By now I think our two drivers were getting the hang of the roads and tolls! It was especially useful to be able to input a telephone number into the satnav instead of the actual address – very helpful considering how all the Japanese places were spelt. Because if you put an o instead of an a or e you can end up many miles away as all the names are very similar or so they seem to us. Also included in the satnav the amount of the toll you had to pay was spoken to you beforehand.
We had a four hour drive ahead of us as you can see from the map above. As Kyushu is made up of several small islands there was not really a direct route to take to Kagoshima.
We passed through Yanegawa on the way which is made up of lots of canals.
Arrived quite late to Hotel Shiroyama – beautiful hotel – high up on a hill overlooking Mt. Sakurajima. Sakurajima is still smoking and one of the reasons we visited Kagoshima.
As it was late decided to eat at the hotel on the 13th floor. Had a gourmet French dinner – fantastic!
Four of us enjoying our fantastic dinner
Entree
View from 13th floor overlooking the city of Kagoshima
Shame the windows in our room were frosted! so had no view – obviously you had to pay more for the view.
I think the best way to see anywhere new is to go on an organised excursion. I did just that when I visited Fuerteventura with the excellent Pie de Caracol tours, with driver and guide Luca. It was a long day from 9.00 am until 8pm so we really packed a whole lot in. Normally it’s not so long but because one of the major roads was closed because of a bike race, Luca had to devise some other way to drive around the island.
We started at Corralejo and drove down to La Oliva, bypassing the capital Puerto del Rosario due to road closure, to Betancuria, Ajuy, Costa Calma and back to Corralejo with so many stops along the way. Luca was so informative and had a wealth of knowledge about the island.
Amazingly we saw a rainbow, a miracle when you think there is hardly any rain on this island.
Some of the hundreds of terraces that you see dotted around the island.
Beautiful colours on the volcanoes
Our first stop was the Colonel’s House in La Oliva. There is not much historical information that exists about the house but it is believed to have been built in 1740, for Colonel Melchor de Cabrera Bethencour.
The Colonel’s House
One of the old structures surrounding the house
A few minutes walk away was the old church of Our Lady of Candelaria, where you could wander inside and have a look at the beautiful ceiling. It dates back to the 16th Century and its dark tower is made of volcanic stone.
On the journey towards our next stop of Betancuria we stopped at the famous lookout, where the Morro Velosa warriors are located. Even though this island is quite barren when the sun shines the colours on the volcanoes are amazing.
Morro Velosa Statues
This tiny house is the one you can see in the far distance in the above photo My canon powershot did a fantastic job
Onwards then to Betancuria, an old colonial and picturesque village once the capital of this island. Founded in 1404 this was once a fertile valley due to the fresh water streams nearby, sadly these have long since dried up and the only plants that grow are aloe vera and agave.
BETANCURIA
After a quick bite in Betancuria we headed over to Ajuy, an old fishing village on the West coast. This is where we had lunch and then a cliff top walk along to the caves below.
AJUY
Fish again for lunch
Blue rowing boat just perched on the black sand
Ajuy village overlooking the black sand beach
Long cliff walk to the caves
On the cliff walk
The caves beneath the cliffs
COSTA CALMA
The furthest south we drove was to Costa Calma, a resort area with a natural lagoon. The lagoon fills up in the afternoon creating a shallow area for paddling in contrast to the wild sea beyond.
Hundreds of colourful paragliders
The lagoon from above
Standing in the lagoon looking out towards the Jandia Natural Park
Driving back we stopped at a windmill, salt flats and sand dunes. There is so much to see and do on Fuerteventura but I’m pretty sure we came close to seeing nearly everything with the wonderful tour from Piedecaracol.com.
Lastly some more from my gallery
Lazy cats in Betancuria
An old blue rowing boat in Ajuy
A typical local restaurant in the countryside
A windmill in Tiscamanita
An old limestone house next to the windmill
Salt Flats and Sand Dunes
The Del Carmen Salt Works, the only salt works still in operation in Fuerteventura
An old whale skeleton amongst the salt pans
The sand dunes of Corralejo, now a national park and a favourite with wind and kite surfers
Standing at the top of the sand dunes which cover over 2000 hectares of golden rolling sand
Finally back to our starting point at 8pm. A fabulous and interesting day. Many thanks Luca.
Day tripping around Fuerteventura, Canary Islands – 5.4.2019 – 9.4.2019
By now I think our two drivers were getting the hang of the roads and tolls! It was especially useful to be able to input a telephone number into the satnav instead of the actual address – very helpful considering how all the Japanese places were spelt. Because if you put an o instead of an a or e you can end up many miles away as all the names are very similar or so they seem to us. Also included in the satnav the amount of the toll you had to pay was spoken to you beforehand.
We had a four hour drive ahead of us as you can see from the map above. As Kyushu is made up of several small islands there was not really a direct route to take to Kagoshima.
We passed through Yanegawa on the way which is made up of lots of canals.
Arrived quite late to Hotel Shiroyama – beautiful hotel – high up on a hill overlooking Mt. Sakurajima. Sakurajima is still smoking and one of the reasons we visited Kagoshima.
As it was late decided to eat at the hotel on the 13th floor. Had a gourmet French dinner – fantastic!
Four of us enjoying our fantastic dinner
Entree
View from 13th floor overlooking the city of Kagoshima
Shame the windows in our room were frosted! so had no view – obviously you had to pay more for the view.
