Fuerteventura by car Tour 01
Ajuy · Pájara · Sicasumbre · La Pared
Costa Calma → Ajuy → Pájara → Mirador Sicasumbre → La Pared → (optional: starry sky)
Half a day · rental car · approx. 120 km · Finale: sunset on the cliffs
Culture, caves, astronomy and the best sunset on the island – all in a single day. This tour takes you into the quiet interior of the island that most holidaymakers never see. No hotel pool, no surf package, nothing from the travel brochure. Instead: rock that was sea floor around 100 million years ago, a church whose portal nobody can explain, a viewpoint from which you see both coasts at once – and at the end the cliffs of La Pared with the sun directly above the Atlantic. If you like, stay on for the best starry sky in the Canary Islands. This is not a day trip. This is the day you will remember later.
Start Costa Calma
Have breakfast before you set off – at Fuerte Bar or Noes Bar in the CC El Palmeral, Costa Calma. Pack water and snacks for the road. There are no supermarkets along the west coast route. A short stop at 1STone Art & Design in El Palmeral, Local 8, is worth it – individual gemstone jewellery, on the island since 1997. One-of-a-kind pieces you do not order online. Then head west.
Toni’s Non Solo Cafe – If you are looking for more than just a coffee, a great breakfast for example, you are in exactly the right place. Learn more
Toni´s Non Solo Cafe
Wer nicht nur einen Cafe sondern auch ein tolles
Frühstück oder mehr sucht ist hier genau richtig.
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Ajuy - The oldest rock in the Canary Islands
Ajuy is the first stop – and for many the most impressive one of the day. The small fishing village lies on the west coast: black volcanic sand, a few boats, two restaurants, no hurry. What makes Ajuy special is not on the beach but behind it: the Cuevas de Ajuy are sea caves in rock that is around 100 million years old – the oldest rock in the Canary Islands. When the islands did not yet exist, this rock was already sea floor. You walk along a narrow path above the cliffs, climb down into the caves and end up facing the open Atlantic – waves, wind, not a soul. Sturdy shoes are a must, the path is uneven and wet in places.
After the caves: lunch at Restaurante Ajuy right on the beach. Fresh fish, sea view, fair prices. One of the most honest lunch tables on the island. Arrive before 1:30 pm – after that it gets crowded and the waits get long.
Insider tip: The path to the caves also passes the Arco de Jurado – a natural rock arch right above the sea. Most visitors do not even notice it. Keep your eyes open.
Safety: Do not go into the water – the current on the west coast at Ajuy is extremely dangerous, even when the water looks calm.
Restaurant – Learn more
Ajuy – Town description in detail (German)
Restaurant
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Restaurant
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Ajuy – Town description in detail (German)
Pájara The church with the Aztec-style portal
From Ajuy you drive back towards Pájara – a quiet village in the interior of the island that most guidebooks dismiss with half a sentence. Unjustly so. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla is one of the most puzzling churches in the whole Spanish colonial empire: the stone portal is decorated with Aztec-looking motifs – snakes, geometric patterns, figures that have no connection at all to the European church architecture of the 17th century. Where these influences come from has still not been conclusively explained. Some researchers suspect links to the New World, others see local craftsmen at work who developed their own visual language. The church has stood since 1687 – and the portal still looks exactly as it did then.
A short coffee in the village, a stroll through the lanes. Pájara makes no attempt to be touristy. That is exactly why it is worth it.
Insider tip: There is a small bar on the square in the village – no sign, no menu, just walk in where the locals sit. Best coffee on the route.
Cafe – The best cafe on the whole route. Learn more
Pájara – Town description in detail (German)
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Cafe
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The way back Mirador Astronómico de Sicasumbre
We drive the same route back towards Costa Calma, with two new stops.
The Mirador de Sicasumbre is one of the least known and at the same time most spectacular viewpoints on the island. It lies on the mountain ridge in the south – and offers one of the widest views Fuerteventura has to give: in clear weather the panorama reaches to the southern tip of the island, the Jandía peninsula and the open Atlantic behind it with the Playa de Cofete. In the afternoon the light gets softer, the heat eases, the colours of the landscape change. The photos you take here do not look like holiday photos.
The viewpoint is officially certified for astronomy – a Starlight Reserve, one of the darkest skies in Europe. That becomes relevant again after sunset.
Hidden gem: Mirador de Sicasumbre (German)
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La Pared Sunset on the cliffs
La Pared lies on the west coast – a small village, hardly any infrastructure, but a location that has no equal. The cliffs drop straight into the open Atlantic, no lagoon, no sandbar, no reef in between – just rock and sea. The sun sets here directly above the horizon, without any detour. In summer around 8:00-8:15 pm. Arrive early and secure a good spot.
La Pared is also one of the best surf spots on the island – wild waves, strong currents. Watching yes, going into the water no.
Insider tip: Pack a jacket – at La Pared it is cold and windy in the evening, even in high summer. If you underestimate that, you end up shivering at the most beautiful sunset of your trip.
Right at the viewpoint: Caretta Beach Bar – fish, cocktails, sea view. The right address for the hunger after the sunset.
Caretta Beach – The restaurant is right on the black north beach of La Pared. Learn more
La Pared – Detailed town description (German)
Caretta Beach
Das Restaurant liegt direkt am
schwarzen Nordstrand von La Pared.
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Restaurant
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Optional: Sicasumbre - The starry sky
If you still have energy: 20 minutes back to Sicasumbre. After dark, hardly any light pollution far and wide, an astronomically recognised observation point. The Milky Way is visible here with the naked eye – a white band across the sky that simply does not exist in central Europe. No telescope needed, just darkness and a little patience until your eyes adjust. Whoever takes this in will remember it longer than any beach of this trip.
Mirador de Sicasumbre – hidden gem (German)
At a glance
Start: 9:30 am
Distance: approx. 120 km round trip, approx. 2-2.5 hours driving time without stops
Rental car: A must – none of the spots can be reached without a car
Shoes: Sturdy shoes for the Ajuy caves – a must
Jacket: For La Pared and Sicasumbre in the evening – a must
Water & snacks: Pack before you leave – no shops along the route
Lunch: Restaurante Ajuy – arrive before 1:30 pm
Safety: Ajuy & La Pared – do not go into the water, the current is life-threatening
Budget: approx. 30-60 EUR per person (food + coffee) plus rental car
