Lajares to La Oliva

Essentially the same route as here, but this time I did the slightly longer version that ends up in La Oliva, following the trans-Fuerteventura footpath GR-131 in its Etapa 2 exactly. It was cooler today and I was alone (no complaining kids in tow), so it worked out nicely.

Another significant difference with the earlier walk was that now there is so much more green. It makes me happy to look at the green patches and the flowers. The flowers above and below are Chrysanthemum coronarium, garland chrysanthemum, and now there are groups of them here and there. I had to go down on my knees to shift the perspective and make this patch look bigger, but I do hope that eventually we will have more and I won’t need to do that. I might do it still, but it woud be nice not to have to.

You can see Montaña Colorada in the background of both of those pictures.

At the moment there is some pools of water on the path, but nothing impossible to walk around. From the patterns that rainwater left in the dirt it is clear that it will be excellent idea to check the forecast and make sure that you are not caught in the rain while walking though. It will be very slippery, and the first bit you walk upwards, so you risk finding yourself back in Lajares.

Natural Monument Malpais de la Arena. I am not sure what is so monumental about it, but it does look interesting with all the lichens and abandoned agave plantations. They used the leaves to make fiber in the past, but now plastics took over, obviously.

The lichens and the blackness of the soil make the space around the central mountain appear different from the surrounding area in the aerial photos — check it out on the map of the route

Practical note — if you, like me, are using public transport, there is something to take into account. If you get off the bus by the football field in Lajares, the very beginning of the route, that will probably happen about 35-40 mins past the hour. Buses to Corralejo come to the church stop at La Oliva at approximately 20-25 minutes past the hour. I walk fast but I made little stops to take pictures, and it took me about 1 hour 40 minutes to complete the route. Which it was only just fast enough to catch the bus, if that make sense. Just something to be aware of.

Pictures of inland Fuerteventura on Shutterstock — here