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Stunning beaches of soft, pale sand, washed by crystalline turquoise waters and
with barely a soul – let alone a crowd – to be seen anywhere, await visitors
on La Graciosa, the Canary Island’s best kept secret. Separated from
Lanzarote’s northern tip by the narrow strait of El Rio, La Graciosa is the
ultimate desert island hideaway, perfect for those who wish to completely escape
the pressures of modern life for a week or two. There are no roads at all on the
island – just a handful of rough tracks – so with the exception of a few
four-wheel drive vehicles belonging to some of the locals, there is no traffic
whatsoever. However, measuring just 27 km2, the island can easily be explored on
foot or by mountain bike, and after a day or two here you will have adjusted to
the exceptionally unhurried way of life, realising that there is no point in
trying to rush anywhere faster than your own legs will carry you.
La Graciosa’s population of just 500 souls all live in the island’s only
village, Caleta del Sabo, and most earn their living from the sea. Down by the
harbour, there are a handful of simple restaurants where you can enjoy the
freshest fish and seafood for lunch or dinner, and the village has a couple of
mini-markets for all your basic day to day needs, as well as places renting out
mountain bikes and a small medical centre. As you may have gathered by now, La
Graciosa is not the place to come if you seek any degree of sophistication, and
the village has a rather higgledy-piggledy appearance, with simple whitewashed
houses linked by a loose grid of dusty streets.
Beyond the boundaries of the village, no construction is allowed whatsoever,
as the whole island has been declared a nature reserve. As a result, the
island’s beaches are utterly unspoilt. For a quick dip, the village beach is
more than adequate, but the fun of staying on La Graciosa is to just walk along
the coast and stop wherever you feel like it (bear in mind, however, that there
are no facilities outside the village, so ensure you carry sufficient water and
a picnic, should you wish to spend the whole day on the beach).
The most famous beach, Playa de las Conchas, is a good hour’s walk from the
village and can occasionally suffer from strong currents and waves, but other
equally beautiful beaches closer to the village include Playa Francesa and Playa
de las Cocinas, both of which are very sheltered and benefit from stunning views
back towards the imposing Famara cliffs on Lanzarote.
Together with four even
smaller, uninhabited islands, La Graciosa forms the Chinijo archipelago, the
largest protected marine reserve in Europe, so if you should ever tire of the
beach, you can go on a glass bottom boat excursion, take a boat trip to the
smaller islands, or even join a deep-sea fishing expedition.
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