Road trip guide: Conquering Playa de Cofete on Canary Islands
Spain, europe
10.5 km
231 m
hard
Year-round
# Playa de Cofete: Fuerteventura's Wild Coastal Adventure
Picture this: you're standing at the edge of Spain's Canary Islands, about to tackle one of the most legendary drives on the archipelago. Welcome to Playa de Cofete, a breathtaking stretch of sandy perfection nestled on the western side of the Jandia peninsula in Fuerteventura.
The 10.5 km unpaved road to get there? Yeah, it's absolutely mental—in the best way possible. Starting from the village of Morro Jable, this route climbs dramatically up to the Mirador de Cofete viewpoint, gaining 231 meters of elevation along the way. The track is properly narrow in spots, forcing single-file traffic and revealing some seriously gnarly cliff-side drops that'll make your knuckles white. You'll definitely want a sturdy jeep or four-wheel-drive vehicle for this one.
But here's where it gets interesting. The road's got a wild backstory steeped in WWII history and conspiracy theories. Built back in the late 1930s during the Hitler and Franco era, this route was constructed to access a military zone that kept civilians out entirely. Dark rumors have swirled for decades—tales of a mysterious villa (Villa Winter) that allegedly served as a hideout where Nazi figures underwent plastic surgery before fleeing to South America, supposedly arriving by submarine under cover of darkness.
True or not, the real magic here is the landscape itself. You're surrounded by dramatic terrain that eventually opens up to reveal Cofete beach—absolutely stunning and worth every bump in the road.
Where is it?
Road trip guide: Conquering Playa de Cofete on Canary Islands is located in Spain (europe). Coordinates: 40.2713, -2.2225
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 10.5 km
- Max Elevation
- 231 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 40.2713, -2.2225
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