Best Places to See and Photograph on Jandia Peninsula, Fuerteventura
02 February 2020, by Oana Badiu
Discover the wildest and most beautiful landscapes of Fuerteventura with these 10 best places to see and photograph on Jandia Peninsula!
Hike to Pico de la Zarza, Highest Peak in Fuerteventura
12 January 2020, by Oana Badiu
Pico de la Zarza is the highest peak in Fuerteventura, rising 807 m above sea level. This beautiful and easy hike will reward you at the end with some of the most interesting views you will ever experience!
Pico de la Zarza was one of the most interesting hikes I have experienced so far. The weird and dry terrain on Fuerteventura makes this island unique and beautiful. The views from Pico de la Zarza towards Cofete beach are really impressive, with sharp mountains, golden sands, deep blue water and white foam from the waves that hit the beach! I am really happy I took the time to do this hike and I highly recommend it when you are visiting Fuerteventura!
Where is Pico de la Zarza?
Pico de la Zarza is the highest peak on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura and it's situated on the Jandia Peninsula, which is mostly a natural reserve. Jandia belongs to the municipality of Pájara and the peak is also called Pico de Jandia.
About Pico de la Zarza Hiking Trail
Pico de la Zarza height: 807 m
Pico de la Zarza trail difficulty: Easy
Pico de Zarza trail length: 6.3 km one way (12.6 km round trip), with an elevation of 686 m
Pico de la Zarza trail duration: 3.5 h - 5 h
How to Reach Pico de la Zarza Hiking Trail
The best way to get to the trail head of Pico de la Zarza is by car. You need to search on Google Map a place called "Parkplatz Wasserreservoir", next to Occidental Jandía Mar hotel and Jandía Golf Course. The address of the place is "Calle Dulcinea, 102P, 35625, Las Palmas, Spain". You can also check the trail and the park place on maps.me application.
There are also guided tours to Pico de la Zarza or you can walk from your hotel if you are staying in Morro Jable, however the trail is quite long as it is, so adding 2.5 km to that is maybe too much.
Pico de la Zarza Hiking Trail - Own Experience
It rarely rains in Fuerteventura, however I recommend checking the weather before going hiking to Pico de la Zarza. Sometimes the clouds get stuck here, it's really misty and you might not experience the best view. Best time to go is morning or early afternoon when you see that the sky is clear around Jandia Peninsula. During the evening the clouds are gathering around the mountains of Jandia, so even if you might start your hike on a sunny day, by the time you get there it might become too misty.
Make sure you get a bottle of water with you and put plenty of sunscreen before you start hiking. The trail is really easy, but at some points it might be a bit slippery because of sand and small rocks. Maybe big, heavy hiking shoes are not that necessary, but I would recommend some steady, breathable shoes because it can get quite hot in the sun. A good snack to enjoy at the summit after a long trail is also good to have.
Pico de la Zarza hike starts with a bit steeper part of the trail on the Talahijas hills, from which you can have a great view towards Morro Jable and the sea. After this first part, the hike becomes more like a walk, going up and down on the round and golden hills.
You can see a small white dot in the distance on the highest peak on the left side of the picture above. This is where Pico de la Zarza trail ends.
The last kilometre resembles more a hike than a walk and, at least for me, it was much more enjoyable.
After few hundred meters of a curvy stair-like hike there is a fence and a gate. I actually don't know why the peak is a fenced area, but anyway, you can just open the gate and from this point there are only a few meters to the peak.
On the trail you may encounter also some goats, lizards, ravens and, if lucky, you may also see the critically endangered Canarian Egyptian Vulture.
Once you get to the peak there are really stunning views of Cofete beach and the mountains of Jandia!
The blue and turquoise colours of the ocean combined with the golden and orange colours of the sand and desert like area surrounding the place makes the views from Pico de la Zarza some of the most interesting ones I have ever seen!
You can also see the basins of the dried up rivers of Jandia, which suggests that there is sometimes some water flowing around here.
The ravens seem to know that where there are tourists there is also food, so they hang out at the peak, waiting for someone to give them some food.
Pico de la Zarza was an awesome hike and the thing I loved most about Fuerteventura! Do not miss it!
