I take a sip of water and when I look in front of me I see nothing but an empty asphalted road, golden sand, a small amount of vegetation and an impressive mountain in the distance. The sky is clear blue and despite the fact that there is a little breeze, it feels a lot warmer than the actual temperature of about 25 degrees. When I turn around, I see smooth sand dunes and a coastline which shows a beautiful contrast between the golden sand and the turquoise sea water. I do not see any people and I completely understand this place has been praised by many writers and poets that were in need of rest and inspiration. Miguel de Unamuno – the famous Spanish philosopher and writer – once called this place “an oasis in the middle of civilization’s desert” and I totally agree with him.

Before you think I am somewhere far away from Europe, let me tell you I am in Fuerteventura, which is part of the Canary Islands and therefore belongs to Spain. Fuerteventura is a volcanic island so it is absolutely amazing that this area – which is called the Natural Park of Corralejo – is covered by golden sand dunes. These dunes are formed by the disintegration of shells and marine organisms, that are layered on top of the typical volcanic soil of the island. Even though the sand sheets on top of the volcanic soil are more than 10 meters in thickness, there are still some volcanic rocks that appear, especially near the shore. It also fascinates me that the dunes in the Natural Park are active dunes that constantly renew and move due to the northern winds.

Before its declaration as being a National Park in 1994, two hotels were built in the northern part of this beautiful area. They benefit from a unique and wonderful location but if you prefer unspoilt nature and a quiet beach all to yourself, you can drive past these big resorts and get yourself another spot, which should not be difficult as the Natural Park of Carralejo (“Parque Natural de las Dunas de Corralejo”) covers more than 25 km2 and its coastline has an impressive length of around 10 kilometres. It provides habitat for various animal species, including the island’s largest colony of Houbara bustards. The Houbara bustard is a turkey-sized bird with a long neck and is an endangered species. It is usually found in arid habitats in North Africa and southwestern Asia but has a population in Fuerteventura as well.

The coastline of the natural park includes several beaches. The big beaches with light-colored sand are together referred to as “Grandes Playas” and are located on the northern side of the natural park. Close to the hotels these beaches can be filled with tourists but the more towards the south end you go, the more uncrowded – or even deserted – spots there are. The beaches are ideal for sunbathing or watersports and every now and then the municipality of Corralejo organizes beach festivities such as the Fuerteventura Kite Festival and music concerts. In addition, note should be made that Grandes Playas earned the iconic Blue Flag, which is the world’s most recognized voluntary eco-label that is awarded to beaches, marinas and boats. In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained. Another reason to visit this wonderful place, if you ask me.

The more towards the south end of the natural park’s coastline you go, the more secluded small coves there are. These coves are incredibly beautiful, provide wonderful sea views and enable you to fully disconnect from the outside world. The sand-covered surface gradually changes into volcanic, rocky soil, which makes the sea water look even brighter. I can sit for hours on places like this. The sound of the waves clashing against the rocks works extremely relaxing to me and makes me appreciate my life on this beautiful planet even more.

After just over a one hour’s drive from our accommodation in Corralejo, which is located at the northern tip of the island, we see silhouettes of white and light-colored houses appear at the end of the long, straight road that we are currently driving on. Even though we drove most of our little road trip on three similar type of straight roads and we went through relatively quiet areas without a lot of variation in natural environment, I keep being amazed by the unique and tranquil atmosphere on the island. It feels different from everything I have ever experienced; it is almost like the concepts of rush and stress have not been invented here yet. It is absolutely amazing and it feels so liberating.

We approach a roundabout with lots of gorgeous palm trees on it and turn off at the sign indicating there is a parking space. We park our bright yellow rental car and I quickly take a last bite from the sandwich that we bought at a local supermarket en route. Both of us are incredibly excited to explore this village called Ajuy, mainly because it appears that its cliffs and caves are formed by the oldest rocks in the Canary Islands and are declared a Natural Monument as they stand out for their geological and paleontological interest. It is also the first time we will be on a black sand beach, which I personally think will be spectacular.

And spectacular it is. I am completely speechless when we arrive on Ajuy Beach (“Playa de Ajuy”). Its dark sand and the bright blue water show a beautiful contrast. At the end of the beach, which is around 200 meters long and 50 meters wide, there is this immense rock formation that is comprised of several bands of layers. The oldest of these bands are oceanic sediments formed during the Jurassic era, which means that this type of rock was established even before the geological formation of the island itself. It has been there for over 100 million of years and realizing this, I feel so grateful that I am allowed to watch this natural wonder. What a beautiful life it is.

At the foot of the rock formation there is a very accessible pathway that enables us to climb it. The pathway leads us along the cliffs and marks the start of our journey to the caves of Ajuy (“Cuevas de Ajuy”). The about 1.5 kilometers walk starts with the Mirador de Ajuy, which translates to the Ajuy Viewpoint. The view from this place is spectacular and allows us to oversee the beach and the fishing village from above. The rock formations at this place are really impressive. They are fossilized dunes of Pliocene calcarenite, which is a mixture of limestone and sand, and are formed by fossil remains of shells and algae. The limestone industry in Fuerteventura flourished during the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century and as we walk along the breathtakingly beautiful cliffs in order to get ourselves from the viewpoint to the caves, we encounter one of the many well-preserved lime kilns on the island. In order to get fuel for lime kilns burning, there used to be a lot of human pressure on the environment and it partly explains the deforestation on Fuerteventura (and the Canary Islands in general).

Approximately 30 minutes later we arrive at the caves, which can be entered by using a stone staircase. As the soil is a little wet, we have to be careful but luckily there is a sturdy wooden handrail that helps us entering the first chamber of the cave safely. This chamber provides – besides some pretty impressive rock formations – a spectacular view on the sea and standing here as a human being makes you feel subordinate to all major forces of nature on the one hand but on the other hand it makes you also feel one with the universe. Obviously, we want to reach the back of this chamber and enter the second chamber as well, which makes us climb over some large rocks and go through a relatively large, dark hole. It is quite an adventurous thing to do but if you love the thrill and are someone that has an inherent urge to explore, it is definitely something we recommend you to do. The second chamber has a sandy floor so it is a lot easier to get to the end of the cave, even though it is still pretty dark around here. The ocean view is incredible and I can only imagine how it would look like at sunset. Then, we go even deeper into the cave and we are very happy we brought a flashlight with us as it is extremely dark around here. However, there is always light at the end of the darkness and we finally arrive at a staircase that is our way out. We have a final look at the beautiful, wildly swirling sea water that we can view from here, and then it is time to get back to the outside world again. What an incredibly surreal and exciting experience this was!