Morro Jable Beach

Morro Jable beach is undoubtedly one of the best beaches on the island, the white sand beach is vast and stretches a distance with sights to see such as a whale skeleton and the Morro Jable lighthouse. The beach actually goes by the name Playa del Matorral. Morro Jable is one of the main tourist centres of the island too, with all the beach resorts, hotels and shopping centres. The other tourist centre is Corralejo in the North.

In these dark days of December in Finland, I often find myself thinking about the times we had on warm sunny beaches. It wasn’t a lot this year considering we couldn’t travel far after March, when the pandemic spread. Luckily, we made it to the island of Fuerteventura, part of the Spanish Canary Islands in Spring. I have already shared our best memories from there in previous posts.

When you approach the beach from the north side, you will probably spot the skeleton of a sperm Whale on display. This was quite an interesting sight and there is a description of it nearby along with a message to protect the ecosystems and use of renewable energy.

Walk along the park, visit the shops on the promenade (we loved Koala Bay) or head towards the beach! You might spot these birds on the way. The mourning doves are common on the island as well as the Barbary ground squirrels.

The next bird is a special one. You might catch sight of it in a protected area near the beach. This is where the Iberian grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis) nests. We were lucky, and it was the first time we saw one. It wasn’t close but I managed to zoom in and get a photo. It may not look like it but these birds are savage hunters – they impale their prey, such as mice, on thorns, branches or wire.

At the beach – it was a perfect warm, sunny and clear day. There were also lounge chairs for sunbathing. Enjoy cocktails at Beach Bar El Farro and take in the smell of the sea. Oh, how I would like a beach gym right now.

If you get to the end of the sandy stretch, you will find sand dunes and a tourist hotspot – hotels, shops, restaurants and bars. Some much needed popsicles were bought from an ice cream kiosk. We then found Las tapas de Miguel for lunch – they had vegetarian pizzas, we just got them without cheese. Check out where we ate in Fuerteventura in this post.

Morro Jable harbor is also a starting point for many boat tours and water sport activities. We walked by there and came across a small turtle nursery. It was free to enter so we went to have a look. The two large bathtubs had a couple of loggerhead(?) turtles chilling about. It was nice to read about their conservation efforts.