With Fuerteventura, I mainly thought of a barren and rugged island, black and white beaches, lots of wind and rough nature. The walk to Ermita de las Peñitas also shows a very green side of the island.
The walk starts in the village of Vega de Río Palmas. This is near Betancuria. If you come from Betancuria or Costa Calma , drive on the FV-30. Take the exit to FV-323 to Vega de Río Palmas, drive past the Casa Natureleza (keep left) and then after about 150 metres you will come to a small bridge with a small car park on the right. This is where the walk starts.
The length of the route is 1.5 km to the little church and the same way back, a total of 3 kilometres. It is signposted with green/white posts.
The first part you walk among the tall reeds and around you you can hear the reeds whistling and the birds singing. The path actually runs partly through a dry riverbed to a (currently) empty reservoir. I think this is also why it is so green.
After that, it becomes more open. The reeds partly disappear and the contrast between the green plants, palm trees and the red earth that then becomes visible is really beautiful. The path is well trodden and self-explanatory. After a while, you have to climb a little and more cacti and succulents appear. All around you are quite high mountains with beautiful views.
Arriving at the dam, the landscape changes dramatically. Suddenly you see a deep ravine below you and you walk into a beautiful and impressive gorge with lots of rocks. Here and there are still small pools with water birds in them. And then at the end of the gorge there is a pretty little white church. Time for a drink and a snack and, above all, enjoy the view and the silence. Optionally, you can climb up from here to a beautiful eroded rock formation. Takes half an hour one way and is said to be very special. As it is already later in the afternoon, we decide not to do this now. A good reason to come back, though. We take the same route back. It's always funny to notice different things and, given the beauty around us, it's certainly not a punishment.
In the car back to Costa Calma, we still enjoy the hike. But the drive through the mountains is also very special. How beautiful it is here and so different from what we are used to.
