One of the main tourist resorts in Fuerteventura is Corralejo, was up until the 1970's, a small fishing village inhabited only by the local residents. Today, though a growing and thriving tourist industry has promoted both local and mainland developers to invest in building projects which have changed the face of Corralejo whilst still maintaining it's village charm.
As you approach Corralejo from the south, you will encounter the famous nature reserve Dunas de Corralejo with its towering sand dunes. These dunes are thought to have been created from the sands carried over from the Sahara Desert, less than 200km to the East. However, some recent analysis of the sand has revealed remnants of marine fossils, suggesting that the dunes were created from the seabed, washed in by incoming tides and blown off the beach on to the roadside by the famous north westerly winds. However, the theory of the dunes originating from the Sahara is a little more romantic and locals like to promote this idea when telling holidaymakers about the island.