Femés
Apart from a rocky, stone-strewn path on a steep slope early in the walk, most of this route is easy. A descent through an empty barranco leads to the sandy beach of Playa del Pozo, then a cliff coast path leads to the village of Playa Quemada and onwards to a holiday resort and marina at Puerto Calero.
Route uses PR LZ 10 and 11. The last bus stop at Femés is near a little supermercado. There is a nearby roundabout with a palm tree at its centre and this is where the walk starts, around 370m (1215ft). First, take a look around the village – especially the plaza, church and a mirador overlooking distant Playa Blanca and Fuerteventura. There are bar restaurants, as well as the cheese-making Quesería Rubicón. A signpost for the PR LZ 09 stands at the roundabout, pointing up a tarmac road that gives way to a track. Climb past a notice for the Monumento Natural Los Ajaches, with views of Femés and the Valle de Femés.
A goat farm is reached on a stony gap at Loma Pico de la Aceituna, at 414m (1358ft). Two mapboards and two signposts stand to the right. The PR LZ 10-11 heads left, but almost immediately turns right. The PR LZ 09 heads right, followed on Walk 1 and Walk 4. A broad path, covered in stones and boulders, drops steeply across a rocky slope while exploiting soft beds of rock. There is crude stone paving later, then the path swings left and runs down to a three-way signpost in the Barranco de la Higuera, around 260m (855ft). Walk 1 joins from the right.
A signposted path junction deep in the Barranco de la Higuera
Keep left, or straight ahead through the barranco, roughly following pylons to reach another signpost at 127m (417ft). Take careful note of where the signpost actually points. Most walkers continue to the coast using the track, which is fine, but our route follows a vague path off to the right across the stony, scrubby bed of the barranco. Look across the bed and aim towards a drystone enclosure, then aim for another one, picking up a narrow path that quickly becomes obvious. This eventually leads to a signpost overlooking a beach at Playa del Pozo, which could easily be missed if the track was followed. There is a ‘pozo’, or well, on the beach. Turn left as signposted for Playa Quemada, and a track begins to run inland towards Barranco del Fraile. Follow it, but quickly turn right up a track blasted from a rocky slope above the sea.
There is a metal marker beside the track, where a path heads off to the right, bending, rising and falling while cutting across rocky and stony slopes. A path junction is reached where there is a choice between zigzagging down to the sea and climbing again, or drifting inland with less descent and ascent. Both paths rejoin before a mapboard is reached at the seaside village of Playa Quemada. Follow roads that run close to the sea to spot a number of bar restaurants. There is a mapboard and signpost at a bus shelter beside a road junction, but no bus services. Unless a pick-up or taxi can be arranged, walkers need to continue along the coast for another hour.
Walk to the far end of the village, to the end of the tarmac road, where a track continues parallel to the coast. The track is mostly used by cyclists; walkers might prefer to follow a narrow, rugged path near the low cliffs of Risco Prieto. Either way, head towards the large Hotel Hesperia Lanzarote. Join a road and rise to pass the hotel entrance. When a road junction is reached turn right downhill, and the road then bends left and begins to rise. Watch on the right for a house called Gran Cortijo Viejo, where a gritty path and a few steps drop to a brick-paved promenade.
Looking along the coast to Playa Quemada, Puerto Calero and Puerto del Carmen
Turn left and follow the palm-fringed promenade as it runs between a marina and apartments. There are a couple of points where it is possible to go down to the marina, which has a range of shops, bars and restaurants, as well as a Museo de Cetacéos (whales and dolphins museum). Staying on the brick-paved path, however, cross the access road for the marina at Puerto Calero and continue until it passes above a boatyard. The paving ends and the path drops to a road. Turn left up the road to reach a roundabout with an attractive yacht sculpture. There is a bus shelter to the right.
WALK 4
Femés to Playa Blanca
| Start | Roundabout, Femés |
| Finish | Avenida Marítima, Playa Blanca |
| Distance | 23km (14¼ miles) |
| Total Ascent | 230m (755ft) |
| Total Descent | 600m (1970ft) |
| Time | 7hrs |
| Terrain | Mountain paths traverse steep, rocky slopes, then easy tracks lead to the coast. |
| Refreshment | Bar restaurants at Femés. Small bar restaurants at Papagayo. Plenty of choice between Las Coloradas and Playa Blanca. |
| Transport | Occasional buses serve Femés on weekdays from Arrecife, Playa Honda and Tías. Plenty of buses link Las Coloradas with Playa Blanca, and Playa Blanca with Arrecife. |
This long walk starts on steep, exposed slopes but later follows broad, easy tracks. After descending from the mountains, tracks run parallel to the coast, crossing several barrancos. After exploring Punta de Papagayo, easy coastal paths and promenades are followed to and through the resort of Playa Blanca.
Route uses PR LZ 09. The last bus stop at Femés is near a little supermercado. There is a nearby roundabout with a palm tree at its centre and this is where the walk starts, around 370m (1215ft). First, take a look around the village – especially the plaza, church and a mirador overlooking distant Playa Blanca and Fuerteventura. There are bar restaurants, as well
