Fuerteventura eco-tourism plans: new interpretation center and guided tours around the volcanoes

The City Council of La Oliva continues betting on eco-tourism. In 2017, the northern municipality was the only one to access ECO-TUR aid, a European program aimed at improving the ecotourism offers in EU regions made up of European local administrations from all over the Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira, and also from other countries such as Cape Verde, Senegal and Mauritania.

As part of this program the La Oliva Water Route was presented, a journey through different cisterns of the town through which the history, tradition and importance of this natural asset so rare in the history of the island are portrayed and how it affected the lifestyle of the residents.

Thanks to this first project, the Department of Tourism with Celino Umpiérrez at the head has managed to access the second phase ECO-TUR II, where the "Bayuyo Alignment" project has been presented, 7 volcanic cones distributed along 4.5 kilometers, which, through volcanic intensity, generated the growth of the island of Fuerteventura to the north, also forming the Isla de Lobos.

This new project has two main objectives: on the one hand, to create a center for guided visits to the route reflecting the importance and history of these volcanic formations, and on the other, the protection of this entire area, especially the Calderón Hondo located in Lajares.

This project has been presented by the mayor of La Oliva and the area technician, Peña Pérez, last week in Madeira to the rest of the members of the ECO-TUR network.

The mayor Pilar González wanted to highlight that “one of our efforts from the municipal corporation has been to diversify the tourist offer that we have in the municipality and to stimulate all the towns of the municipality of La Oliva. Thanks to this type of project, we not only managed to meet this objective but also to reinforce the image projected by the north of Fuerteventura abroad.”

€250,000 is the amount of the fund, of which an important part will be allocated to the creation of this tourist product, which would be the regulation of visits to the main volcanic cone, creating an interpretation center, car parks and a reception for those interested in visiting the Calderón Hondo, fixing the road and placing information panels and signage to access the volcanic cone.