Parque Rural de Betancuria

The Parque Rural de Betancuria spreads over 16,544 hectares in the central western part of Fuerteventura. It takes in more than ninety per cent of the municipality of Betancuria and reaches into Pájara, Antigua, Tuineje and Puerto del Rosario. It was declared a natural park in 1987 and reclassified as a rural park in 1994. Geologists come for one of the clearest exposures of the island's Basal Complex, where fossil marine sediments and very old volcanic rock colour the slopes in tones you rarely see elsewhere in the archipelago. The Monumento Natural de Ajuy lies inside its boundaries.

Rounded peaks set the skyline: Morro Jana at 764 metres, Gran Montaña at 708, Morro de la Cruz at 676 and Morro Velosa at 669, with broad U shaped ravines cut between them. Plant life includes tabaiba dulce, the rare cuernúa, tamarisks, Canary palms and the planted pine woodland of Betancuria. The reservoirs of Las Peñitas and Los Molinos draw water birds, and the whole park is a Special Protection Area for Birds, so the Egyptian vulture known locally as guirre is a real possibility. Hiking on the existing tracks is open to everyone, while camping, off road vehicles and dumping waste are not permitted.