Last Updated on 16th March 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
One of the most unusual beaches in the entirety of the Canary Islands is the ‘Popcorn Beach’. The beach is situated in Northern Fuerteventura and has gained quite a bit of social media coverage in the past few years thanks to its unique sand, which quite literally resembles popcorn! Here’s how to visit the Popcorn Beach in Fuerteventura, as well as travel tips and things to know before you go.
If you’re planning a trip to Fuerteventura, be sure to check out our suggested 3 days in Fuerteventura itinerary.
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Is the popcorn beach in Fuerteventura real?
During my research, I saw that there were a number of searches related to whether or not the popcorn beach is real. I can confirm that the phenomenon is indeed real and you can go and see it for yourself. Furthermore, the popcorn appearance which is not rocks, nor sand, is all natural and is not manmade in any way.
Truth be told, the popcorn beach is not even unique to the Canary Islands! These popcorn pieces can be found all over the world. With this being said, there are few places where the concentration of ‘popcorn’ is quite as much!
What makes the ‘popcorn’?
Numerous websites and guidebooks said that the popcorn was made from old corals which have ‘fallen from nearby cliffs’. This is simply put: not true. Instead, the popcorn is created from dead rhodoliths, a type of red corraline algae.
When the algae die, they turn from red to white due to the calcite present in them. I think much of the confusion over calling them ‘coral’ stems from the fact that they’re corraline algae. However, coral is made from animals, whereas rhodoliths, what the popcorn is made from, is made from plants!
The unique popcorn appearance is created when the dead algae are pressed up against the shoreline by the waves. The resulting small formations are as hard as rocks, and while it’s painful to walk on them without shoes, you can walk on the popcorn without damaging the formations.
Where is the popcorn beach?
Though some guides will point you in the direction of a specific beach, we soon discovered that there are a number of beaches where the popcorn phenomenon is found, leading to the entire area being nicknamed ‘Popcorn Bay’. The beaches are concentrated in the southwest of the city of Corralejo in the municipality of La Oliva.
The beaches are located along dirt/ gritty tracks and so can be quite tough to get to, especially if you have a smaller rental car. Driving slowly is an absolute must. Alternatively, you can hike to the beaches from Corralejo (hiking to the first of the popcorn beaches will take around an hour each way).
We also soon found that many of the popcorn beaches are not that busy (probably due to the poor nature of the roads) and the fact that you can’t swim at most of the beaches. There are signs up to indicate that swimming is dangerous beach of the undercurrent as well as rocks below the waterline.
Some of the popcorn beaches are: Playa del Bajo de la Burra (which has one of the biggest concentration of the dead algae), the beaches around the picturesque coastal village of Majanicho, El Hierro.
Map of the popcorn beaches in Fuerteventura
Tips for visiting the popcorn beach
If you were wondering ‘do the popcorn beach pieces take like popcorn?’ the answer is no. They should not be consumed and are as hard as a piece of rock on account of the fact that they’re calcareous structures of red algae.
If there’s one thing you should take away from this article, it’s that you cannot take any of the popcorn with you! Not even one piece! The popcorn pieces are vital to the eco-system of the area and, even if everyone ‘only took one,’ that would still add up to tens of thousands of pieces a year.
In fact, the number of people taking the rhodoliths with them is so severe that, as well as signs up across the area, there is an ongoing social media campaign #pasasinhuellaporlaoliva to encourage people to visit the La Oliva Municipality without leaving a trace.
With this being said, as long as you take nothing and leave no trace, the beach is fine to visit. You can take fun photos and enjoy the strange phenomenon, especially if you’re staying in the nearby town of Corralejo!
The town of El Cotillo is also not too far away. Other places of natural interest in Fuerteventura include Arco de las Peñitas, the Barranco de los Enamorados, and the Cuevas de Ajuy.
For more inspiration, check out the top towns to visit in Fuerteventura and the best quotes about Spain. If you’re visiting the Canary Islands for yourself, check out this Fuerteventura itinerary.
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