My... Fuerteventura

tuart Hooper shares a practical guide to Fuerteventura, from its clothing-optional beaches and naturist resorts to the best areas for year-round sunshine and relaxed nude travel.

The Place

A quick geography lesson for those who don’t know it: Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary Islands, which are located approximately 100 km off the coast of Africa.

Spanish-owned, Fuerteventura is a naturist friendly island which enjoys consistent year-round temperatures ranging from 20 to 25°. With over 300 km of coastline, there is a lot of variety, ranging from the famous dunes of Corralejo, where (once away from the hotels) you can walk for miles without seeing another soul, to the more orchestrated beaches of Jandia, with their parasols and sun loungers for hire.

By contrast, the west of the island is largely untamed, with waves sweeping in off the Atlantic, making it popular with the surf crowd. Battered old VW Camper vans seem to be the transport of choice here.

A number of budget airlines offer flights and package holidays from most European countries, making it – in particular – an affordable and popular winter sun destination.

The Approach

Spanish law makes all beaches clothing-optional, so you can legally be naked on any public beach. But what is the reality?

In many mainland Spanish resorts and on some of the other Canary Islands – despite what the law says – there is an understanding that naturism is not practised on town beaches, and you may get disapproving looks if you choose to strip off.

Of the Canary Islands we have visited, Fuerteventura appears to have the most laid-back approach to public nudity and, with the possible exception of Corralejo town beach, clothing-optional is the norm.

We have often sat in one of the restaurants by the busy Morro Jable town beach in Jandia, where despite the majority of those on the beach being textiles, there always appears to be one or two committed souls prepared to bare all, and nobody seems to care.

The Beaches

Lots! Some of our favourites include:

Corralejo dunes: Miles of white sand. Can be windy, but there is an abundance of stone circles to shelter in.

Playa de la Calera: A crescent-shaped beach on the Isla de Lobos, which is reached by a short ferry crossing from Corralejo. Excellent swimming due to its sheltered location.

El Cotillo: Located on the wild west coast of the island. The beaches to the south of the town, where the Atlantic crashes against the unprotected shoreline, are popular with surfers. To the north, volcanic reefs have created a number of protected lagoons which offer safe swimming areas – popular with both naturists and textiles.

Cofete: A beautiful, untamed beach, although swimming is discouraged due to the strong undercurrents. It’s a magical place however for either a naked walk or just to sit and enjoy the rugged scenery.

Playa del Matorral (Morro Jable, Jandia): A well-maintained beach with loungers, parasols and beach bars within easy reach.

Sotavento (Jandia): A 9 km stretch of golden sand. In Jandia, most of the hotels are within a five-minute walk of the clothing-optional beach, which seems to go on forever.

The Venues

There are a number of dedicated naturist resorts including BHH in Costa Calma, Monte Marina naturist resort in Esquinzo, and Infiniti (also known as Fuerteventura Sun Club) in Corralejo, plus naturist-friendly villas such as Rosa de Laguna in Lajares.

There are also several textile hotels with naturist areas. In Esquinzo there is Tui Magic Life, with a naturist zone including a pool, while close to Morro Jable is the Fergus Cactus hotel, with its rooftop naturist area, artificial lawn and jacuzzi: a wonderful place to enjoy the late afternoon sun with stunning views of the beach and Morro Jable lighthouse.

Dominating the skyline over the Corralejo dunes are two Riu hotels, the Riu Oliva and Riu Palace Tres Islas. Whilst textile only, both are situated right on the beach, so nudity is commonplace once you step outside the hotel perimeter.

A quick Google search will also bring up other options including guest houses, villas and B&B accommodation, which either cater specifically for naturists or are near enough to naturist beaches for it not to make too much difference.

The Options

As I say, it’s not necessary to stay in a naturist hotel to enjoy naturism in Fuerteventura. The reality is that wherever you stay on the coast, there is nearly always a clothing-optional beach within easy walking distance. So even car hire isn’t a pre-requisite, as it might be in other naturist destinations.

Corralejo however has expanded dramatically since my wife and I first visited 30 years ago, so if you’re based in the town centre then it may be preferable to drive, or take a taxi, to the dunes, as it can seem quite a long walk in the heat of the day.

In El Cotillo, the choice is yours: south or north of the town are clothing-optional beaches, though if you fancy a swim, the lagoons to the north may be preferable.

In Jandia, most of the hotels stretch out along the coastline, meaning a naturist-friendly beach is only a couple of minutes’ walk away. Once there you can walk for miles and miles as nature intended.

The Essentials

In my humble opinion, the most naturist-friendly of the Canary Islands, with year-round sunshine, great beaches and a selection of accommodation to suit most budgets.

In terms of facilities, these can be limited or non-existent at beaches such as Cofete, El Cotillo and the Corralejo dunes. If visiting these areas, you may need to bring plenty of provisions (something we naturists are used to!), and your own parasol probably wouldn’t go amiss.

If you prefer to travel light and wish to hire loungers, parasols and be relatively close to bars and toilet facilities, then it may be best to head south to Jandia.

There don’t appear to be any exclusively naturist beaches on the island (we’ve certainly never encountered one): they are all what can be termed clothing-optional. However, the island is so laid-back that naturists and textiles seem happy to share the wonderful beaches in harmony together. We love Fuerteventura. And Fuerteventura seems to love naturists.

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©H&E Naturist 2025

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