Madre del Agua

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Taking a track off the FV-621, just before Ajuy, will lead you to a little oasis, with a number of Canarian palm trees and running water.

It was in September 1626 that the Cabildo named the area, declaring the area to be of great historic importance, and decreeing it to be a protected area where a license was required to cut any of the wood. It is still considered to be one of the most important areas of floristic and ornithological interest within the Betancuria Rural Park.

Driving (or walking!) along the Barranco de Ajuy, on your left you will come across a wall, and at the end of that wall is the entrance to Madre del Agua. As you enter you might be lucky and be greeted by a chorus of birds chirping within the trees.

Walking into the Palm grove, it’s not long before you notice the land on your right becoming damp, which quickly turns into a stream of green water. A bit further on there is a stone bridge, allowing access for the farmers and travellers across where the stream used to flow faster many years ago.

Walking beyond the bridge, you come to rocks where the water trickles down to the head of that stream. Here you must cross over the water, stepping on the convenient stones, and being careful not to slip! At the top of the grove lies a small natural pond, fed from a hole in the rocks where the spring water bubbles through and down. Look carefully into the pond and you will see lots of tiny fish, and in the air all around you a are number of beautiful dragonflies.

Climb up above the pond to reach a small, ancient reservoir, where an irrigation chanel takes the flowing water to the farmers’ crops.

Llano del Sombrero

Along the top part of the grove, is an archaelogical site of some 2km in length and 1km wide. This area consists of more than 30 aboriginal structures and is one of the best preserved sites on Fuerteventura. Most of them are circular and have a diameter from between 10 to 40m. The structures are in good condition, and farmers continue to use some of them.