One of the wonderful things about holidaying in El Cotillo is the peace and quiet and lazy days lying on the beach. But, now and again, you may want to vary your daily relaxation routine with the odd activity before you head to the beach, or perhaps after you leave the beach.
If that is the case then you can browse through our top 14 suggestions of things to do in El Cotillo, ignoring number 1 obviously!
But beware, just lying on the beach with the sand between your toes and the sound of the waves can become very addictive and you may find your holiday is over before you have tried any other El Cotillo things to do. No matter – there is always your next visit.
Beaches – obviously!
The most popular daytime activity in El Cotillo is definitely finding a nice spot on one of the beaches and relaxing.
Depending on which of the wonderful beaches of El Cotillo you chose to go to then you can do this with, or without, swimwear – it is your choice. You can take the occasional dip in the sea to cool off or stroll along the shoreline looking for seashells or peering into the micro world in the rock pools.
If you are on one of the lagoon beaches then buy yourself a snorkel and mask and try your hand at snorkelling. There are plenty of fish and other sea creatures to spot and because of the reefs, which protect the lagoons, the water is always nice and calm.
If you are on the most popular of the El Cotillo lagoons beaches, La Concha beach, with its soft sand and calm water, then for lunch either take a picnic or stroll up to Torino’s beach bar (now closed sadly) and have the best paella on the island. From the bar you can sit and people watch while you sip a nice cool drink.
El Tostón Tower
Have a gentle walk through the village to El Cotillo’s Tostón tower, overlooking the new harbour and the surfers’ beach. It is an iconic building, and one of a handful in Fuerteventura, built in the early 1700s to defend the dock from pirates.
It only costs a couple of Euros to go in and explore. There are some great panoramic views from the top. Normally they also have an art exhibition of some kind inside too.
El Cotillo Lighthouse
Take a walk north along the coast to the lighthouse (Faro de Tostón). It takes about an hour to walk there or you could even try jogging it. The lazy, like me, prefer to drive!
When it is open you can pay a small fee to see the fishermen exhibition and go up to the top of the middle tower. From there you have a panoramic view of El Cotillo, the lagoons, the whole northern end of Fuerteventura and also Lanzarote across the water.
Chill and watch the sunsets
This is probably one of the most popular things to do in El Cotillo. Being on the west coast, El Cotillo is ideally situated to take full advantage of some great sunsets. So find a seat outside a nice bar or restaurant, with a view of the sea, and chill with your favourite sun-downer to watch the show.
Some suggestions are – the Aguayre cafe by the new harbour and the Toston bar’s terrace in the old harbour.
Learn to surf, kite surf or SUP (stand up paddle)
If you are feeling energetic why not learn to or kite surf while here? There are a number of schools located in the village that can teach you. Surf lessons generally take place on the surfers’ beach immediately to the south of El Cotillo.
Kite surf lessons also take place on this beach as well as the first beach past the lighthouse to the north. If you can already surf then the schools can normally rent you a board by the day or week.
The surf schools all have minibuses to take you to wherever the surf is suitable for your lesson anyway so you don’t need to worry.
Rent a Bike
The energetic can rent bikes from a number of places in El Cotillo, such as the Riders Surf n Bike shop near the football ground.
You can ride the tracks along the coast to the south and visit Steps Beach or Esquinzo beach. You can head the other way and go to the lighthouse and then along the north shore to Majanicho. Alternatively you can head inland to Lajares via the cycle path and further afield.
Bus (Lajares, La Oliva, Corralejo, Puerto del Rosario)
Take a bus trip on the no 8 bus which runs once an hour or more at certain times of the day (timetable here). You can choose to have lunch in Lajares, get off at La Oliva and visit the Colonels’ House or spend an hour in the art gallery. Travel all the way to Corralejo which takes about 45 minutes to do some shopping, have lunch along the seafront or go to the water park during the summer.
Alternatively, you can catch the no 7 bus which goes through the inland route through the hills and mountains. It terminates at the capital, Puerto del Rosario so that you can explore the shops and the harbour front.
Horse Riding
It is possible to go horse riding from a stable in El Roque, near the windmill which is only a 10 minute walk inland from El Cotillo.
I believe most of the horses are rescued and have a happy life doing a maximum of one trip a day to earn their keep. Rides include a sunset trek along the coast. Details are here – Granja Tara
El Cotillo Market
Every Friday from late afternoon into the evening is a small craft market. This takes place in the small square off the main road into the village that leads to the new harbour.
There are a number of stalls selling hand-made jewellery and other goods. Fortunately you don’t get loads of stalls selling the same old knock-off handbags etc that you do in most of the larger markets on the island. Often there is live music too.
Visit the Labyrinth
If you feel like a walk (or a drive and a walk) then you could visit the little known El Cotillo Labyrinth. This is in the hills to the back of the main watersports Piedra Playa beach.
You can find how to get to it and a video about it here – El Cotillo Labyrinth. If you have children with you they will have fun following the path all the way from the outside to the centre.
Yoga – for experts and beginners
There are now a number of places where you can take part in a yoga class in El Cotillo. Classes range from yoga for complete beginners to those with lots of experience.
You can take yoga classes at Star surf camps and CotiFit.
Segway Tours
When looking at what to do in El Cotillo, this is perhaps the most unusual. You can join one of the 5 Segway tours which range from 15 minutes to 2 hours. It is certainly an unusual way to see the area. These are based in one of the shop units at the front of the Cotillo Beach Hotel. Segway Tours Website Note: Sadly now closed
Last but not least
In the evenings, find a nice restaurant and have a good meal, perhaps with some locally caught fish. There are lots of nice restaurants in El Cotillo so you won’t be stuck on where to go, you just have the difficult choice of which one to choose.
After dinner take a stroll and visit one of the bars for a few drinks. Many of the bars have live music on one night a week so keep your ears open when walking around.
Other things to do in Fuerteventura
Should you run out of what to do in El Cotillo and want to go further afield then take a look at our Fuerteventura trips and excursions page for some great ideas and deals.
I have been holidaying in Fuerteventura for over 30 years and first came to El Cotillo 23 years ago. I owned an apartment in El Cotillo for 10 years and now live with my wife, Sue, and dog, Jenson, just 5 miles away. El Cotillo is my favourite place in Fuerteventura.
