Ready to explore more of this stunning island? Let’s hike the most beautiful northern Fuerteventura volcanoes and enjoy the greatest views!
It’s all about the volcanoes (or mountains of volcanic origin) on Fuerteventura, so finding one for a hike shouldn’t be a problem.
While it might be tempting to choose a trail you like and simply start walking, it’s important to know that walking off marked trails is strictly not allowed – and for good reason.
Not only does it damage the island’s fragile natural habitat, especially in protected areas, but it also poses serious safety risks. The terrain, particularly across lava rocks and steeper slopes, can be unstable, slippery, and even dangerous, with unexpected drops and loose footing.
Additionally, from February 15th to July 31st, many areas are part of the official bird nesting season. During this sensitive time, it’s especially important to respect wildlife and avoid disturbing nesting birds by staying on designated paths. Please note: Trails to Monte Muda, Escanfraga, Morro Francisco and La Arena are officially closed during the nesting period and should not be accessed.
Having this in mind, I’ve put together a list of 5 easy-to-climb volcanoes in the northern part of Fuerteventura, all with well-marked trails that you can walk safely and confidently, also by yourself. They all provide nice hikes and great views, so let’s go!
1. Calderon Hondo, Lajares
I’m picking this one first because it’s the easiest (hence – most popular) and will serve as an excellent warm-up. It offers a lovely circular trail, which can be taken from both sides. The approach to the volcano is from the back and can’t be spotted until you get there.
You must go to Lajares and take the road towards Majanicho to reach the parking. After a couple of hundred meters, there will be small parking on the right side and a pretty obvious beginning of the volcano trail, so you shouldn’t miss it. Follow the straight dirt road towards the volcano and then decide to approach it from the left or the right side, but since the trail is circular, it doesn’t matter. In both cases, the path will take you to the other side, facing Corralejo, where you’ll find a trail leading up. You’ll be rewarded with the view of a perfect crater, which is, although Fuerteventura is full of mountains of volcanic origin, actually quite rare to encounter. You can take a walk all around the crater, too.
If you’re staying in Corralejo and don’t have a car, you can also get to Calderon Hondo by walking/biking the “Camino natural del Fuerteventura GR 131”; starting here will take you an hour or so to get there to the volcano by foot.Â
Duration: 1-2 hours. Difficulty: easy; you can also do it with the kids.
2. Escanfraga, Villaverde
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Important: This hike is not available from February 15 to July 31 as the trail is closed for bird nesting season.
From Corralejo towards the south, you won’t miss an impressive ‘table mountain’ with a huge flat plateau and a peak on its left side. That’s Escanfraga, one of the most beautiful volcanoes in northern Fuerteventura, although, for some reason, not very popular. It’s also the highest volcano on the island since Pico de la Zarza, Fuerteventura’s highest peak (on the Jandia peninsula) is of volcanic origin but is not a volcano itself.
The hiking trail to the plateau is easy and will take you about 30-40 minutes from the parking just below the mountain. I’ve seen people doing it with mountain bikes, too. From the plateau, you’ll have the most beautiful view of the north and Lobos and Lanzarote on clear days.
Although the hike up to the plateau is already a great experience, you can continue to the top, which is even more rewarding. You can hike up from both sides of the slope (check photo 1); the left one is a bit more straightforward, sandy, and, for my taste, a bit slippery, although doable. I prefer to go up (and also down) from the right side, where the slope might look a bit dangerous from a distance, although, in reality, it’s made of easily climbable rocks, which I prefer to the sandy trail. You can also make it circular since there are two ways to go up and down.
Duration: 2-3 hours. Difficulty: the first part, up to the plateau, is easy and suitable for kids. From the plateau to the peak, the second part is slightly more difficult but still reasonably easy.
3. Morro Francisco, Corralejo
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Important: This hike is not available from February 15 to July 31 as the trail is closed for bird nesting season.
If you’re staying in Corralejo and don’t have a car, Morro Francisco, also known as Bayuyo, is your volcano. It’s the biggest one in the city, so you’ve probably seen it. The easiest way to get there is to find a hiking trail Corralejo – Lajares (Camino natural del Fuerteventura GR 131), and then keep walking this dirt road until coming just below the volcano, where you’ll find a small trail leading left. Follow it, and it will eventually take you all the way up. As you’ll see, you’ll reach the top on the northern side, but the peak (although just a couple of meters higher) is a minute’s hike further to the south (to the left), well marked with a stone pyramid. From there, you can descend either going back or continuing circularly down towards Corralejo. You can also descend to the other side, towards North Shore and Majanicho (the view in photo 2), and finally return to the dirt road you started on, just a bit further down the road (you can see a bit of this road in the down left corner).
Morro Francisco is not a difficult volcano, but it can get steep and slippery at some points, so I don’t recommend it right after the rain.
Duration: 1-2 hours. Difficulty: easy-moderate.
4. Montaña de la Arena, between Villaverde, La Oliva and Lajares
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Important: This hike is not available from February 15 to July 31 as the trail is closed for bird nesting season.
Montaña de la Arena is a very interesting green volcano between Lajares and La Oliva. It’s the youngest volcano in Fuerteventura, with only 10,000 years, while the rest go back to 20 Mio years. It also names the badlands surrounding it – MalpaĂs de la Arena, the lava fields that occupy around 12 square kilometers. I recommend taking this circular trail around the volcano if you’re in the mood for an easy hike, more or less on the flat terrain on the ground level (no hiking up the volcano). If you are walking with open eyes and a bit of curiosity, you’ll encounter many interesting things like spectacular rock formations, caves that were once inhabited, and some of the most authentic and even endemic flora and fauna on Fuerteventura. Since MalpaĂs de la Arena is a fragile area and thus a protected natural monument, make sure to follow the official trail and not roam around.
The trail up to the 120 m volcano (420 meters above sea level) is hidden and not easy to find – if you’re interested, contact me for instructions. However, an additional effort will be well worth it since the top is pretty spectacular, with great views, two craters, and the possibility to walk around it all (without a proper trail, it’s a wild walk).
Duration: 1,5-2 hours for the ground circular walk around the volcano (5 km).
Difficulty: easy, also suitable for kids. The volcano hike’s difficulty is moderate, mainly because I wouldn’t recommend some parts to vertigo-prone people.
5. Monte Muda (Montaña La Muda), close to Tindaya
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Important: This hike is not available from February 15 to July 31 as the trail is closed for bird nesting season.
Montaña La Muda is a beautiful volcano close to Tindaya. Although it’s one of the most accessible hikes, with some of the most incredible views, it remains unknown and rarely visited.
Montaña La Muda’s peak is high for the Fuerteventura standards and reaches 675 m (Photo 2). It’s also not the easiest to climb, especially in windy conditions, which are common. Moreover, it’s exposed, and if you’re prone to vertigo, you should definitely avoid it. But you don’t have to climb all the way up to the top since the hike to the plateau below the peak is very easy and will already reward you with incredible views of the northern part of Fuerteventura with Tindaya village and Tindaya mountain just below (Photo 1), and on a clear day also of the Betancuria massif, Lobos island, and even Lanzarote.
After reaching the plateau, you’ll have the mountain’s peak on the right side and lots of wide-open space on your left. Feel free to roam in that direction and explore more of Las Mesas, as the plateau is officially called. Some great stone plates a bit further down to the left make a great photo spot (photo 3)!
The trail from the parking close to Matilla, FV-10, is easy to follow, offers an insight into the local Majorero tradition, and even a small picnic site with a stone BBQ. If you’re stopping there, ensure you’re not leaving any trash behind!
Duration: 1-2 hours, Difficulty: up to the plateau, the hike is easy, also suitable for kids.
This Post Has 2 Comments
Hi John, great to hear from you and I’m really glad you liked Calderon Hondo and also hiked around, it was quite a journey you did!! For tomorrow, of course, if weather permits, Escanfraga could be a great choice. It’s a beautiful mountain and the view already from the plateau is really nice, and if you hike all the way up to the top, even more so.
For Bayuyo (Morro Francisco) I recommend you take the GR 131 starting here 28°43’44.5″N 13°52’54.2″W and then keep walking (or driving) until you see a small volcanic rock cave on your right side, close to the road. On the left, there will be a small parking, and the beginning of a narrow trail towards Bayuyo. Just follow this trail and it will take you all the way up.
Glad for the foodie experiences too!! See you tomorrow afternoon and have a great day!
Hi Jaki it’s John Rice Staying at Las Marismas. I really enjoyed your recommendation to climb the CalderĂłn Honda today. I took the left route and then extended by dropping down to the car park on GR 131 and going up a ridge walk till the bottom of Bayuyo, then headed back on the road and up and down the CalderĂłn. It gave a lovely 4hr hike.
There is no surf tomorrow so want to do another 3-4hr walk. I was thinking of Escanfraga and then maybe drive back to do Bayuyo. What do you think ?
Ps. Tried the Goat stew in Restaurante el Horno, that’s what kept me going today and finished off with breakfast at Cafeteria Secreto Energy. Followed by pizza tonight in Da Vivi, all fab 🙂
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