When you are in Fuerteventura, apart from enjoying its beaches, there are other places and corners that you should not miss in order to appreciate the beauty and richness of the island even more. The Fuerteventura salt flats are one of the places you should not miss on your next visit to the island.
For this reason, here at the Lopesan Group Blog, we will tell you in detail everything you need to know.
Salt flats of El Carmen: Fuerteventura’s centre of historical and natural interest
In Fuerteventura, the only salt pans still in operation are those of El Carmen. Located on the coast of Antigua. The views of the landscape in front of the sea bed will invite you to get to know and explore this picturesque place in its entirety.
These Fuerteventura salt pans are of such cultural, ethnographic and architectural interest that it is unthinkable that they should not form part of the island’s tourist offer. Apart from the salt pans as such, other points of interest are the Casa del Salinero and the marvellous white museum or Museo de la Sal.
Memory and history of the salt flats of El Carmen
The history of the salt mines on Fuerteventura dates back to 1641. At that time, the Cabildo allowed everyone to use the areas where the salt was concentrated, but the commercialization of salt outside the island was forbidden, and was only allowed between neighbours.
At the end of the 18th century, the island’s first saltworks appeared, with the Carmen saltworks originally dedicated to working and marketing the product.
In the 19th century, the first harvest was obtained from the salt flats of El Carmen, called at that time “Salinas de la Hondurilla” Around 1910, the new salt pans were built in response to the great demand of that time.
Recovery of the Fuerteventura salt flats
The recovery of Fuerteventura’s salt pans, the island’s historical heritage, began thanks to the Regis Programme. Subsequently, the island’s own Cabildo completed the work, giving rise to what we know today as the Salt Museum.
Proasur, a company dedicated to the development of cultural activities and spaces, took charge of the restoration of the salt flats of El Carmen, adapting this space to modern times and transforming it into an interactive environment for the public.
Visiting the Fuerteventura salt flats
The Fuerteventura salt flats are, at the same time, an open-air museum and an avant-garde construction that shows the historical past of this product that is so important for human beings. Yes, we are referring to the salt.
Visitors to the site can take two types of tours that complement each other perfectly. The exterior tour shows the location of the salt pans, the formation, and history of the salt, the salt ecosystems of the area and the salt production process.
The visitor will be able to appreciate the 10 salt pans and 935 pits that form a beautiful multicoloured picture. In addition to this, you will also be able to see the process of salt formation and collection, as well as learn more about the life of the salt maker.
Also, you will have the opportunity to learn about the water pumping system in the pond called “saltadero” which fills up just as the wave breaks against the rocks and the foam fills the pool.
The irrigation systems or pipes that move are the ones that allow the water to circulate through all the water troughs. This is something that visitors have the chance to see when they take the exterior tour of the Fuerteventura Salt Flats.
Those who take the exterior route will not fail to admire the landscape of the area, which creates a beautiful environment worthy of contemplation.
The Salt Museum, in its interior tour, is the modern work to be seen: a space where visitors can appreciate the models of the salt flats of El Carmen and observe the screens with the varied information on the history and commercialization of the product.
There is also a multimedia show that narrates the history of salt on the island and the importance of this so-called “white gold” for mankind.
As an added bonus, the museum has a shop where visitors can buy “Flor de Sal” a truly exquisite and gourmet product that you will want to take home with you.
To visit the salt flats of El Carmen, you must travel to the centre of the island, near the airport. To do this, you can check the transport that will take you there.
The visit to the salt flats of Fuerteventura has prices for adults and children, as well as a long opening hours: during the summer you can visit them from 10:00 to 18:00 hours and, in winter, from 09:30 to 17:30 hours.
Visit Fuerteventura and discover the magic of the island
As you can see, a visit to this marvellous area of Fuerteventura, with such a rich past and such a special cultural and historical context, will allow you to get to know a more unknown side of this beautiful island.
Coming to the island is to live, enjoy and admire all that it has to offer and to know how to appreciate, not only its beaches and entertainment areas, but each of these spaces. They have allowed the island to become a very special place in the Canary Islands archipelago.
From the Lopesan Group Blog, we encourage you to explore the island and stay in our wonderful hotels in Fuerteventura.
Come and visit Fuerteventura, you’ll love it!
