The village of Morro del Jable in Fuerteventura

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Presentation

General presentation

The village of Morro del Jable in Fuerteventura. The port (author Defisch). Click to enlarge the image.

Morro del Jable - often named Morro Jable - is a small fishing port on the almost island of Jandía in the island of Fuerteventura; Since the 1970s the tourism has developed significantly thanks to the presence of long white sandy beaches.

The village, which had only 200 inhabitants by 1960, now has more than 8,000 people including many foreign residents - mostly Germans; a large number of shops and services are run by Germans and the information is often given in German.

The activity of the fishing harbor remains, but in the residual state: most of the population works in tourism facilities of the station; many of these people have recently arrived in Morro del Jable from other areas of the island, mainland Spain or even South America.

The southernmost resort of Fuerteventura, Morro Jable has become the second tourist center of the island after Corralejo, which is opposite in the north of the island. Tourism that has taken hold of Morro Jable - like all of Southern Fuerteventura - is a mass tourism and the resort of Morro del Jable does not have much charm.

The town of Morro del Jable is part of the municipality of Pájara, but Morro Jable is now seven times more populous than the capital.

Etymology and toponymy
Morro del Jable means something like “Cape of Pouzzolane”. Literally, the word “morro” means “nose”, “nose”, “mouth” as “mora” in Provençal, “mouro” in Auvergne, or “morro” in Catalan; figuratively, is a headland in the sea, a cape or a tip. The word “jable” is used to the Canaries to designate the volcanic gravel with which certain cultures are covered to conserve soil moisture; it is a kind of pozzolan. Formerly Morro del Jable was named Puerto de la la Cebada (“Port Barley”).

Situation

The former fishing village of Morro del Jable is located on the southern coast of the almost island of Jandía, at the mouth of the Barranco de las Damas (“Ravin des Dames". The resort has developed east of the old town, around the Punta del Mattoral (“Pointe de la Garrigue”), which is the southernmost lighthouse of the island of Fuerteventura.

The resort is developed from the 1970s, but until 1982 there was only a dirt track to reach Morro Jable. From 1982 - after considerable public works to cross the ravines of the coast - the coast road to four lanes FV-2 reached Morro Jable; This event accelerated the development of the resort.

Morro del Jable is 90 km from the capital of the island, Puerto del Rosario, and 85 km from the international airport Fuerteventura (Aeropuerto del Mattoral). From the airport it now only takes one hour and half to reach Morro del Jable in automobile by the FV-2 road.

The other resort on the peninsula Jandía, Costa Calma, is 23 km northeast of Morro Jable, Gran Tarajal 51 km.

From Morro del Jable an unpaved track leads to Punta de Jandía, the western end of the island of Fuerteventura; a branch leads to the hamlet of Cofete on the northwest coast of the peninsula Jandía. It is better to have an all terrain vehicle to borrow these tracks.

North of the village stands a medium mountain - volcanic - which peaked at Pico de la Zarza (807 m), also known as the Pico de Jandía, the highest peak of Fuerteventura.

Visits

The resort of Morro del Jable
The old fishing village of Morro Jable is built between two rocky hills that rise on the Atlantic Ocean in the valley Barranco de las Damas (“Ravin des Dames”); on the hill of the west is the church of Our Lady of Carmel. At the mouth of the river - which is called Barranco del Ciervo (“Ravin du Cerf”) further upstream - was the old fishing port; the area of the mouth was filled to create the artificial beach of Playa de la Cebada (“Barley Beach”). This old fishing district is the only authentic part of Morro del Jable; you can still find some good fish restaurants. Fishermen in the Square (Plaza Pescadores) - the old central square of Morro Jable where the bus stop - a group of sculptures named “Homenaje a los Pescadores” (Fishermen’s Tribute to) recalls the importance that once this sector in the economy of the city. This is a work created in 2007 by sculptor Rafael Gómez González; for these bronze statues, larger than life, the sculptor chose as models three fishermen with strong expressive faces. The figures are representative of three generations of fishermen. Place on Fisherman, the terrace bar of the picturesque Plaza is a meeting place of the local population. At the back of the Plaza de los Pescadores is a lovely garden. Over time the city expanded beyond the two hills east and west of the valley. Behind the hill west was built the new port of Morro del Jable to 1980. To the east of the old village, on Avenida Tomás Grau Gurrea was built first vacation club, the Robinson Club and the first hotels in the 1980s. The Avenida Tomás Grau Gurrea is a pleasant pedestrian promenade, lined with bougainvillea along the Playa de la Cebada. Further east, along the Avenida del Saladar, behind the protected area of Saladar de Jandía - another hotel zone has developed, called Solana Mattoral whose steep streets climb the first mountain range of Jandía.
The Avenida del Saladar is the name of the coastal road FV-2 inside of Morro del Jable: it is a great dual carriageway axis, lined with shopping centers, holiday homes and resorts disproportionate much higher the first buildings and disfigure the landscape; some residents have to cross this road, then cross the protected area of pre salted by long bridges, to get to the beach. Always extending further east beyond the lighthouse (Faro de Morro Jable), development of Morro del Jable encompassed the town of Jandía and its beach of Jandía Playa, where another club holiday celebrates the Aldiana Club.
The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Virgen del Carmen)
The Tourist Office of Morro del Jable is located in the basement (local 81b) of the Centro Comercial Cosmo, Avenida El Saladar. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 15 pm. Phone: 00 34 928 540 776
St. Michael Chapel (Ermita de San Miguel)
The parish church of Our Lady of Carmel is a modern construction which is especially remarkable for its bell tower. Tradition has it that the bell was brought to Morro del Jable by ocean currents within a buoy. It is believed that this buoy was transported by the Gulf Stream from Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, on the east coast of the United States. Indeed, in this region very humid climate, the headlights were ineffective due to the frequent fog that covered the ocean, and marine invented buoys equipped with a bell to signal the coral reef that caused many shipwrecks. This is one of those buoys that would have broken its mooring and drifted to have Morro del Jable the bell buoy, agitated by the waves, kept awake the villagers overnight. The Virgen del Carmen is venerated by fishermen and is the subject of a pilgrimage every July 16; his image is transported by boat, accompanied by music and folk songs.
The salt marsh of Jandía (Saladar de Jandía)
The Saladar de Jandía is a vegetated area - several hundred meters long but only 115 hectares - on the back of the beach Mattoral, which is periodically flooded by the waters of the ocean during major spring tides; sausuires these are populated by salt-tolerant plant species can withstand the high salt concentration, such as real soda (Suaeda vera) (matomoro), the vermiculée soda (S alsol a vermiculata) (brusquilla), samphire big ears (Arthrocnemum macrostachyum) (salado), the sea grape (Zygophyllum fontanesii) (uvilla de mar) or the tree launée (Launaea arborescens) (aulaga). This area is also a nesting place for birds like the Houbara Bustard Canary (Chlamydotis undulata) and seabirds. This highly endangered ecosystem - located in a busy area beaches - is so fragile that even the pedestrian traffic may damage; why the Saladar de Jandía was declared a protected area in 1994; tons of waste have been removed since then and gateways now enable cross the saladar without damage to the natural environment.
The beaches of Morro del Jable
The beaches of Morro del Jable stretch of 4 km east of the village. The first beach is the Playa de la Cebada (“Barley Beach”) which is an artificial beach, close enough, created at the mouth of the Barranco de las Damas; on this beach place - each year in August -a cultural week. This beach, rather family, is bordered by a promenade lined with cafes and restaurants that leads to the next track. The Playa de la Cebada is followed by a wider beach, Playa del Mattoral (“Plage du Maquis”) at the front of the thorny bushes area of Saladar de Jandía. The Playa del Mattoral is a well equipped beach (sun loungers and umbrellas for a fee, restaurants, bars, shops, water activities and water nearby) and very crowded. The Playa del Mattoral is - in part - a nudist beach. Further east is the beach of Jandía Playa. To find wild beaches must move away from Morro del Jable east or west; west near Puertito de la Cruz is a white sand beach 300 meters long, the nudist beach of Morro de Potala.

The new port of Morro del Jable (Puerto de Morro Jable)
The new port of Morro Jable was built in the 1980s, the western edge of the village, 3 km from the city center by road. The tour is worth it, especially in the afternoon to 14 hours when the fishermen land their catch. In the modern lobby of the fishing cooperative (Cofradía de Pescadores), the fish are gutted and sold wholesale to hotels and restaurants. Individuals can also get supplies of fresh fish in the Pescadera (Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 13 pm). The large pier in the outer harbor is reserved for ferries making the connection to Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Excursion boats and anglers yachts are moored to piers in the western part of the port; the very fish corridor that separates Fuerteventura from the coast Morocco attracts a high-seas fishing. Some local boaters tie up occasionally in Morro del Jable, but a marina is planned, the “Marina Jandía”. In the port area is also a breeding center young loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) (tortuga boba), the Sodabe Turtle Reserve. This project aims to reintroduce this species of turtle that disappeared Canaries for over a century. Turtle eggs are brought from the Cape Verde islands and placed in artificial nests; After hatching, the young turtles grow up in salt water tanks until they are large enough to be released - marked with a microchip - in the Atlantic Ocean, especially on the beaches of Cofete on the northwest coast of the peninsula of Jandía; when they become adult turtles return to nest on these beaches. The breeding center can be visited from Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 13 pm; free entry ; phone: 00 34630250381.
The tip and the lighthouse of Jandía (Punta y Faro de Jandía)
The coastal road FV-2 ends in Morro del Jable and you have to take a dirt track about fifteen kilometers in length to reach the southwestern tip of the island of Fuerteventura, the Punta de Jandía and its lighthouse. Only the first two kilometers are paved; the track is in poor condition, tire punctures are not uncommon, and it is better to have an all-terrain vehicle or drive at low speed (allow at least 2 hours for the round trip). About 7 km after Morro del Jable, a junction on the right leads to the village of Cofete and huge lonely beaches. Two kilometers before reaching the lighthouse, you pass near a small fishing hamlet, Puertito de la Cruz, which one notices the wind tower that feeds the electricity hamlet. This is a cluster of dilapidated houses and caravans where few people came to take refuge when tourism began to invade Morro del Jable. Puertito de la Cruz, with its small beach, is now the place of second homes of some of the inhabitants of Morro Jable. On the beach are two taverns where you can sample the local specialty, a fish stew. Then we arrive at the southwest end of the island, where a lighthouse overlooking the beautiful rocky coastline, Faro de Jandía (not to be confused with the lighthouse from the beach of Jandía, the flagship of Morro Jable or Mattoral). A little further north is the Pointe du Tigre (Punta del Tigre). The tip of Jandía separates the beaches “wind” (Playas de Barlovento) and the beaches “downwind” (Playas de Sotavento). Near the tip of Jandía, you can swim on several beaches inaccessible, but preserved from mass tourism. In warm weather, you can enjoy, from the lighthouse, a view of the island of Gran Canaria - located 90 km west - and on the highest summit of Spain, peak of Teide, 210 km, which amounts to 3718 m altitude in the center of the island of Tenerife.

Practical information

The tourism office
Address: north of the old town, Barranco del Ciervo, s/n Phone: 00 34 928 118 715
The health center				pharmacies
A pharmacy on Calle Manuel Velázquez Cabrera and another in the Centro Comercial Cosmo.
Local police
Address: Calle Nuestra Señora del Carmen. Phone: 00 34 928 541 022
the gendarmerie
The Guardia Civil is on Avenida de Jandía.
The post office
Address: at the corner of Calle Las Gambuesas and Calle Buenavista. Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 am 30-14: 30 pm; Saturday, 9 am to 13 pm 30.

Road transport
Line 1 connects Puerto del Rosario to Morro del Jable: 5 to 45 pm (weekdays) and 22 h 30 (about 10 €, 2 hours away at least 12 times a day). Schedule and fare information on: www.tiadhe.com/rutas/01.htm The line 10 connects Puerto del Rosario to Morro del Jable via the airport and Pozo Negro 9 am (weekdays) and 18 h (about € 9.70, 1 h 45 of travel, 3 times daily). Schedule and fare information on: www.tiadhe.com/rutas/10.htm Line 4 connects Pájara to Morro del Jable once daily (starting at 6: 30 pm, 5.6 €). Schedule and fare information on: www.tiadhe.com/rutas/04.htm The line 5 connects Costa Calma to Morro del Jable between 8 am and 15 pm 30 30 (2.70 €, 40 mm path, 7 times a day). Schedule and fare information on: www.tiadhe.com/rutas/05.htm Line # 25 connects La Lajita (Oasis Park) in Morro del Jable (3.20 €). Schedule and fare information on: www.tiadhe.com/rutas/25.htm
Taxi
To call a taxi, dial 00 34928541257. Allow about € 75 for a journey between the airport and Morro del Jable.
Parking
Ample free parking next to the tourist office in the Centro Comercial Cosmo.

Ferry company Naviera Armas
Restaurant fish and seafood is in the old town, at the beginning of the promenade (Avenida Tomás Grau Gurrea s/n). Open daily, 12 am to 22: 30 pm. Have less than € 15 for a fish dish with accompaniment. Phone: 00 34 928 542 054
Ferries of the company Fred Olsen
Daily service of Morro del Jable to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Crossing time: 2 hours 30 minutes. Weekly service Morro del Jable - Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Crossing time: 6 h 30.		Since August 2012, Fred Olsen shipping company ensures a fast connection with the "catamaran Bonanza Express” between Morro del Jable and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Correspondence with other islands from Las Palmas. At least two daily connections. Crossing time: 2 hours. Price: 130 € for a car and two people. Site on the Web: www.fredolsen.es

Weather and forecasts

Sailboard

Diving

Sea Excursions

Vacation Club Robinson

Introduction to windsurfing: 12-hour course in 3 or 4 days; € 159

Phone: 00 34 928 168 000

Site information: www.robinson.com

Ocean World

On the beach of Esquinzo, 10 km east of Morro del Jable.

Phone: 00 34 928 541 418

Site on the Web: www.tauchen-fuerteventura.com

Vacation Club Magic Life

Address: Hotel Occidental Grand Fuerteventura, Avenida de los Pueblos 1, Esquinzo.

Open from May to October.

Introduction to Ocean Dive: 400 €.

Phone: 00 34 928 873 600

Site on the Web: www.magiclife.com

Gran Azul Fuerteventura

Sea trips in a catamaran underwater “Subcat Balea” from the port of Morro del Jable.

Address: Avenida del Saladar, 1 ; local 36

Phone: 00 34 928 166 392

Hotels
Morro del Jable has 16,000 hotel beds or apartment, from the most modest to luxurious. A more luxurious: the Riu Palace in Playa de Jandía; Phone: 00 34 928 540 370; site on the web: www.riu.com
Restaurant La Laja
Spanish cuisine. Plaza Cirilo López s/n. Open from 18 am to 2 am. Less than 16 € for a dish. Phone: 00 34 928 541 428
Restaurant Posada San Borondón II				Restaurant Piccola Italia
Good Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Calle Nuestra Señora del Carmen, 39 Open Wednesday to Monday from 13 h to 16 h and 19 h to 24 h. Phone: 00 34 928 541 258