated as the GR 131, stretches along the length of both islands, as well as crossing other islands further west. Walks on Lanzarote are described in the first half of this book, with walks on Fuerteventura described in the second half.