If you chose Fuerteventura as your next holiday destinationWe are sure that all of its secrets, stories and landscapes you will be bewitchedAnd at Senda, we want to contribute a little bit more to make it happen.
It is the second largest island in the Canary archipelago, and you may even be getting your own ideas about this place from the plane, but what would you expect from a landscape with such a beautiful landscape?ompletely barren and with no supposedly visible vegetation?
What is certain is that Fuerteventura would be the perfect protagonist to bring to life a turn of events in any film scene, as you'll be amazed at what the island has to offer.
Its beaches with crystal clear waters and white sand are at the top of the chain of tourist attractions on this island, but there is also a a number of elements that we know will leave you speechless when you come across them, as well as with an incredible desire to never leave our precious island:
– Your horizons alternating between grey and blue colours
– Panoramic views of land and sea areas that none of the other islands is able to give you with this fullness.
- Its impressive geological formations
– La local gastronomy served in such a familiar atmosphere and Canarian like nowhere else
– Its history and culture
- Its innumerable opportunities for you to enjoy the leisure characteristic of this island.
In this post, we wanted to dedicate a small space to the canyons that make up this impressive island. In this way, you will be able to get to know in depth of the story hidden along the length and breadth of its rocky walls, retracing your steps back to the 15th century, among others.
In addition, if you take a slight detour off your route to catch a glimpse of the spectacular views that no other point on the island will provide you with is never too much, we have made sure to include different ravines in different municipalities of the island, so that you can find one just a couple of kilometres away.
RAVINE OF LAS PEÑITAS.
Starting in the south of the island, This ravine is considered to be an otherworldly landscape in the interior of Fuerteventura, where it coexists with an extensive coastline of kilometres of paradisiacal beaches and contrasts that take us to an ancient world where time seems to have stood still.
It is located in the municipality of BetancuriaThe ravine is located in the south of Fuerteventura, within the Betancuria Rural Park, being this ravine the main protagonist of the visit.
Unfortunately, despite being one of the most peculiar and beautiful natural sites on Fuerteventura, the ravine of Las Peñitas remains "the great unknown of the island."
It is an area with an incredible scenic interestIt also has one of the few dams on the island.
If you dare to get to know this canyon, you will be part of a route that will allow you to be part of the one of the most interesting trails of Fuerteventuras.
It is a route that runs for the most part along the course of the Las Peñitas RavineThe area is a paradise for free climbing, among huge granite boulders. So much so, that it is common to see climbers in this area practising this sport.
RAVINE OF THE TOWERS.
We now move to the municipality of Antiguawhere we find the La Torre Ravinenamed after the Tower for military use that is there.
It is one of the towers that form part of the so-called Betancurian castles, which were works for military use which were ordered to be built by the Franco-Normans John de Béthencourt and Gadifer de la Salle.
The earliest known reference to this gorge goes back to the s. XVIThe remains of the tower were found, of which there was no further news other than the toponymy of the ravine.
Its construction in the form of circular and irregular floor plan was a strategy to camouflage the site with the surroundings so that it would not be so visible, but still provide a wide field of vision both towards the coast and towards the centre of the island.
It is undoubtedly a obligatory visit to learn about the life of the people who were subjected to the Majoreros during the 15th - 16th centurieswhich will be responsible for leaving your mind full of information for the next few days.
DAM OF THE MILLS.
The Los Molinos Dam is located in the ravine of the same name in the municipality of Puerto del Rosario.
It is the largest accumulation of freshwater on the island. Thanks to this, many types of birds are driven to live in the area, making it one of the best birdwatching areas on the island.
Its construction was motivated by the need to supply water for irrigation to the Agricultural Colony of Las Parcelas which was established at a distance of two kilometres down the ravine. For this purpose, a canal and a network of irrigation ditches were built to make it possible to risk the crop fields.
The work began in 1943 and was inaugurated three years later. Initially, the reservoir had a capacity of 500,000 cubic metres, but it was later increased to one million cubic meters.
Currently, it is the largest capacity dam on the island and its location in the middle of a mountainous landscape, offers us one of the images of the the most contrasting scenery on the island.
Complete your holiday on Fuerteventura!
Don't miss the Experience Escanfraga Mountain Hiking
This route allows us to walk around the Escanfraga Mountain, which is not only the highest on the island of Fuerteventura, but we can also see how this volcano was used in the past by farmers to grow staple foods.
If you want to live a unique and respectful experience with the environment, and also get to know the Escanfraga Mountain by the hand of a Senda guide, book your place for a guided tour.
RAVINE OF THE HORSESHOE.
Also located in Puerto del Rosario, it is one of the most important OPEN VALLEYS which have developed perpendicular to the Central Valley and extend in an east-west direction.
It is a place of unique scenic beautyIt is home to a wealth of fauna and flora that it shows us, as if it were an open book, its geological evolution.
The ravine has suffered multiple transitions over many millions of years to reach their present state. These have been complex processes, so it is necessary to travel back in time to understand the processes that led to their formation.
The Barranco de la Herradura and Garganta del Diablo (Horseshoe Gorge and Devil's Throat) is wedged between Morros del Cortijo and Montaña del Gamón to the north.The Horseshoe Mountain in the southwest, which gives it a morphology of large, elongated, sub-parallel hills separated by wide valleys.
This canyon allows us to to know the volcanic history of the islandThe volcanic activity ceased 14 million years ago and did not resume until 5 million years ago. Therefore, your visit to the Barranco de la Herradura during your trip to our island is a must. mustthat you can't ignore.
All the geological history can be read below the dam, where it can be clearly seen that the dam is being built into the reservoir thanks to the erosive action of wind and water torrential rain that washes away these pyroclastic materials.
VALHONDO RAVINE.
Located in Puerto del Rosario, it is one of the ravines that, together with the Valhondo valley, are formations that are full of history and which are worth getting to know.
The highest peak in the north of Fuerteventura kicks off the VALHONDO VALLEY AND RAVINE. It is the area where more water is collected from the areaThis has sharpened the ingenuity of the inhabitants to make the most of their filtered and surface water that have been washed away by runoff.
In addition, the higher surroundings of the Valhondo ravine were chosen by the ancient mahos as places of ritual and worshipwhere, even today, one can still find engravings and constructions related to the aboriginal world, which leads us to think that this area was an important part of the transit of people at least five hundred years ago.
THE RAVINE OF LOVERS.
The Enchanted or Enamoured Gorge is located in the municipality of La Oliva, the area of this ravine has been declared a Bien de Interés Cultural con categoría de Zona paleontológica en el año 2008.
Thanks to the group of dunes that fill the so-called Barranco de Los Encantados ravine, it has become a high-grade heritage asset of interest palaeontological, geological, landscape e historical cultural in general.
It is a locality of great interest in the paleontological-scientific field, as it has been detected a new species which is found in great abundance at this site, and which belongs to the genus Cochlicella.
In addition, the conservation of outcrops that occur in the Barranco, together with the ancient fossil-rich dunes, is essential for understanding the geological processes that have been part of the evolution of the island of Fuerteventura.
It is a unique, characteristic and peculiar ravineThe landscape is extraordinary and no other canyon in the Canary Islands can compete with it, thanks to its dense and spectacular views.fossils excavated by water.
In the same way, it is also an important didactic resource for anyone who visits it, as it can be appreciated very well. the processes of fossilisationthe different biological properties of the species that exist, as well as the traces of activity that are preserved.
Fall even more in love with the island of Fuerteventura as Unamuno did! To do so, we recommend you to read the article about the great Spanish philosopher and writer Unamuno and Fuerteventura.
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