Fuerteventura

Why Visit?

Fuerteventura might sound already familiar to you. It has been home of the World Kiteboarding Freestyle World Tour for many years and place for many brands of the industry to test their gear or make their annual meetings. "Fuerte" is one of the 7 Canary Islands, geographically part of the African continent, this Spanish island is located in the middle of the Atlantic, 2h 30min from Madrid by plane and 100km from Tarfaya, África.

Being a local... What can I say about my place? Well, I can assure you I've been in many other countries, and places in the world (Philippines, Brazil, USA, Cape Town) and I still believe Fuerteventura is impressive. You got a nice temperature 12 months a year if you don't have wind you have waves, beautiful beaches to lay down, roads in the middle of nowhere to get lost, mountains to climb (yes, we have some), landscapes to enjoy and photograph... We also have parties, amazing parties! Fuerteventura should be on your list of places to visit kiteboarding related.

Wind and Weather

The average temperature of Fuerteventura is 20ºC. In summer we can get +30ºC and in winter 18ºC. Lovely, right? The predominant wind here is called "Alicia". The windy season goes from March to August.  This doesn't mean we have wind every single day (at least in the north of the island) and it doesn't mean we don't have a wind at all in the offseason but, if you want to get something closer to 100%, your time to visit the island is between June-August.

Blessed with beautiful sunsets.

I get this asked many times, and I'll try to make it clear. No, don't come to Fuerteventura in September, it is famous between fisherman and surfers because, typically, the wind shuts completely down* *Note, with the climatic change this might differ a little bit which means, maybe you find wind in September, perhaps not in May or June but usually the island is a wind machine.

Getting Around

Unluckily, public transport on the island is not very efficient and it doesn't have many stops (especially not to the beach) so better get yourself a car, hitchhiking is also an option. Taxi can be an option if you're not living far from the beach but it is the more expensive option.

Getting There

Luckily Fuerteventura is very well connected. There's a lot of offers around Europe to fly here and a lot of direct flights. Which is the best company? Well, I recommend you to check first the baggage allowance since you will be coming with a board bag and... that's it. Easy. Most of the companies flying here are quite good.

Freestyle heaven.

There are also two other options I might recommend in case you find the prices are lower:

1) Via LANZAROTE (ACE). You can take a direct flight there (if it's not direct I wouldn't recommend it) and then:
1.1) Take another flight to Fuerteventura.
1.2.) Take a 1-hour bus + 15 minutes boat (more recommended option). This option allows you to see a bit of another island and cross the littler straight we have between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura and see Lobos Island from close. It's is beautiful!

2) Via Gran Canaria (LPA). Fly to LPA and then:
2.1. Take a flight to Fuerteventura.
2.2. Take a boat to Fuerteventura (there are two companies, Armas and Fred Olsen).

Catching a session to herself.

Food and Drink

In Fuerteventura, you can find a good and wide variety of food at various price ranges. There's a lot of local places with typical food from the island, some are fancier, some are less... but in Fuerteventura, there's something ruling, not the most elegant place is the tastiest one (when it comes to typical food). Water is not supposed to be drunk from the tap. Buy it at the supermarket.

I recommend you to try the following food:

- Gofio.
- Caldo de Pescado.
- Papas con mojo.
- Lapas.
- Goat cheese.
-Any fresh fish.

Julia going big!

We also got some rum's made in the Canaries and some typical wines you should try. And, if you like natural homemade ice-cream, power smoothies, energy and healthy cakes... It's your lucky day! After your session in Flag Beach, you can visit Secreto del Sur. It' less than 5 minutes from the beach and it will be the perfect way of refuelling after your session. Honestly, if I go, I would have breakfast there, food and dinner!! So tasty (and healthy)!

Nightlife

Depending on when you come to the island there may be a lot of parties, usually something is going on the weekends. In summer almost every day you'll find some cool parties, and for sure you'll be able to have some fun.

No Wind?

If there's no wind, it looks like there's nothing you can do on the island, but I'm going to make a list of things you can do if there's no wind:

Going for the pass.

- Take the car and get lost (there are some key spots you should visit.)

-Learn to dive

Internet

Internet on the island works well. There's Wi-Fi in almost every bar or restaurant, and you can also get a sim-card to have some internet while on the go.

Julia at home!

Accommodation

There's a bunch of places to stay at Fuerteventura. Depending on where you are going to stay, north or south and the budget and the kind of hotel you are looking for. Tripadvisor can be a really good help on this.