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ISLAND HOPPING IN CANARY ISLANDS – BEST TIPS
*Article contains affiliate linksIsland hopping in the Canary Islands is a big dream of many and also easy to do. The Canary Islands are a popular holiday destination and many end up staying on larger islands, such as Tenerife or Gran Canaria. However, a lot of shorter or longer trips are made from these to neighboring islands as well.
It is easy to get from one place to another by public transport in the Canary Islands, as the services are well developed and tourism has existed on the islands for a long time. Due to its simplicity, the Canary Islands are also excellent for first-time travelers and solo travelers. Island hopping in the Canary Islands can be easily done on your own, and you don’t have to settle for the travel agencies ready-made short day trips.
WHAT CANARY ISLANDS?The Canary Islands are a self-governing group of islands in Spain and it consists of 13 different islands, 8 of which are inhabited. The islands are located off the coast of West Africa and they all are different from each other, so it is recommended to visit more than just one island. I haven’t been to every island yet, but that’s my goal. Island hopping in the Canary Islands is not only quite easy, it’s also fun!
HOW TO DO ISLAND HOPPING?Island hopping works by ferry, traveling from one island to another. You just decide which island you want to travel to first and then you jump on a ferry and travel to your preferred island. In the Canary Islands, the ferry connections are functional and usually well scheduled and there are several connections. Ferry trips can and should be booked online in advance to ensure a place on the ferry. You just decide the island and the port of departure and destination and off you go.
BOOK YOUR FERRY TRIPS EASY AND FAST WITH OMIO!
GETTING AROUND THE ISLANDS & RENTING A CAR?Getting around the islands is quite easy, for example by public transport, as I mentioned earlier. However, I can say with the bitter voice of experience that, unfortunately, renting your own car is a more convenient option on some islands. Of course, it depends on what you want to do. Tenerife and Gran Canaria offer really functional bus connections to almost every place up to small mountain villages, but on the other islands you may not be able to get to every place. Renting your own car also gives you additional freedom to travel on your own and more opportunities to see even more remote hidden gems.
INTERESTED IN RENTING A CAR IN CANARY ISLANDS? CHECK THIS OUT!
GUIDED ISLAND TOURS, TRIPS & ACTIVITIESEach of the islands is different and offers interesting things to see and do. With a local guide, you often get a lot more out of your trip, because the guide can tell you information and background about different places that you wouldn’t otherwise hear or read yourself. Various activities and guided tours also offer the opportunity to get to know other travelers if you wish (this is especially nice if it’s a solo trip, for example).
With island tours, you can see several tourist destinations and interesting places during the same day and thus also save time and effort in scheduling. Guided tours and activities should also be used when you only travel on public transport. On the tours, you can easily visit the slightly more difficult places that may not be accessible by public transport at all.
CHECK OUT THE BEST TOURS & ACTIVITIES IN CANARY ISLANDS!
HOW TO FIND THE BEST ISLAND FOR YOU & THE BEST ISLAND HOPPING ROUTE?Start by exploring all the islands. Then think about what kind of things you want from your trip and how much. Are you a fan of green mountains or white beach sand? Do you want volcanic landscapes and lava sand or to hike the tropical trails? All this is possible in the Canary Islands, but not necessarily on one and the same island.
Where do you want to fly to first and where do you start your island hopping tour? The Canary Islands are almost in a row with each other, so if island hopping starts from Tenerife, I recommend going to the so-called left towards La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. If you start from Gran Canaria, you can actually go in any direction just because of the island’s central location. Many also like to combine, for example, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura together.
Read more about Canary Islands on this blog:
HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE CANARY ISLANDS? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ISLAND? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES BELOW IN THE COMMENTS! 🙂<3: Tiina Johanna
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Morro Jable – Why travel to South Fuerteventura?
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Are you planning a trip to sunny Fuerteventura? Wondering what would be the best destination on this long sandy island? Here I will tell you why you shouldtravel to Southern Fuerteventura and its idyllic beach town Morro Jable.
MORRO JABLE- THE SOUTHERN GEMMorro Jable is the true gem of the southern tip of the island of Fuerteventura. The beaches here are wide and the light sandy coastline goes as far as the eye can see with the beautiful turquoise sea water splashing in the background. In Morro Jable, the atmosphere is calm and still there is plenty to do. Morro Jable is a mix of a local fishing village and a bustling beach town and this is exactly what we wanted. The atmosphere of a fishing village and relaxation on beautiful sandy beaches.
After a few days, we traveled from the northern end of Fuerteventura, Corralejo, back to Morro Jable. We had originally arrived here from Gran Canaria by ferry and from here we would also finally catch the ferry back to Las Palmas. Thus, we wanted to spend a few more days in Morro Jable relaxing before continuing our journey.
ACCOMMODATION FOR EVERYONEMorro Jable is also a great choice in terms of accommodation options for your holiday. There are good-quality holiday apartments here at affordable prices next to the big hotel chains, and of course everything in between. I did a lot of research on the accommodations in advance and found hotels ranging from fancy luxury resorts to more affordable local hotels. We really liked our nice little apartment and especially the sunset and sunrise views from there.
CHECK OUT THE BEST HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATIONS IN FUERTEVENTURA!
PLAYA DEL MATORRAL – BEAUTIFUL BEACH VIEWSThis main beach of Morro Jable starts at the very bottom of the old town and continues towards the north. The sand is light and the water is a beautiful turquoise. You can choose a sun lounger or settle down anywhere with a towel, because there is plenty of space. Unfortunately for us, the days were windy and we couldn’t swim this time because of the waves. We had reserved time for only a couple of days, so so we had to settle with sunbathing and cooling off in the beach water. This was also a nice option and at least it didn’t affect our vacation, after all, we come from Cape Verde and are used to adapting to the world of sun, winds and waves!
AMAZING ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCESMorro Jable is guaranteed to provide you with amazing activities and experiences for your vacation. From here it is easy to take a trip to get to know the surrounding area, as well as enjoy various water activities and boat trips. South Fuerteventura offers dry, beautiful nature and wonderful seascapes on both sides of the southern tip of the peninsula. Public transport is not as convenient an option in Fuerteventura as it is, for example, in the larger islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. For this reason, I recommend renting your own car or choosing a fun guided tour, so that you can definitely get everything you want out of your vacation.
BEACH BOULEVARD WALK OR BY BIKEMorro Jable has a wonderful beach boulevard. This long pedestrian street right next to the beach continues far through the city from the old quarter to the modern shopping street and beyond. You can walk along the boulevard or take advantage of its good cycling opportunities, or as we did one evening, grab the electric scooters and cruise back and forth down the street.
PLAYA DE SOTAVENTOPlaya de Sotavento is a wonderful lagoon between Morro Jable and Jandia in southern Fuerteventura. At low tide, you can enjoy the wonderful lagoon scenery and walk along the lagoon in the clear beach water and sandbar. Kite surfers and sun lovers enjoy themselves here, as well as bloggers and social media influencers, of course. If you’re looking for inspiration for your upcoming trip to Fuerteventura on social media, you’re guaranteed to find heaps of wonderful pictures and videos from the Sotavento lagoon. And I’m not surprised, it’s incredibly beautiful.
You cannot get to Sotavento directly by public transport, so for this I recommend your own car or a guided tour.
PLAYA DEL COFETECofete is one of the most famous and awesome attractions in South Fuerteventura. Morro Jable serves as a good base for this as well. It is only possible to experience Cofete’s barren landscapes along an unpaved and stony natural road, so I definitely recommend choosing a ready-made excursion with a good car for this. This way you avoid possible damages that the insurance may not cover when renting your own car.
MORRO JABLE OLD TOWNFuerteventura is not an island of idyllic villages and ruggedly beautiful Spanish-style towns. You won’t find charming colorful buildings and cute little streets here, like in mainland Spain or the bigger islands in the Canary Islands. The old town of Morro Jable is small and yet cozy, and from its vantage point there are beautiful views over the beach and the city.
Morro Jable is an uphill terrain, which means there are differences in height and, for example, the bus station is at the upper end of the town, so you can get some exercise here for sure. The further you climb from the beach boulevard, the cheaper and more local prices the restaurants offer, and we ourselves mostly preferred these local restaurants.
FUERTEVENTURA IS BIGGER THAN IT LOOKSFuerteventura has a lot to see, especially in the form of different beaches and rugged, beautiful nature. The island is also bigger than it seems. To get all the joy and the most wonderful experiences out of your Fuerteventura vacation, I would say don’t do as we did, do as we say now.
We only traveled by public transport and unfortunately this is not the best solution in Fuerteventura. You can’t get to every place on this island by public transport, and the buses are slow and a bit inconvenient anyway. Of course, they do their job, and I’m not complaining, but this time I primarily recommend other options.
We decided to split the week in half by staying first in the northern tip and then in the southern tip. There is plenty to experience and see at both ends, so this was an excellent decision. Apart from a small change of buses in the capital of Puerto del Rosario, the entire center of the island is still unexplored.
So if time is limited, I recommend renting your own car or taking advantage of guided tours and island tours. We missed a few really nice sights, because the days just ran out and renting our own car was not possible for this couple without a driver’s license. Heh. So it goes without saying that there are still things to explore and we will return to Fuerteventura!
HAVE YOU VISITED MORRO JABLE OR OTHER AREAS IN SOUTH FUERTEVENTURA? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENT FIELD! 🙂<3: Tiina Johanna
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