CORRALEJO & ISLA DE LOBOS NATURAL PARKS

Jordi Santanyí on the road to Corralejo

Today, Tonyi Tamaki and her friends have decided to visit two natural parks in the north of Lanzarote: Corralejo, known by its spectacular dunes and Isla de Lobos a little paradise in the Atlantic. Tonyi loves desert landscapes and this trip has been an incredible experience under desert environment.

During the travel from Betancuria to La Oliva, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Intermediate Language Practice manual (Grammar 32).

More information: Time Expressions

Corralejo is a town and resort located on the northern tip of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, facing the smaller islet of Lobos. It is in the municipality of La Oliva. It is surrounded to the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, by dunes to the south and by arid desert land to the west that leads to the western coast and El Cotillo.

Once a traditional fishing village, the town has grown significantly and today is one of the two main tourist towns on the island of Fuerteventura. Thanks to the large expat population, the town has a diverse population that varies from the local Spaniard, to the Irish, British, German and Finnish people who have settled in the resort.

Joseph visits El Barranco de los Enamorados

The area has 7 miles of fine sand starting 2 miles outside of Corralejo, alongside some smaller bays across the coast. In addition, there are several miles of sand dunes located nearby, which have been designated as a nature reserve.

The waters around Corralejo are clear and an intense shade of blue, but are affected by strong currents. The town's beaches are somewhat more sheltered and have a band of volcanic rock along the shoreline. The area that currently contains the tourist resort and surrounding dunes was where Gadifer de la Salle and his expedition first landed on Fuerteventura in 1402.

They had landed on neighbouring Lanzarote in the Summer of 1402, where they concluded a peace agreement with the local population and established a fortress from which they would coordinate their conquest of Fuerteventura.

More information: Hello Canary Islands

Jean de Béthencourt, who led the expedition to the islands, took a group of his men across the water from their fortress in Lanzarote to explore Fuerteventura.

On that first landing, Béthencourt remained on board the ship while La Salle and Remonnet de Levedan went ashore to explore the island and look for locals. The arid North of the island was not densely populated and the conquistadors found little in the way of local life.

While La Salle was on Fuerteventura, he and his party stayed for eight days on their first landing, a mutiny had broken out on the ship where Béthencourt and his men remained. The mutiny was carried out by men who demanded Béthencourt return to mainland Europe to get supplies. While Béthencourt was away, La Salle made his second landing on Fuerteventura, again using the area around Corralejo as their landing site.

Tina & Isla de Lobos, from Corralejo Natural Park

They made the crossing from the Lanzarote fortress in October 1402, landing on the Island of Lobos to hunt the local seal population that lived there. Lobos is positioned 2 kilometres north east of Corralejo and made a convenient base to hunt, with the island's seals being valuable for food, while their skins were used to make simple shoes. After a few days on the island, La Salle sent Levedan back to the fortress on Lanzarote to replenish their supplies, with the group in particular need of water- Lobos has no fresh water source.

Another mutiny on Lanzarote meant that, on its arrival, the boat Levedan was in command of was taken over by the mutineer members of Béthencourt's army of conquest. This left La Salle and his men trapped on the island of Lobos without a source of food or water.

Those who remained loyal to Béthencourt on Lanzarote would use a flimsy boat to rescue La Salle and his men from Lobos.

More information: Guide to Canary Islands

Lobos is a small island of the Canary Islands located just 2 kilometres north of the island of Fuerteventura. Politically it belongs to the municipality of La Oliva on the island of Fuerteventura. It has an area of 4.68 square kilometres. It has been a nature reserve (Parque Natural del Islote de Lobos) since 1982.

The island is accessible to tourists via a short ferry ride from Corralejo, in the north of Fuerteventura. It has day facilities and weekend homes of local fishermen.

Arriving by boat to Isla de Lobos

At the northeastern end of the island is the Punta Martiño Lighthouse, the lighthouse keeper and his family were the last permanent inhabitants of Lobos, until the light was automated in the 1960s.

In 1405, Lobos Island served as resupply base for Jean de Béthencourt's conquest of Fuerteventura.

Lobos Island (Wolves Island) was named for the large number of sea wolves, also called monk seals, that once lived there. The monk seals were the island's only inhabitants when it was discovered by the Spanish conquerors of the Canaries archipelago in the fifteenth century, but with the arrival of man, these animals were hunted on a massive scale by sailors and fishermen who saw them as a source of food, fat and skin. As a result of this hunting, the species eventually became extinct on the island and its presence now is only occasional.

Lobos Island, like the rest of the Canary Islands, is a volcanic island. Its age is estimated between 6,000 and 8,000 years. The highest point is on the island's volcanic caldera, Montaña La Caldera, 127 metres above sea level. The island includes a small lake, but the low rainfall creates an arid landscape.

More information: Excursion to Isla de Lobos

Despite being a desert and a volcanic landscape, Lobos Island has a large number of natural habitats. There are over 130 plant species, including the siempreviva (Limonium ovalifolium), which is endemic to the island, and the Sea Uvilla (Tetraena fontanesii) which is very attractive because of its shape and color.

Likewise, birds are an important feature of the island: it has a great variety of seabirds that usually nest on cliffs and rocks. Among these species are the shearwater Cinderella, little shearwater and the herring gull. Also in residence are the storm petrel, Bulwer's petrel and yellow-legged gull. In addition to birds a great diversity of fish can be spotted in its waters. Of these abound old fish (Canarian fish), barracuda, hammerhead shark, bream and striped fish.

Tonyi Tamaki visits Isla de Lobos

Because of its great ecological diversity the site has been designated as a protected zone, the Parque Natural del Islote de Lobos. It has also been declared a special protection area (SPA) for birds. Recent archaeological findings have concluded that Ancient Rome established a, possibly seasonal, settlement in the island, related with the obtention of purple dye. In 1405 Lobos Island served as resupply base for Jean de Béthencour's conquest of Fuerteventura. Until 1968 the only inhabitants of the island were the lighthouse keeper and his family, who had the responsibility for operating the Faro de Lobos lighthouse located at Punta Martiño at the northern tip of the island, a prominent local landmark, his name was Antonito; a school in the town of Corralejo was named after him.

More information: Visit Fuerteventura

The island was one of the first natural areas of the Canary Islands to be designated as a natural park in 1982. Later the island was also designated an area of special protection for birds, and many marine species of migratory birds inhabit the island.

The island is a popular location for day trips for tourists visiting from Fuerteventura who have an interest in flora, fauna and geology. Regular boat services ferry passengers from Corralejo harbour during daylight hours.

To protect the natural landscape from human impact, access is limited to restricted areas and to a series of walking trails, marked by directional signs to protect the conservation areas. The paths take visitors from the boat jetty through a varied landscape, including to the lighthouse at Punto Martino and to the top of the caldera. There is a small, sheltered sea lagoon, Playa de la Concha, with a sandy beach for bathing. Since 2007 it is prohibited to camp on the island.

More information: The Telegraph

I love the sea's sounds and the way it reflects the sky. 

The colours that shimmer across its surface are unbelievable.

This, combined with the colour of the water over white sand, 

surprises me every time.

John Dyer