A short, easy walk to the rim of a textbook volcanic crater, with big views over the north of the island and cheeky ground squirrels for company — Calderón Hondo is the perfect first hike on Fuerteventura. Rising above the little village of Lajares, this near-perfect cone is part of a cluster of old volcanoes and offers one of the most rewarding walks-to-effort ratios on Fuerteventura. The path is gentle, the crater is genuinely spectacular, and you can be up, around and back down in a couple of easy hours. It's a lovely taste of hiking in the Canary Islands for anyone who thinks the island is all beaches.
The walk
The trail starts on the edge of Lajares and follows a clear, well-marked track that climbs steadily but gently across the volcanic plain towards the cone. It's a walk of roughly 3–4 kilometres there and back, with only modest height gain, on a stony but straightforward path — no scrambling, no exposure, just a steady uphill amble. Most reasonably fit walkers, and older children, will manage it comfortably. The reward comes near the top, where you reach a viewing platform right on the crater's edge.
Photo: Tamara Kulikova · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · scaled
The crater
Calderón Hondo — the name means roughly "deep cauldron" — is a beautifully preserved crater, a deep, near-circular bowl of red and ochre rock dropping away below the rim. A safety railing at the viewpoint lets you peer straight down into it. Standing there, with the crater at your feet and the landscape rolling away in every direction, you really feel the volcanic origins of the island. A path continues part-way around the rim, opening up different angles into the bowl and out across the countryside.
Don't climb into or over the crater. The rim is protected and the slopes are loose and steep — stick to the marked viewing area and the official rim path, and keep well behind the railings. It's a fragile landscape as well as a genuine drop, so admire it from the edge rather than venturing in.
The views
Because Calderón Hondo stands alone above a flat plain, the panorama from the top is far bigger than the modest climb suggests. You look out over the neighbouring volcanic cones, north across the sea to Lanzarote and the little island of Lobos, and down towards the coast around Corralejo with its great sweep of dunes. On a clear day it's a wonderful spot to just sit for a while and take it all in.
The ground squirrels
You won't be alone up there. The slopes are home to bold little Barbary ground squirrels, striped, chipmunk-like creatures introduced to Fuerteventura decades ago, and they've learned that walkers sometimes mean food. They'll come remarkably close, which delights children and makes for fun photos.
Enjoy the squirrels, but don't feed them. Tempting as it is, feeding the ground squirrels isn't good for them and only encourages ever-bolder behaviour — the local advice is to look and photograph, not feed. Go early or late to avoid the midday sun, wear proper shoes for the stony path, and carry water and a hat: there's no shade at all on this exposed hillside.
Getting there and combining your day
The trailhead is at Lajares, an easy 10–15 minute drive from Corralejo in the north of the island; there's parking near the start of the path. A hire car is much the easiest way to reach it, as public transport to the trailhead is limited. Aim for the cooler parts of the day and allow around two hours for the round trip, plus time at the top.
Calderón Hondo slots neatly into a wider day out in northern Fuerteventura. Lajares itself is a laid-back village with good cafés, craft shops and a well-known surf-and-yoga scene, perfect for a post-walk coffee or lunch. From there you're close to the dunes and beaches of Grandes Playas, the charming old fishing town and lagoons of El Cotillo on the west coast, and the ferry across to the wild islet of Isla de Lobos. Do the walk in the morning while it's cool, then reward yourself with a beach afternoon — a classic north-Fuerteventura combination.
For a first-time hiker or a family wanting one memorable walk between beach days, Calderón Hondo is hard to beat: a real volcano, a proper view and a friendly welcome party of squirrels, all for a gentle couple of hours' effort.
A perfect little crater, a big island view and a railing to lean on — Calderón Hondo is the easiest volcano you'll ever stand on top of.