Puerto Del Rosario

Founded as recently as 1797, Puerto Del Rosario (Port of the Rosary) has been the capital of Fuerteventura since 1860. Up until 1957 it was known as Puerto de Cabras (Port of Goats) until, for aesthetic reasons it was changed. The town and its surrounding borough is home to 20,000 inhabitants, which is over half of the island’s “official” population. It is also the commercial and administrative centre of Fuerteventura and the seat of the island’s government. Inter-island ferries use the small port, which also supports a lively fishing industry. The long jetty stretching out from the harbour was built in1837.

The capital itself has a mixture of building styles and the skyline wasn’t helped by one mayor who decreed that no building was to be built as ‘high-rise’, only to go and build the first (and only) skyscraper himself, now dominating the harbour.

There is still a certain charm to the place. In the mornings there is a bustle, as the place wakes up to the large work force going about its business, then, as siesta time (1pm) approaches, things quieten down again until 5pm, when everything comes alive again for a few hours. Against this backdrop there is a massive selection of stores and shops for the serious shopper, and for the not-so-serious, a large selection of pavement cafes where watching the world go by is the order of the day.

Why not visit KISS cafe? Here, Sonia and her staff specialise in delicious home-made ice cream and a vast array of freshly-brewed coffee. She says that she is very tourist friendly, why not find out for yourselves?