FemésLeaving Puerto Calero, we return to the main road and take a left turn towards Uga, where just before the village a minor road takes off to the left leading south. Soon after the hamlet of Las Casitas de Femés and passing through a fertile high plateau, where tomatoes, potatoes, onions, pumpkins and vines are cultivated, we reach the tiny village of Femés, perched up at 450 m (1,480 ft) on the slopes of the volcanic peak of Atalaya de Femés (608 m - 1,995 ft).
This village is famous for the views it is providing from the Balcón de Femés, a viewpoint located at the far end of the village square. From here, you will enjoy superb panoramic views towards south, across the El Rubicón plain and the Los Ajaches massif. Femés once boasted one of the first cathedrals on the archipelago, today’s Ermita San Marcial del Rubicón, dedicated to the patron saint of the island. As pirates destroyed the cathedral in the 16th century, in 1733 a new church, consecrated to the same saint, was built on the same site. The interior features white walls, decorated with models of sailing ships, witnesses of the seafaring heritage of the Canary Islands. From the church, stairs lead up to the graveyard and a path continues to the top of the Atalaya peak, from where magnificent panoramic views over the Montañas del Fuego in the northwest – and when the sky is clear – the north of the neighbouring island Fuerteventura can be enjoyed. Return to the south coast To return to the south coast, we continue westwards on this minor road, which, after having passed the village of Las Breñas, soon joins the national road LZ2 or, one kilometre further, a less frequented main road, both crossing parallel to each other the barren gravel plain of El Rubicón on their way south to the resort of Playa Blanca. See our Lanzarote Map for a closer look |
