Accessible activities in Fuerteventura: discover an incredible island

Wheelchair user enjoying accessible activities in Fuerteventura

Today's post is written in a more personal tone, because it comes from first-hand experience. I'm Irina, and last August I had the pleasure of travelling to Fuerteventura with Mara Zabala of Rocking Wheels. We did a lot of accessible activities in Fuerteventura and got to discover a wonderful island, and today I'll tell you about its accessibility.

For those of you who don't know us, let me explain who's who so you know where we're coming from. Mara runs the Rocking Wheels Instagram profile, where she talks about life as a wheelchair user. There you'll find tips on accessible travel, adaptive sports, inclusive leisure and fashion, among other things. I invite you to follow her on Instagram: @RockingWheels.

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Irina and I'm part of the Travel Xperience team. I manage the product and group trips departments, and I'm also the person behind the social media accounts, answering your questions and messages.

I've already had the pleasure of travelling with some people, and with others we've been left at the door of many adventures this year, but I'm sure we'll make up for them very soon, and they'll be great!

For now, I invite you to come to Fuerteventura with us today and whet your appetite a little. I'm sure that as soon as you read this post, more than one person will be asking me for an accessible group trip to Fuerteventura… and I'll be delighted!

ACCESSIBLE ACTIVITIES IN FUERTEVENTURA

The main reason for our trip was to try adaptive surfing, so we generally had our surf lesson in the morning and then had the rest of the day to do little things or visit some areas that had caught our eye.

We usually had lunch on the beach itself and from there headed off to whatever we fancied seeing at that moment.

Trying adaptive surfing

If you're interested in trying this adaptive sport, I can't recommend it highly enough, whatever your age or experience. The team of instructors and volunteers at the adaptive surfing lessons is wonderful and will make you feel really at ease.

It's also a really therapeutic activity: the contact with the sea, the feeling of floating, gliding and being carried by a wave…. it's amazing!

Mara did adaptive surfing while I spent my time trying to stay on the board… I have to say that, thanks to the instructors' patience, I ended up catching a few waves and we both had a great time, like a couple of children. So if you're looking for an accessible holiday with an adaptive activity, don't miss it: it's an incredible experience.

We did the activity at Playa Blanca, in Puerto del Rosario. The accessible beach has wooden walkways to the surf school, an accessible toilet, outdoor showers with a fixed seat, an amphibious chair and a shaded area.

I have to say the beach is great if you want to stay and relax for a while after the lesson, and there's a beach bar that makes delicious salads to get your strength back. But it isn't the most comfortable beach for swimming, as it usually has powerful waves, or at least it did on the days we were there.

If you'd like to travel to Fuerteventura and try adaptive surfing, CLICK HERE for more information about our Adaptive Surf Camp programme.

Accessible routes around Fuerteventura by handbike

We were left wanting to do a handbike route, for example some stretch of the Corralejo to El Cotillo route. We did go to see some of the places along the route, such as the Tostón Lighthouse and Majanicho, but we went straight there by car, parked and ate a sandwich enjoying the views and taking a pleasant stroll around the area.

It's definitely on our list for next time… because we'll be back!

ACCESSIBLE SIGHTS IN FUERTEVENTURA

Rolling around Corralejo

This is where Mara and I stayed, in a hotel with accessible rooms and accessible apartments too. We chose an apartment because we preferred to cook at least one of our meals ourselves, usually dinner, as we arrived exhausted from surfing and sightseeing.

Corralejo is a town with plenty of life, venues, bars and lots of shops. It has a seafront promenade where rolling along is very pleasant and accessible, apart from a small cobbled section, but it's very short.

And as in all coastal areas, there are loads of places to eat of all kinds offering their delicacies, so there's something for every taste: you can choose whichever you prefer or whichever makes your mouth water most.

In general it's a town that's easy to get around. The centre is comfortable, with dropped kerbs for the most part, but if you head a little way out of it, be careful, as not all the pavements have them.

Corralejo Dunes National Park

As you may imagine or have seen in photos, the island of Fuerteventura has a volcanic landscape, with hardly any vegetation and reddish colours.

It's a spectacular landscape, but it's even more spectacular when you're driving along the road and, as you go round a bend, white sand dunes and waters of such an intense turquoise appear that they take your breath away, a view so different that it leaves you speechless.

The contrast between the two landscapes struck me as so spectacular that it was at that very moment that I fell in love with this island.

The ideal thing, if you're a wheelchair user, is to go to Grandes Playas where you'll find two parking spaces for people with reduced mobility (PRM) next to a ramp that takes you almost to the water's edge (depending on whether the tide is higher or lower). Here, it's true that your companion will have to find the lifeguards so they can come for you with the amphibious chair and you can have a swim.

In our case, they lent us the chair and we were able to keep it to ourselves for as long as we were there, as there was no other user who needed it. There's also an accessible toilet and an outdoor shower with a fixed seat.

Visiting Betancuria

Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, it's worth paying it a little visit. The village isn't very big and you can easily stop on the way through or stop for a meal at one of its bars or restaurants.

There is a parking space for PRM as soon as you enter the village. There are some slopes where, if you're in a manual wheelchair, you'll need an extra helping hand, but if you're in a powered wheelchair or a handbike, you won't have any problem.

You can also stop at the Morro Velosa viewpoint and enjoy the views from up high.

El Cotillo

You can stroll around the town and eat at one of its restaurants. We ate at one by the harbour with huge glass windows that looked almost directly onto the sea, but I'm sorry to say I can't remember its name. The local fish was delicious!

After lunch we went to see El Cotillo Castle. Only a few small remains are left, but the views from there are amazing. It's an area of black rock, so it has nothing to do with the Mediterranean landscapes that this writer is used to, but even so, it has a very authentic beauty.

ACCESSIBLE BEACHES IN FUERTEVENTURA

To finish, although I've already mentioned Grandes Playas in Corralejo and Playa Blanca in Puerto del Rosario, there are more accessible beaches in Fuerteventura where people with functional diversity or reduced mobility can enjoy an assisted swim on spectacular beaches. Here they are:

Playa de la Concha (El Cotillo):

It has a parking space reserved for PRM and a walkway to the beach. There is an accessible toilet with grab rails and clear approach space at the washbasin.

There is supposed to be an amphibious chair and support staff, but this year we were told at the beach bar that the chair hadn't been brought. We don't know why, but it's worth bearing in mind and checking before you go.

Playa del Matorral (Morro Jable):

I think I can say that this one, along with Grandes Playas in Corralejo, was the most comfortable for spending the day. Here too there's a walkway, a space reserved for PRM, an accessible toilet, a shower with a fixed seat, an amphibious chair and an easy-access beach bar.

The only “but”, which applies in general to all the beaches that have one, is that the shaded area for PRM is closer to the promenade than to the water, so you end up far from the shore.

If you need assistance, on the sign next to the toilet and the walkway entrance there's a phone number to call the lifeguards so they can come and get you with the amphibious chair.

By the way, here you can also take a pleasant stroll along the seafront promenade, which is accessible and comfortable to get along in a wheelchair, to visit the lighthouse.

Playa de Costa Calma (Costa Calma):

As at Playa del Matorral, you can let the lifeguard service know so they come and get you at the accessible point with the amphibious chair. On this beach you'll also find a parking space reserved for PRM, an accessible toilet and shower, a shaded area and wooden walkways almost to the water's edge.

ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT IN FUERTEVENTURA

I should let you know that in Fuerteventura there are accessible city buses, but the intercity ones (the ones that go from one town to another) are not.

You'll also find some wheelchair-accessible taxis, but the ideal is to hire a car and go at your own pace and as the mood takes you.

I should also let you know that in Fuerteventura it's possible to hire a car with adapted controls on the steering wheel, so if you like this option, we'll be delighted to make the booking for you.

If you'd like to hire an adapted car for your accessible holiday in Fuerteventura, CLICK HERE to contact our team and let's get to work.

And that's the end of our adventure last August in Fuerteventura. I hope the information sparks your curiosity about this beautiful island.

The truth is that we left a few things undone for lack of time, such as a handbike route, stargazing, and visiting Lobos Island (although we know that only the part where the boat docks is accessible, they say it's amazing to see), and surely a few more things that I'm forgetting, but we had such a good time that I'm sure we'll be back!

You should know that if you fancy visiting Fuerteventura (or any other destination) and your schedule or holidays don't line up with those of your family and friends, we at Travel will be delighted to go with you and give you a hand with whatever you need… and we're a really friendly team too!