Stage 5: Betancuria - Pájara

Betancuria is the smallest municipality of Fuerteventura, and it was the capital of the island from the sixteenth until the mid-nineteenth century, when Puerto de Rosario became capital city. Its status as capital city of the island for such a long time makes it possible to find places of great interest, such as the cathedral of Santa María, a mix of different styles, from Gothic to Baroque, with Renaissance and Mudejar elements, since building the cathedral took a hundred years.

Before leaving the town center, we can also enjoy a visit to several museums, such as the Museo de Arte Sacro (Sacred Art Museum), the Museo Arqueológico (Archeological Museum) and the Centro Insular de Artesanía (Insular Craft Centre) dedicated to traditional crafts. The road will also take us to the waterwheel at Pozo de los Peña, formerly used to obtain and raise well water. From this point, and after a short stretch of asphalt road, we begin to ascend along a dirt path that will take us to Morrete de Tegetuno, a route that offers excellent views of the town of Betancuria, as well as a variety of plants that, even though some of them are not native to the island and have been introduced in later times, liven up the landscape with a touch of color.

Of particular note among the various plant species that we can see are pitas or piteras (Agave americana), native to America, almonds (Prunus dulcis) and two typically Mediterranean species such as the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) and the carob (Ceratonia siliqua).

Once we have reached Morrete of Tegetuno – where we find a stone resting area with tables and benches - we will head out in a southerly direction along a path that offers great views of the villages of Antigua and Betancuria. At Degollada de Tegetuno we can choose to go ahead in an easterly direction up a hill that leads directly to the village of Antigua along a local path (SL FV 29) with a gentle slope.

After walking a little over a kilometer, we must head south without making any mistake, because at this point we enter an area of reforested pines which is the only hill listed as a public interest site on the island: Castillo de Lara, where the pines that grow in the more sheltered valleys reach up to 10 m. Within this pine grove there is a recreational area with fireplaces, swings and tables.

After that, the trail continues along a path marked by stones which leads to the area known as Los Charcos, on top of Cerro de Betancuria, from where we begin to glimpse a valley where lies the charming little village of Vega de Río Palmas, named this way (Palmas River Meadow) by the conquerors of the island due to the great number of palm trees and water springs on this meadow, starting point of several local trails (SL FV 27, 28 y 31), which are very well worth exploring.

On the descent from Cerro de Betancuria into the valley we will find Casa de los Padrones, and old building that has been refurbished and adapted to be used as a shelter; from that point, we begin to descend, paying attention to the vertical directional signs, since the trail leaves the dirt track we have used so far and heads down to a riverbed along the ravine of Palomares, from which we will follow a path until we reach the village of Vega de Río Palmas.

Even though the path does not go through this village, it is advisable to make a slight detour in order to visit the shrine containing the image of the Virgin of the Rocks, patron of the island, which is an eighteenth century building with a sober façade in neoclassical style. The shrine houses the image of Our Lady of the Rocks, carved in alabaster, which was brought by the conquerors when they occupied the island. This sculpture is one of the most iconic symbols of Fuerteventura, and every third Friday in September, many “Majoreros” (inhabitants of Fuerteventura) gather in the shrine to worship in front of the image.

Along the stretch of the trail that is paved, we find a detour that coincides with the local trail SL FV 27, heading towards the dam at Las Peñitas. We will continue, without leaving the road, until we find a dirt track going up to Degollada de Los Granadillos, past an American windmill used for the extraction of well water, and going through abandoned farming terraces.

In Degollada de Los Granadillos we can enjoy the views from a resting area before we descend into the valley, going through many crop lands, where we see the traditional gavias or ditches, until we reach Toto, a small village located in the bottom of the valley, where the shrine of Degollada de Los Granadillos, declared an asset of cultural interest in 2008, is a landmark.

Once past the village of Toto, we leave for Pájara, along the Pájara y Toto ravine, until we come to the square in front of the church of Nuestra Señora de Regla in Pájara (seventeenth and eighteenth centuries), which has also been named an asset of cultural interest. In this square, where the City Hall of Pájara stands, we finish this section of the trail. The town of Pájara, founded in the fifteenth century, gained importance owing to the slave trade, activity which was the origin of a prosperous past that is reflected in the stone houses of the town center.