Do you need a permit to visit Isla de Lobos?

Yes, and it is free. The Cabildo de Fuerteventura issues online authorisations a few days before each visit date, capped at 400 people daily across a morning and an afternoon slot of four hours each. Boat operators check it before boarding, so arrange the permit first and the ferry second.

How long does the ferry from Corralejo take?

About 15 minutes each way from Corralejo harbour, with several departures through the morning and returns during the afternoon. The crossing can be choppy in strong wind but it is short. Confirm your return sailing when you arrive — there is no accommodation on the islet.

Can you swim and snorkel on Isla de Lobos?

Yes. The sheltered shallows around El Puertito are the usual spot, with clear water over sand and rock and easy entry. The exposed northern and western shores are rougher and far less suitable. Bring your own mask and fins — nothing is hired on the island.

What should you take to Isla de Lobos?

Water above all: there is none on sale beyond the single restaurant and no drinking tap. Add high-factor sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and closed shoes for the volcanic paths. Shade is almost non-existent, so a midday visit in summer needs real preparation.

The volcanic cone of Montaña de la Caldera rising above scrubland and lava rock on Isla de Lobos

Photo: Jumilla (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

La Oliva, Fuerteventura

Isla de Lobos

A protected islet 15 minutes off Corralejo, capped at 400 visitors a day.

Isla de Lobos is a small volcanic islet in the strait between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, roughly 15 minutes by boat from Corralejo harbour. It is a protected nature reserve with no hotels, no shops and no cars — just marked sandy paths, a 127-metre volcanic cone, a lighthouse working since 1865 and a hamlet of fishermen's houses. Every visitor needs a free permit, and only 400 people are admitted a day.

Getting there, and the permit you cannot skip

Isla de Lobos is a nature reserve first and a day trip second, and the access rules reflect that. The Cabildo de Fuerteventura issues a free online authorisation for every visitor, released a few days ahead of each date and limited to 400 people per day — 200 in a morning slot and 200 in the afternoon, each valid for four hours. Boat operators check it at the quay in Corralejo, and without one you will not board. Permits for school holidays and peak weeks go quickly, so set a reminder rather than turning up hopefully.

The crossing itself is short: around 15 minutes from Corralejo harbour, with several morning departures and return sailings through the afternoon. Some boats are glass-bottomed, others plain ferries, and a few operators run snorkelling trips that combine the crossing with time in the water. Whichever you take, note your return time as you land — the last boat is the last boat, and there is nowhere to stay on the islet.

What to do once you land

Everything on Lobos happens on foot, along marked sandy paths; there are no roads and no vehicles. The main circuit runs roughly 8 km and takes two to three hours at a walking pace, which fits a four-hour slot with room to spare. It passes El Puertito, a hamlet of a dozen or so fishermen's houses with one small restaurant — book ahead, it is tiny — and continues to the Faro de Martiño at the northern tip, a lighthouse in service since 1865 that marks the Bocayna strait towards Lanzarote.

The climb up Montaña La Caldera, the islet's 127-metre volcanic cone, is the other main draw: short, steep near the top, and worth it for the view over the whole reserve, the dunes of the Parque Natural de Corralejo and Lanzarote's southern coast. The sheltered shallows by El Puertito hold the calmest water and the best snorkelling, clear over pale sand and rock. Take everything you need with you: there is no shop, no drinking water and almost no shade anywhere on the island, and the sun reflected off sand and water is far stronger than it feels. Water, high-factor sunscreen, a hat and closed shoes are not optional here.