Fuerteventura Tourism
La Entallada Lighthouse
Closer to Africa than to Tenerife
A landmark of the municipality of Tuineje, situated a few kilometres north of the towns of Gran Tarajal and Las Playitas, and a unique spot as it is the point in the Canary Islands closest to the African continent: just over 100 kilometres as the crow flies to the Port of Tarfaya. It offers spectacular sea views from a height of 200 metres, from the viewpoint at the top of a wooden walkway on the cliff. Inland, the landscape is equally attractive: the Cuchillos de Vigán Natural Monument, whose surroundings are characteristic of recent volcanic activity, and it is common to spot endemic birds in the area such as guirres, ravens, and birds of prey like the Barbary falcon.
Connecting two continents
The La Entallada Lighthouse is distinctive for its red stone blocks sourced from the Montaña Bermeja in Tefía. It was built in 1953 under the supervision of civil engineer Carlos Alcón Sanz, the same man who years earlier had overseen the construction of the Casa del Mar lighthouse at Cabo Juby (now Tarfaya), which was then part of Spanish Sahara. At the time, the structure was promoted as the most powerful lighthouse in the Canary Islands. In the present century, in response to the migration phenomenon, this location was chosen as the site for the SIVE (Integrated External Surveillance System).