Los Lobos - Forgotten Island of the Canaries



 


Los Lobos is an uninhabited island that lies a few km off the north coast of Fuerteventura. It is a protected area of unspoiled natural beauty. So if you want to " get away from it all ", it is worth a visit. I was staying at Playa Blanca , Lanzarote, from where the island was clearly visible. I wasn't able to find any excursions to it , but there is a regular fast ferry (catamaran) that goes to Corraleyo, Fuerteventura, that takes about 30 minutes to cover the 15 km. I was told that I could get a ferry from there.  Booking was easy. The booking office is a large modern building on the quay, next to where the fast ferry moors up. It's a few Euros less if you book the day before. I got a 9:30 sailing, so I had plenty of time for        breakfast. The ferry to Los Lobos is a very distinctive little yellow boat called the water taxi. It is          moored just along the quay from where the fast ferry docked. I bought a ticket from a little booth next to it. There were only 5 daily sailings, and because of demand, you had to specify the time you wanted 
to come back. I chose 16:00. 


                                                                                                                         

It takes about 15 minutes for the 9 km crossing. We landed at a tiny little jetty. There was just a dirt track, a wooden cabin, a sign-post and a sculpture of two seals. Los Lobos in Spanish means " the wolves". A strange name for an island you might think, but the locals that used to live here called the native monk seals "sea wolves". There are no seals here now, in fact there are no monk seals in the Canaries, they were hunted to extinction by 1920. After a quick look in the cabin, where there were pictures and information about the island, I headed for El Puertito. There are no permanent residences on the island now, but there used to be, and El Puertito is where the fishermen lived. A stone's throw away from the quay, it's a handful of stone-walled, flat topped huts set beside a tiny cove, edged with lava pools. One of the huts doubles as a little cafe, but I'd recommend taking drink and a few                sandwiches.                       


                                                                                                                         

 The island is only 4.5 square km. It is volcanic with very little vegetation, and no trees. It is dominated by the extinct volcano, Caldero. The best beach on the island is Playa de la Caleta, (also known as Playa la Concha). It's about 10 minutes walk from the quay. It is a beautiful sandy bay  that looks out across  the channel to the sand dunes of Corraleyo, with the volcano providing the backdrop it is  truly               exquisite setting. I spent the rest of my time here, even had a swim ! There had been a gentle breeze all day, but that changed when we left the quay on the water taxi. The wind whipped up the waves, and we were soon rocking and rolling. The waves broke over the bows soaking some of the passengers at the front. Anyone with a nervous disposition might want to consider  the larger glass bottomed ferry that also makes this crossing, as this part of the Canaries is known for being windy.  If anything the wind was stronger on the crossing back to Playa Blanca, but the cat handled it better.                                 

Certain WEB sites about the island say that you need to have special permission and show a valid passport to visit the island. I went in April  and wasn't asked for either.

Date of visit 28/04/2024

Ferry to Corraleyo 35 euros rtn

Ferry to Los Lobos 16 euros rtn    



















 

Location: Fuerteventura, Las Palmas, Spain

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