To be honest, I had no idea what to expect from the Canary Islands. I knew they are islands off the coast of Africa (near Morocco to be more precise) and that the weather is pretty great but asides those fairly obvious facts, I didn’t know what to prepare myself for.
The first thing that hits you as soon as you arrive is how dramatic it all is! Case in point – this long stretch leading to the volcano.
Seriously, the scenes are reminiscent of Iceland, albeit much warmer. 😉
By the time we arrived at the hotel and checked in, we decided to just throw any plans out of the window and relax by the pool with drinks. Being the type of travellers who almost immediately feel the pressure to go and explore immediately, this felt like such a welcome change.
I’d been moaning to friends back in London about how I would love to relax (a-la Turkey style) on holidays and this was the perfect opportunity to do just that!
The next morning though, we got up bright and early and made our way over to the pier where a boat had been organised for us for the day to take us to around the island.
The first thing that hits you once you head out on the boat is how blue the water is.
We’re talking Caribbean style blue here!
It’s also very clear and almost shimmery! But more on that later…
We slowly made our way to Lobos Island (you might remember it from this post here).
It’s largely uninhabited and is the perfect place to explore for an afternoon before heading back to the boat for snorkelling, sunshine and rum!
I have to say, the heat in Fuerteventura is pretty intense and, although I mean that in a good way, the heat makes you wanna jump into the water for a quick swim to cool off!
Lobos Island is a volcanic island and again, there’s that dramatic landscape I was talking about earlier. 🙂
We pretty much aimlessly meandered through the island, stopping for a photo or two along the way and working up an appetite for paella as we went!
That, by the way, show you how hot it is here. 🙂
There are a few handfuls of residents living here though we were told that most of the homes here are more of rustic holiday homes for the people living in the other bigger island in Fuerteventura.
It’s the ideal place to get away from it all and perhaps even indulge in a passion for fishing.
Back on the main boat, re-energised by skewered fruits, we finally got to jump into the water! (Well, after a mini-snooze in the sun first).
Just look at how twinkly the water is! And I kid you not, it looks exactly like that in real life. 🙂
We took a little break for paella…
….before jumping back in!
When we go snorkelling, I have a bad habit (built on good intentions though) of trying to get the fish around whoever is in the water. I figure it’s the best way to make the most of your time snorkelling.
Hardly a new concept by any standards but I tend to over-do it (I will literally chuck in a loaf of bread if I could) and this, of course, leads to whoever it is getting nipped by the fish. It’s not painful at all but it does lead to some pretty priceless reactions from Lloyd! 🙂
It also leads to some not-so-bad photos too!
(I’ve got a lot more photos where that came from on a GoPro somewhere) 🙂
The remainder of the time was spent pretty much trying to see who could have the highest/longest/most elegant jump in. And drinking wine.
It. Was. Burrrrrrrilliant!
That’s what Lobos island looks like from the distance by the way.
Random, when I first saw that boat, I thought “Hmmm, this could make for a cool photo” and thought nothing of it. Once I got home and reviewed the photo, I realised everyone on that boat was stark naked. Whoops! (Though in my defence they did cheerily wave when we went past!)
The remainder of our sailing time was spent with lots of bubbles…
…and a chance to try some Ron Miele (Honey Rum) which, it turns out, is my favourite kind of rum! (I’ve got a major sweet tooth!)
By the time we got back on dry land, I was understandably well and truly smitten with Fuerteventura and the Canary Islands as a whole.
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