Famara beach quick facts:-
Crowd factor – busy in Summer
Beauty factor – gold sand
Receives winds
Surf factor – Lots most every day
Rips – Yes, strong on bigger surf days
Local facilities – In the town of Caleta de Famara
Access – Parking on beach road by the side of the beach
Famara Beach
The iconic, beautiful and rugged Famara beach.
This is one of Lanzarote’s jewels. A three kilometre long sand beach with dramatic 600 meter cliffs soaring up behind.
A hot spot for active beach users. Great location to learn wing foiling, surfing and kite surfing.
In the nearby town of Caleta de Famara you can hire surfboards and boogie boards. If you wish to learn there are surf, wing foil and kite surf schools that are happy to teach these amazing sports, all equipment and instruction included in the price.
The beach itself gently curves three kilometres into the distance. At the beginning of the beach is a road passing along side the beach with ample parking, it can get full later in the day.
A more secluded part of the beach can be accessed along a dirt track. Drive up the right side of the houses, left at the very top and follow the track back down and along the far side of the beach. This area is much more secluded. On windy days there are stone built shelters where you can get some shelter from the wind and enjoy the warmth of the sun.
This beach does get large waves and winds. Be very careful of rips and currents. If in doubt do not go over waist depth. Waves wash in fast and powerfully taking you from waist deep to over hear deep in seconds. The rips also move around a lot so you can find yourself in one by surprise.
Famara beach and the local town have an atmosphere all their own. After a day on the beach you can go into the town and sit outside a bar, enjoy a drink and some tapas and watch the world go by.
Famara in depth guide
If you love beaches and beach activities then Famara is worth
getting to know a little better
The beach can be split into five sections.
Moving away from the town these are:-
1 – El Codito or ‘the little elbow. This is a small section of beach just outside the town. There is a surfable wave here and section of sandy beach with entry into the water. Waves a normally smaller here and its handy for the facilities of the town.
2 – The main beach found alongside the access road. This is the busiest section located very close to the lifeguard hut. Parking can be found along the road on both sides. Do not go into the sand as it can be very deep and cars can get stuck.
You can swim and surf here. Plenty of surf schools also use this section. On windy days shelter can be found in several stone shelters but are still quite exposed.
3 – The Bunker. Walking along the beach from the ‘main beach’ about 400 hundred meters you will see an old WWII bunker. This section has far less people but all the same facilities as the main beach. Behind are some sand dunes and undulating section with shelter on windy days. There is surf and swimming but be careful as the lifeguards do not patrol as much and do not have a clear view.
4 – The Track. Drive along the beach road, up the side of the bungalows all the way to the top then left along a dirt track. Eventually the road cuts back down to the beach then follows parallel. The track goes for about 2 kilometers with parking all the way along. The is the quietest section. The part that first reconnects to the beach is known as ‘The Flag’. Normally the best surf waves are found here. This part is used by surfer and kite surfers. Heading along the track you can chose a place that looks nice, park then walk to the beach. On windy days there are lots of stone shelters that offer great wind protection. Surf peaks can be found along here with some good waves for the observant. The sand move around creating little bays and swim holes on different days. At high tide parts of this section can have no sand as the water comes up to the rocks.
5 – Papalios. Following the track to the very end is a parking area. For surfers some very good punchy waves can be found here. This is a beautiful section of the beach with different sand shapes and nice walks. As for the whole beach be very careful of fast changing rips.
If you love finding new beaches check out our full Lanzarote Beach Guide
Famara beach is also a great place to take Wing Foiling lessons
Get to grips with this amazing new sport in a ideal location
