Cardón in Fuerteventura – Nature, Trails and Holiday Apartment

Cardón lies at the foot of the Montaña Cardón natural monument and has steep terrain shaped by erosion. Montaña Cardón is a protected area and a Site of Community Importance with the code ES7010034.

Nature

At higher elevations within the protected area, a Jorao or Jorjado shrubland dominated by the species Asteriscus sericeus, endemic to Fuerteventura, prevails. Significant remnants of this plant community have been preserved on the eastern slope of Montaña Cardón; outside the Jandía Peninsula, such remnants occur nowhere else in Fuerteventura. The endangered Egyptian vulture breeds on the rocky cliffs of Montaña Cardón.

Hiking

The yellow route from Cardón follows the FV-618 to the junction with the Camino Cardón and leads to the sanctuary of the Virgen del Tanquito in the protected natural area of Montaña Cardón. The ascent to the chapel of the Virgen del Tanquito begins at a signposted car park 2.6 km north of El Cardón. The Cardón–Virgen del Tanquito route is listed as 1.71 km long.

GR section 12 runs for 11.90 km between El Cardón and La Pared. The different route lengths highlight different trail formats and help organise your own daily planning. The three colour-coded trails link different types of destinations: a sanctuary, historic trenches and a church. Together with the two lengths mentioned, they provide a clear comparison between a shorter route and a longer GR section, without combining the routes into a single trail.

Culture

The green route from Cardón leads into the Barranco de Cardón and to the Second World War trenches near La Pared. The blue route from Cardón runs through the Barranco de Cardón and reaches the Nuestra Señora de Fátima church via the Barranco de Tarajal de Sanco.

The festivities in honour of Nuestra Señora del Tanquito are a deeply rooted tradition in El Cardón. The celebrations of El Tanquito include a traditional Romería. The sanctuary of the Virgen del Tanquito is a small natural rock overhang that has been fitted out with an outer wall and a door. The springs at the sanctuary provide water throughout the year, although not in large quantities.

The image of the Virgen del Tanquito is located in the El Cardón district and not in the cave sanctuary. Rincón de las Hermosas is a concentration of stone structures with residential, livestock-raising and funerary functions on the southern slope of Montaña de El Cardón. Local residents usually follow this path once a year.

If you are planning a holiday apartment in Cardón, compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies.

Other Places

Puerto Del Rosario, Antigua, Tindaya, Pájara, Tesejerague, Castillo Caleta de Fuste, Tefía, Jandia

For the higher-level travel overview: Fuerteventura.