The Ajuy Caves: a trip underground in Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura is renowned for its great weather, heavenly beaches and water sports competitions. But did you know that the island is also home to one of the oldest geological hideouts in the Canary Islands?

The Ajuy Caves are a rock formation offering visitors a unique experience to learn about the islands’ past.

A trip into the past

The caves are located in the hamlet of Ajuy, within the Betancuria Rural Park. Their surface area covers 31.8 hectares and they are of outstanding geological and palaeontological value, as they are among the 150 areas of greatest geological interest in the world.

This natural monument is one of the most ancient formations in the Canary Islands, being between 100 and 150 million years old. They were formed in the Cretaceous period, being part of the basal complex of the island, which was brought to the surface during its formation.

They are inextricably linked to the ancient local economy, as they were the site of choice for the extraction, exploitation and export of lime from the 16th to the 19th century.

Evidence of such past are the lime kilns found in the area and the jetty known as Puerto de la Peña, from where lime was exported to other Canary Islands and even Madeira and the mainland.

Gateway to the conquest

As the French religious scholars Jehan Le Verrier and Pierre Boutier recount in their chronicle Le Canarien, it was precisely in this area in 1402 that the French corsair Jean de Béthencourt and the officer Gadifer de La Salle set foot on the island for the first time.

The first attempts to conquer the island were unsuccessful, as the Mahos (the island’s first inhabitants) fled at the sight of the ships. After two supply trips to the Iberian Peninsula and several desertions, they came back to the island with 63 men out of the initial crew of 250.

Eventually, in 1405, they defeated the two Maho kings of Fuerteventura, Guize and Ayoze, and founded Betancuria, making it the first settlement and former capital of the island.

How to get to the Ajuy caves

The caves are located 45 minutes from our hotels Club Jandía Princess and Fuerteventura Princess. To get there you can follow the FV-621 road from Pájara to the hamlet of Ajuy. From there, it is a one-kilometre walk to the northern end of Ajuy beach, where you will find a stone ramp over fossilised dunes that runs alongside the sea until you arrive at the stairs leading down to the caves. Please note, however, that the entrances are not adapted for people with reduced mobility.

Ajuy caves: Guided tour or going on your own?

The two caves have a network of interconnecting galleries and rooms, where you can observe the sedimentary rocks that were created in the ocean depths millions of years ago.

You can explore the caves on your own or join a guided tour. The time needed to explore the site may vary depending on the visitor’s interest and curiosity, but, in general, the visit takes under an hour.

General recommendations

If you plan to visit the Ajuy Caves, we advise you to bring a jacket, as the temperature inside the caves drops several degrees. In some parts of the tour there is no sunlight from the outside, so it’s also essential to carry a torch or turn on your phone’s flashlight. Lastly, please remember to wear suitable footwear so that you can enjoy the tour to the fullest.

At the end, do not miss out on a visit to the fishing village of Ajuy, take a dip in the beach and enjoy some tapas overlooking the sea.

Categories: Canaries, Fuerteventura, Lifestyle