We spent about half a day in El Cotillo while we were in Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands, and it sure is one of the ‘Top 10' places to visit there. The main thing – absolutely lovely white sand beach with lagoons and also a lighthouse. We went straight to El Cotillo beach upon arrival and took off our shoes to walk on the fine sand. The weather was not bad, sunny with a cool wind – typical spring weather in the Canarias. As we walked further towards the shore, we see vast lagoons with clear blue waters and volcanic rocks around.
El Cotillo beach lagoons © Veganhaven Travel 2020
You can simply walk in the shallow lagoons, they are hardly a few feet deep. Walk, swim or sit around in them, as you like! We went to a rocky spot protected from the wind and watched the waves crashing at the distance. In the clear water you can also spot some tiny creatures and fishes that have been thrown in here by the waves and inlets. Next we walk back to the road and drive our rental car a bit further, to the North- west end of the Island, towards a lighthouse.
Faro del Toston © Veganhaven Travel 2020
This quaint lighthouse is the El Toston lighthouse. The shop/ museum and what used to be a cafe were all closed at the time we visited. There was a sign that said there is a ‘fossil beach' at the foot of the lighthouse. El Toston is one of the main palaeontological sites on Fuerteventura. This excited me (I have a Bachelor's degree in Geology) and I went about closely looking at all the rocks/fossils. There were lagoons also by the sea here and Caleta del Marrajo near the lighthouse was very scenic.
After this we headed to Happy Cactus [Av. los Lagos, 42, Local 3, 35650 El Cotillo, Las Palmas, Spain], a small bio shop and cafe nearby, for some snacks and coffee. The oat latte was really good and then a delicious freshly made pumpkin pie – made my day. The cafe also serves vegan brunches.
Coffee & Cake at Happy Cactus Fuerteventura
El Cotillo is a well known surf destination and there are several good beaches for surfing but one worth mentioning is Playa de Esquinzo. The hidden and off-the-path location was appealing to us. You can take the car down a rocky dirt path and park it at a designated parking lot basically on top of the cliff overlooking the beach. It's a small steep hike down to the beach. Here we watched the surfers and enormous waves crashing in. The little Barbary squirrels are also around. The best-est part: there are some decent sand dunes at the side of this beach and lying on the warm sand is very relaxing. We stayed here till it became cloudy and the weather turned cold.
Esquinzo beach © Veganhaven Travel 2020
Barbary ground squirrel at Esquinzo beach, Fuerteventura © Veganhaven Travel 2020
The sand dunes at Esquinzo beach, Fuerteventura
