Take a photo tour of Fuerteventura’s magnificent Corralejo dunes nature park:
- the white dunes,
- dark volcanic rock,
- and turquoise water.
Here’s our guide to help you plan your visit to the Corralejo dunes: map, what to do, activities, beaches…
BEFORE ALL OUR TIPS, OUR favorites
Our favorite car rental platform with great offers: DiscoverCars
Our favorite activities:
North: visit to Lobos Island – see availability
South: dolphin-watching tower – see availability
Our favorite hotels:
Boutique: Hotel INNSide Fuerteventura in Costa Calma
5 stars: Hotel Secret Bahia in Corralejo
Adults-only: Hotel Barcelo Roya Level in Caleta de Fuste
Family: Hotel Iberostar Playa Gaviotas in Morro Jable
This opinion is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Why visit the Corralejo Dunes Natural Park in Fuerteventura?
What is Corralejo Natural Park?
The local name is Parque Natural de las Dunas de Corralejo.
This is one of Fuerteventura’s main attractions.
This is a protected area, easily accessible from the north of the island. The 2.6 ha of sand dunes were incorporated into the park in 1982.
Is it worth a visit?
Absolutely!!! It’s a surprise on these volcanic islands to see such a large area covered with sand dunes.
Most of the time, there are only a few small ones. But here, they are a few metres high and cover a large area.
What’s more, the white sand contrasts with the dark volcanic rocks and turquoise water where the dunes reach the beach.
It’s a fascinating world that never stops changing with the light.
Origin of the Corralejo Dunes
There’s a rumor that these dunes were formed by sand blown in from the Sahara. This is not true.
This story sounds magical and inspiring, but it’s been scientifically proven not to be true (the sand has been analyzed many times).
They were formed like beaches by the disintegration of shellfish and marine organisms.
Beneath these metres of sand lies a typical volcanic bedrock.
Tips: How to get to the Corralejo dunes
Before showing you more photos, here are our practical tips for visiting the dunes.
Where the dunes are
- on the island’s northeast coast
- just south of the town of Corralejo
- Corralejo in the center of the dunes = 15min drive
- Caleta de Fuste in the middle of the dunes = 30min drive
- Costa Calma (southern peninsula) to the dunes = 1h20min
- Morro Jable in the center of the dunes = 1h30 drive
- Here’s a map to help you get your bearings
How to get to the Corralejo dunes by car
If you rent a car in Fuerteventura, access to the natural park is fairly easy. The FV1a road allows you to cross it.
The road is in good condition, with one lane in each direction.
There are several parking areas along the road.
At the southern end of the park stands the 300m-high Montana Roja volcano.
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN Fuerteventura
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars – one of the best rated sites.
- A small car is all you need.
- But you can also choose a larger one if you wish, as the parking spaces are rather large.
- There’s a lot of demand and it’s an island, so book early.
Excursions to the Corralejo dunes
If you don’t have a car, you can take part in one of the excursions that show you the different aspects of Fuerteventura’s landscapes, including the dunes. They also cover mountains and sea caves.
- From the northern cities, the panoramic tour covers many fantastic locations – see program and book.
- From the seaside resorts in the south, this tour of the island takes you north to the dunes and a volcano – see program and book.
(see more ideas for guided excursions)
Buggy tours around the dunes
If you want something a little more adventurous, you can also take part in a buggy tour in Fuerteventura that gets your adrenalin pumping around the dunes.
Keep control of your vehicle and enjoy the unique off-road scenery!
See the program and book
Can you walk from the town of Corralejo to the sand dunes?
Yes, it’s possible.
You can walk along the beaches to the hotel and Riu and then continue on to the dunes.
It takes about 1h30 to reach the middle of the natural park.
Alternatively, there’s a bus that runs to the Riu hotel at the start of the dunes every hour or half-hour (depending on the day and time). It’s number 6. Consult the schedule
Where to stay near Corralejo Dunes Natural Park
If you want to stay close to the sand dunes to capture their beauty at sunrise and sunset, you can stay in the big hotels at the beginning of the park (they were built before the area was protected):
- Hotel Riu Palace Tres Islas – prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel Riu Oliva Beach Resort – prices, pictures and availability
WHERE TO STAY IN Corralejo
Option 1: the old town
Easy-access beach and many restaurants. We recommend..:
- Hotel La Marquesina, small hotel above the beach – see prices, photos and availability
Option 2: around the central beaches
Sandy beaches and stores. We recommend..:
- Secrets Bahia Hotel and its 5-star luxury – see prices, pictures and availability
- Barcelo Corralejo Sands Hotel for families – see prices, pictures and availability
Option 3: further from the center
We recommend
- Hotel Tao Caleta Mar if you prefer direct access to the very long beaches – see prices, photos and availability
- Aparthotel Island Home, further from the beach but so relaxing – see prices, photos and availability
North of Corralejo Natural Park + playa del Pozo
The park has around 10 km of coastline.
In the northern part of Corralejo Natural Park, the road is further from the water.
So you have to walk to reach the large, flat beach.
Remember that you’re walking on soft sand, so it’s more tiring to move around. Bring some water!
This section offers superb views of the island of Lobos (another magnificent excursion not to be missed, see our photos and tips).
Make sure you always look around to keep a good sense of direction and where your car is parked. Because sometimes you can’t see the road anymore.
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Playa del Pozo
And here’s the beach with its waves opposite the island of Lobos.
A wonderful atmosphere and a very large, unsupervised beach with far fewer people.
You can have your little piece of paradise all to yourself.
Main beaches of the Corralejo dunes: playa Grandes
Around the hotels, you’ll find the main beaches with lifeguards and sun loungers for hire.
The closer you are to the hotels, the harder it is to park, unless you’re staying in a hotel. But you can park a little further away and walk to the hotels.
These stretches of beach are very popular.
But as there’s a lot of sand, we’re not too much on top of each other.
Here, too, you can get some nice waves, so be careful.
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities
- North of Fuerteventura
Boat to Lobos Island
Buggy tour
Acua waterpark
Surfing lessons
- South of Fuertenventura
Dolphin watching boat tour
Buggy tour
4WD tour in Cofete
Surfing lessons
Playa del Moro
In the central part of the nature park, the road approaches the sea.
Parking is available right next to the beach. So you can simply relax on one side and explore the dunes on the other.
In the background is the 300 m-high Montana Roja volcano.
It’s the best place for people who want to stay at the beach for a long time. But it’s not the most photogenic area, in our opinion.
Playa Alzada
But if you go a little further south, there are smaller beaches that are more beautiful in my opinion, with dark volcanic rocks on either side and higher ground for superb views of the contrasting colors.
We really enjoyed exploring this beach, as well as the dunes on the other side of the road (despite the presence of the road in the photo).
We found this to be the most beautiful part around the main road (we didn’t venture too far from it…).
And dunes as far as the eye can see on the other side of the road – photos
And as soon as you step on a dune in the opposite direction to the water, it’s like entering another world with only sand for miles and the dark volcanic mountains in the background.
These sand dunes are constantly shifting with the wind and erosion.
You can find areas where the sand is soft and others where it is quite hard.
In some places, the wind shapes the sand into waves, which we love to photograph.
Again, make sure you always look around to understand where you are in relation to the road so you can get back to your car.
It’s very easy to go further and further with the desire to see the view on the other side of the next dune, and the next dune and…
What fascinated us most was the mix of soft white sand and dark volcanic rock.
In some corners, there are piles of these rocks, especially near the water.
But otherwise, they appear here and there between the sand dunes. Sometimes small, as in the image below:
And sometimes a bigger one:
And some people just love playing with them…
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO Fuerteventura
- Best of
Most beautiful landscapes
Best things to do in Fuerteventura
Most beautiful beaches
Natural pools
Boat tours
Secret places, off the beaten track
- Practical advice
25 tips for a successful trip to Fuerteventura
How to get around
How to rent a car in Fuerteventura
Driving tips
Best excursions
- Where to stay
Where to stay in Fuerteventura
Best hotels in Fuerteventura
5-star hotels
Best Boutique-Hotels
Best adults-only hotels
Best all-inclusive hotels in Fuerteventura
Best hotels for families
Best resorts (quiet or lively)
