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Sotavento Beach in Fuerteventura: A Travel Guide To Visit the Beautiful Sandbanks & Lagoons

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this travel guide to Sotavento Beach are affiliate links (including links to Amazon) providing us with a small commission if you make a qualifying purchase – at no extra cost to you. We greatly appreciate your support! As always, we share our honest opinion and everything is written by us.

An ever-changing beach

Most ocean-facing beaches in the world have some kind of relationship to the gravity of the moon and subsequent tides – but few change so dramatically (and beautifully!) as Sotavento Beach in Fuerteventura.

Playa de Sotavento is huge, and as the water draws back at low tide, it gets incredibly wide as well.

At high tide, though, the process reverses and what used to be the beach now gets flooded creating picturesque sandbanks with the ocean on one side and a shallow lagoon on the other.

After a few hours, the lagoon becomes ocean again and the sandbanks just look like a regular part of the rest of the beach.

Gravity. The force that keeps us all from flying high into space. And the main player behind one of Fuerteventura’s most beautiful beaches.

In this travel guide to Sotavento Beach in Fuerteventura, we will tell you everything you need to know and when to visit if you want to experience the awesome lagoons.

Where to stay near Sotavento:

Adlinks:
• Luxury: Iberostar Selection Fuerteventura Palace (Morro Jable).
• Luxury: Hotel Riu Palace Jandia (Morro Jable).
• Value for money: Hotel Cooee Taimar (Costa Calma).
• Value for money: SBH Crystal Beach Hotel & Suites (Costa Calma).
• Budget: AltaVista Apartahotel (Morro Jable).

Search for the best value accommodation in Costa Calma here or the best value accommodation in Morro Jable here.

Table of contents

• What to expect when visiting Sotavento Beach
• How to get to Sotavento Beach
• When to visit Sotavento Beach
• Where to stay near Sotavento Beach
• What to bring to Sotavento Beach
• Minimise your impact

Visiting Sotavento Beach at high tide is such a delight.

What to expect when visiting Sotavento Beach

First of all: the experience of visiting Sotavento is highly dependent on the tides.

So remember to check those tide timetables! There are several available online – we used this timetable.

At low tide, the 10-kilometre-long Sotavento is just a gigantic beach.

It’s still worth a visit, but it’s the lagoons and sandbanks created by the high tide that has made Sotavento so (Instagram) famous.

As the actual tide height isn’t always the same, Sotavento will never look exactly the same twice.

The higher the water, the larger the lagoons get and the smaller the sandbanks get.

Most of the photos in this guide were taken as the high tide was at around 2 metres.

The coastal landscapes of Fuerteventura change dramatically with the tides, and Sotavento Beach is no exception!Walking out onto the sandbanks is a special feeling.

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Our experience at Sotavento Beach

The first time we drove to Sotavento to see the lagoons, it was really windy and we hadn’t really thought about what that would mean…

It meant that the lagoon was filled with kitesurfers!

It’s pretty cool to look at but unless you plan to come for the watersports yourself, make sure to go on a day without strong winds for the best pictures of the lagoons.

When we returned the second time during the early morning, we were almost alone and could enjoy the rising tide as well as the almost 300-metre-long sandbank forming in front of Risco del Paso.

A stunning beach for sure!

There’s something naturally striking about those sandbanks and lagoons.The swimming here was shallow but lovely.

You might be interested in:Corralejo Sand Dunes in Fuerteventura: All You Need To Know About the Natural Park A travel guide with tips to visit the sand dunes in Corralejo Natural Park Read more

Opening times

Sotavento Beach is always open!

Price

It’s free to visit Sotavento Beach.

Avoid driving down by the coast unless you love off-road driving.

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How to get to Sotavento Beach

The easiest way to get to Sotavento Beach is by car.

It’s 10 kilometres long so there are several places along it you can park.

For the best access to the lagoons, we recommend parking at Risco del Paso.

Here you’ll find a big (sandy) parking with lots of motorhomes and surfers hanging out. There’s also a small beach hut.

Unless you feel very comfortable with terrain driving, avoid the “road” going between Risco del Paso and the Meliá Fuerteventura hotel. Both Risco del Paso and the hotel can be reached much more easily from the main road (FV-2).

Sotavento is one long beach. This is the southern end including the Risco del Paso parking.

You might be interested in:How To Find the Natural Rock Pool in Fuerteventura: All You Need To Know What to expect from visiting the natural rock pool in Caleta de Fuste, Fuerteventura Read more

Map

Playa de Sotavento (as the beach is called on our Google Maps) is located in the southernmost part of Fuerteventura on the east coast between Costa Calma and Morro Jable.

Find it on the map below.

When to visit Sotavento Beach

We really loved the wild Cofete Beach but Sotavento is also a strong contender for the most spectacular beach in Fuerteventura – especially if you time your visit right.

As mentioned earlier in this travel guide, the tides play a huge role in the look of the beach.

Unlike at the natural rock pool Piscina Natural where you want to be at low tide, you should aim for high tide when visiting Sotavento Beach.

At high tide, the water comes in and creates beautiful lagoons with sandbars.

If you are visiting to take cool pictures, you better check the tide timetables. There are several available online – we used this one.

At low tide you’ll mostly just see a very large beach.Prepare to get your ankles wet if you intend to visit the sandbanks at high tide.

You might be interested in:How To Get to Cofete Beach: A Travel Guide to Fuerteventura’s Wild Paradise Beach All you need to know about visiting Playa de Cofete – one of the best beaches in Fuerteventura

Weather

While Fuerteventura is pleasant to visit all year, the weather still plays a role when it comes to visiting Sotavento Beach.

If you like kitesurfing and windsurfing, a windy day is perfect for you. The lagoons at Sotavento are a huge draw for watersport enthusiasts.

If you, however, want the lagoon to be empty of the aforementioned kitesurfers and windsurfers, opt for a calm day without strong wind.

For the best light and the least amount of people, try to come in the early morning or around sunset.

Kitesurfers and windsurfers love visiting the lagoon on windy days.Try to visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon if you want the splendour all for yourself.

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Where to stay near Sotavento Beach

Playa de Sotavento is located between Costa Calma and Morro Jable in the south and both places are awesome if you want to stay close to Sotavento Beach.

Here we will tell you the differences and recommend the best hotels in each area.

Costa Calma – Calm area for beach lovers

Staying in the south of Fuerteventura is heaven for people who love going to the beach. It’s especially popular with Northern Europeans (and Germans in particular).

As the name implies, Costa Calma is very calm. It’s smaller than some of the other resort towns of Fuerteventura and very laid-back.

The beaches in and near Costa Calma are veeery long, so you’ll always be able to find your own spot in the sand.

Sotavento Beach starts from the southern end of Costa Calma, making Costa Calma a popular spot for wind and kite surfers who love the conditions here.

There’s a twice-weekly market in Costa Calma held each Wednesday and Sunday.

Where to stay in Costa Calma

Adlinks:
• Value for money: Hotel Cooee Taimar.
• Value for money: SBH Crystal Beach Hotel & Suites.

Search for the best value accommodation in Costa Calma here.

Hotel Cooee Taimar is a nice, new hotel in Costa Calma. ©Hotel Cooee Taimar (adlink)Stay with direct access to the beach at Costa Calma at SBH Crystal Beach Hotel. ©SBH Crystal Beach Hotel & Suites (adlink)

Morro Jable – Family-friendly & peaceful beaches

Morro Jable is the southernmost place to stay in Fuerteventura and one of the most developed areas of the island.

If Morro Jable’s own beach Playa del Matorral isn’t enough, you’ll also be very close to Playa de Esquinzo as well as Sotavento Beach.

The real unique draw down south though? The natural park of Jandía, home to Cofete – our favourite beach in Fuerteventura.

Getting here is not easy, but it’s much easier if you’re already staying in Morro Jable.

Morro Jable itself is a lively place with lots of supermarkets, cafés and restaurants. There’s a local market each Thursday.

Where to stay in Morro Jable

Adlinks:
• Luxury: Iberostar Selection Fuerteventura Palace.
• Luxury: Hotel Riu Palace Jandia.
• Budget: AltaVista Apartahotel.

Search for the best value accommodation in Morro Jable here.

5 stars, beachfront and a beautiful pool? Sounds good! ©Iberostar Selection Fuerteventura Palace (adlink)Hotel Riu Palace Jandia is also 5-starred and probably the best hotel if you wish to stay directly in central Morro Jable. ©Hotel Riu Palace Jandia (adlink)AltaVista Apartahotel is one of the cheapest places to stay in Morro Jable with your own kitchen. ©AltaVista Apartahotel (adlink)

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What to bring to Sotavento Beach

• Travel insurance (adlink). Never travel without it!
• A good camera and perhaps even a drone – here’s a guide to the gear we use.
• Sunscreen (adlink).
• Swimwear and a towel if you plan to swim.
• Water and snacks.

You might be interested in:What’s in Our Camera Bag? Lightweight Photography Gear for High-Quality Travel Content What camera, drone and accessories we use to capture life on the road Read more

Minimise your impact

To minimise your impact, follow these guidelines:

• Bring your own drinking water in a refillable bottle.
• Avoid single-use plastics, including straws.
• Dispose of waste properly. While putting your trash in a nearby trashcan is convenient, wrappers and other small items are prone to get taken by the wind and end up in the ocean.
• Check your sunscreen. Many brands contain oxybenzone and other chemicals that are harmful to corals.
• Take only photos, leave only footprints. Let shells and corals stay in their natural home.
• Be considerate of other visitors.
• Respect wildlife.

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Thanks for reading

Thanks for reading our travel guide to Sotavento Beach in Fuerteventura. We hope it has been useful!

What do you think about the beach and the lagoon?

If you’ve been to Sotavento or Fuerteventura it would be awesome to hear your best tips in the comments.

If you haven’t been yet, please don’t hesitate to ask us anything. We’re glad to help.

This Fuerteventura Beach Made it to the Top 10 Beaches of the World Fuerteventuratimes.com

Sotavento beach is considered one of the 25 best beaches in Europe 2022 by TripAdvisor‘s Traveller’s Choice awards.

A fairytale setting on a paradisical far-away planet is the first thing that comes to our mind when we set foot on the glorious and 9-kilometer magnificent stretch of the Sotavento Beach. Located between Morro Jable and Costa Calma, the Sotavento Beach is ninth place in the Trip Advisor Traveller´s Choice Best Beaches of the World in 2022.

Sotavento is a spectacle for the traveler, with its great scenic beauty that can observe from the Salmo viewpoint. Covered with golden sand, crystalline green waters of shallow depth, giant dunes, and not forgetting that a lagoon forms with the tide. It is also very popular with kitesurfers and windsurfers from worldwide. Due to its strong winds, the World Kitesurfing and Windsurfing Championships are held here every year.

After two years of travel restrictions, 2022 is considered by many to be “the year of travel”. According to a recent Tripadvisor survey, 71% of Americans say they are likely to travel for pleasure in 2022. “As the world begins to travel again, priorities are shifting, and people want more memorable experiences while traveling. Three-quarters (75%) of Americans say it is important to ‘see new places’ when considering future travel plans,” said Steven Paganelli, director of Destinations, Hotels, and OTAs in the Americas at Tripadvisor.

Their Traveller’s Choice awards were born from the idea of connecting with travelers; they are awards chosen exclusively by people like you. People who travel try and share their experiences worldwide, according to their comments and positive or negative opinions about that destination or tourist place. It’s a list of the best sites chosen by travelers themselves.

In its 2022 list, Traveler’s Choice places four Spanish beaches among the top 25 in Europe 2022. The Spanish beaches of Muro (Mallorca), Ses Illetes (Formentera), Sotavento (Fuerteventura), and Las Canteras (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) are among the best in Europe, according to a ranking compiled by Tripadvisor users Sotavento 9th place.

In Fuerteventura, Sotavento beach, located in the municipality of Pájara, with 10 kilometres of coastline, is in 9th place in the list of the 25 best beaches in Europe 2022. It is not just a single beach, but the series of five beaches De la Barca, Risco del Paso, Mirador, Los Canarios and Mal Nombre.

The beach stands out for its idyllic setting, for all types of tourists, even non-surfers. It is a beach with an immense length in its sandy extension; its dunes reach some of them to the seashore, showing us a unique landscape. It is perfect for families with children due to its space, its lagoon, and the shallow depth of its crystalline waters. A paradise in the middle of the Atlantic.

How to get to Sotavento beach?

By Car: If you are traveling by car, take the FV 2 then take the exit at KM 72 and follow the road. that will lead you straight to the  “Playa de Sotaveno¨. 

For renting cars in Fuerteventura, we recommend Auto Riesen. The company allows reserving without blocking any credit card and has no limitations on dirt roads of the island and has better price plans compared to many others. Tip: Book and plan in advance as rentals are almost full always on the island.  

By Bus: Line 10 leaves four times a day from Puerto del Rosario and Fuerteventura Airport. If travelling to Sotavento from Corralejo, take the Bus 6 to Puerto del Rosario and follow the route of Line 10 to Costa Calma. For more details check their official schedule here. 

See also

+34 (0) 928 855 726 , [email protected], www.tiadhe.com

By Customized Trip Planning: Customize your trip to your requirements be it with family and friends, or a romantic weekend getaway with local island hosts Amazzzing Travel. You can contact them directly to [email protected] or via their instagram page. 

Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations.

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Sotavento beach on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, Spain (2017)
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View on the famous beach Sotavento on the Canary Island, Spain.

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