Fuerteventura - Island of Rocks!

Updated 29-10-98.

Fuerteventura is one of the Canary Islands (Islas Canarias), a few miles off the coast of Morocco, North-West Africa. Update: Photos from our holiday in Fuerte (and Lanzarote) in 2003.
church with palms yet another volcano floating door
Churches nestle among palms and volcanoes Volcano-side Did Rene Magritte ever visit here?

Fuerte = strong, Ventura = wind. The wind never stops which is refreshing. The island is the home of the world speed-surfing championship. A lot of the green you see is lichen or algae - there is no grass on the island except at the airport car park!
lighthouse tower building
Didn't see this lighthouse - what's it called? The constant wind means no-one needs a spin-drier Typical buildings

The American Star, snapped in half like the Titanic, is beached on the Atlantic coast of the island.
American Star longshot American Star medium shot American Star close-up
Whoops Swimming is not usually permitted on the West Coast due to strong undercurrents The American Star has over 400 cabins

The Sahara desert is only 60 miles to the East.
sign John V. Keogh Camel
Camel rides are popular with the tourists - like me! (JVK) - but the camels are not so keen

They breed enough camels on Fuerteventura to be able to export them regularly.
camel driver driver and driven camel train
One of our polite, friendly camel drivers Driver and driven We're Morocco bound

The sun disperses any clouds by 10am and keeps shining until sunset. It's hot, but not humid: a comfortable dry heat.
camel with baseball cap church sunset
Coolio camello There is one priest to 5 churches in some areas And here is a sunset...

Fuerteventura has 225 beaches. Parts of "Lawrence of Arabia" were filmed in the dunes on Fuerteventura.
beach big landscape bushes
This is beach number 224... Big country Vegetation is very sparse

The beach at Morro de Jable is 23 km long. Annual rainfall is up to 5" a year - but only in the winter.
beach market lake
Beaches outside the resorts are deserted The street market is now in Caleta de Fuste There are two fresh-water lakes on Fuerte

The island was deforested by goats: now there is not enough water retained to be able to grow crops. The water supply comes from desalination plants powered by wind farms. Vines and tomato plants are individually watered by systems of hoses.
rocks desert Pieter
A dream holiday for a geologist That's not a hill! It's yet another volcano in the distance Pieter Delaleeuw photographed and edited the video of the camel-rides

Canary Islands and Fuerteventura Links

The background was made with Deluxe Paint and the video was grabbed with Paloma and reduced with Photogenics on an Amiga 4000

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