Text and photo: Antonio Colmenar
To the south of the Canary Island Fuerteventura is its highest mount, Pico de la Zarza, at a height of 807 metres. The hike to get to the island’s ceiling is of 7.5 kilometres from the seashore.
In less than two hours and a half, one can observe scenes as different as the salt marsh of the Matorral beach, in the coast, or the most humid areas of the entire island. However, the journey’s most impressive views are the ones from the coast of Jandía’s natural park, the only area of Fuerteventura with trade winds.
Draughts charged with humidity slightly clash with the mountain’s heights creating a particular ecosystem marked by the contribution of humidity from the clouds, which are quite higher than those in the rest of the island. From the top of Pico de la Zarza one can see the spectacular west coast of the island, with the Cofete beach as a prime example, one of the last unspoilt beaches in Spain.
