Jandía Natural Park is a protected area in the southern part of Fuerteventura. It covers almost all the Jandía peninsula, except the cities Costa Calma and Morro Jable, starting with the sand area south of La Pared.
The Natural Park is visited daily by tourists but otherwise remains, to this day, mainly deserted. The only two small settlements within its borders are Cofete on Fuerteventura’s west coast and Puertito de la Cruz all the way to the south, just before the Jandía lighthouse. Jandía Natural Park is arid and home to some endemic and even endangered plant and animal species, which, together with its geological value, led to its official protection as a natural reserve in 1987.
The Jandía peninsula originated as a separate volcanic island, not connected to the rest of Fuerteventura. About 15 million years ago, the Jandía island was quite big; some evidence shows the size of today’s La Gomera, one of the eight Canary Islands. Further volcanic activity filled the strait and connected the two islands (Jandía and Fuerteventura) south of La Pared, creating today’s narrow strip of land, the so-called “isthmus” (Istmo de la Pared) with the coast only 5 km apart from east to west.
Jandía Natural Park is a place of significant natural contrasts. In the north, it begins with a light yellow sand area just south of La Pared, which ends at Barranco de Pecenescal. There, a completely different landscape begins, made of dark volcanic rocks and the highest mountains of Fuerteventura, including the highest Pico de Jandía or Pico de la Zarza, which rises to 807 m above the Cofete beach. If you’re interested in a Pico de la Zarza hike, please read the blog Pico de la Zarza, Fuerteventura’s Highest Peak.
It was believed that La Pared (meaning “the wall”) was a border between the two indigenous kingdoms, the southern named Jandía and the northern named Maxorata. However, after new evidence appeared, historians now believe the actual border was some kilometers to the north, from Ajuy on the west to Salinas del Carmen on the east coast. The name La Pared stayed.
If you’re going to visit Cofete, you’ll be spending the day in Jandía Natural Park, and if you have some extra time, try to make it all the way south to the lighthouse. From the lighthouse towards the north, you’ll reach Faro Punta Pesebre and find some beautiful beaches along the way, Playa de Ojos being one of the more interesting ones.
Paying attention to the right side of the trail, where you’ll find the dusty remains of an old runway, which counts as the island’s first landing strip. Some sources state it was built in the 2nd world war by Gustav Winter, while others claim that it’s from the 70-and 80s and was built for military and eventually tourism purposes, but was never really in use. In any case, an interesting place to discover, also on foot. In case you can learn more about this interesting “airport”, please let me know.
Most of the Jandía peninsula is connected by dirt roads, so make sure your car rental is fine with that.
