TUI Fuerteventura Uncovered Tour Review: What To Expect

The Canary Islands are well known for their hundreds of all inclusive resorts, but if you fancy something a little more adventurous, you might want to consider taking a tour or booking a few excursions.

If you’ve travelled with TUI to Fuerteventura, the Fuerteventura Uncovered tour is one day out that the reps insist is worthwhile, or at least they did for us.

But if you’re wondering whether or not to go for it (because it is pretty costly at around £50), here’s a recap of what the tour entailed, followed by the pros and cons (feel free to skip to the pros and cons if you don’t want any spoilers, I won’t be offended!).

What to expect: a step by step account of the tour

The pick up

We were picked up at just after 8am in a bright blue TUI bus that you could see coming from a mile away (one of the benefits of this tour being TUI exclusive I guess). The coach was comfy with leather seats, super effective air con, and nice little foot rests, which was lovely after traveling to the Island on a budget airline.

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If like me, you don’t book the tour in advance, and just book it at your hotel, you’ll just be given a paper receipt that looks like any other receipt that you’d normally bin – but keep hold of it! They scan this as you get on the bus.

The coach then drove to a few other hotels, and by the time it hit 9am, we had picked everyone up.

Our guide then introduced herself, cracked a few jokes, outlined the plan for the day and gave us some great facts about Fuerteventura’s history and culture.

First Stop: Ajuy

The first stop of the day was Ajuy, which was a beautiful black sand beach. Our guide walked us down to the beach and explained that we could either relax on the beach, and enjoy the bars and restaurants, or we could walk up a rocky path that winds up and around the cliff face, until eventually reaching some caves. But whatever we decided to do, we only had an hour to do it!

I was looking for a bit of adventure, so we opted for the rocky road to the caves. And boy were we glad we did.

The caves were huge and apart from the steps down to them, they seemed basically untouched. The steps ended just inside the mouth of the cave, and from there onwards, if you wanted to go further, you had to climb over rocks. Obviously for me, this was great fun, but there were a few older folks who had to turn back at that point.

But, if you are fit and well enough to venture further into the cave, it’s definitely good fun climbing the rocks, and you’ll get some great ocean views. The rocks aren’t actually that tricky to climb over either, you just have to watch your footing a bit, so don’t be put off by that!

The walk back felt like a bit of a trek. The exciting part was over, so we didn’t tackle the stairs with as much enthusiasm on the way back. Plus, a lot of the walk back was uphill.

Second Stop: Buenaventura Church

So the day had gotten off to an exciting start, and we were eager to see what the tour held in store for us next.

The next stop was only a short stop of 15 minutes, to see Buenaventura Church. Our guide explained the significance of the Church’s design, saying that the designer had wanted the Church to look Mayan, after being inspired by Mayan culture.

The town around the Church also looked quite quaint and it was bustling with people, unfortunately though our 15 minutes wasn’t enough time to explore any of the traditional looking restaurants or shops.

Third Stop: Aloe Vera Farm

Next we visited an Aloe Vera Farm, which I’d say was one of the trip’s best bits. We all piled out of the coach and found ourselves faced with rows and rows of hundreds of Aloe Vera plants. Considering the ground was pure volcanic rock, it was an odd sight to see so many plants thriving in such a dry environment.

Our visit to the farm began with a presentation about the natural powers of Aloe Vera, and the different types of Aloe plants. We were then guided over to a table already set up with a few Aloe Vera leaves and equipment. We were shown how to cut Aloe Vera leaves, and how to get rid of the orange sap.

Why get rid of the sap, you ask? Well, apparently, the slightest taste of the orange goo will send you running for the toilet! Yep, it’s a natural laxative.

Once the leaves had been cut, we were each offered a piece of the Aloe Vera from inside the leaves. This was a gel, putty like substance that we were encouraged to rub over our skin to feel the moisturising effect.

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Don’t eat the Aloe Vera that they give you to rub on your skin! It’s a natural laxative, and there are only two toilets on site!

We also got to try each of the products on offer in the farm’s store. We tried hand cream, moisturiser that had been mixed with avocado oil, and we even got to try Aloe Vera juice (the laxative substance had been removed, don’t worry!). Be warned though, even a tiny sip of the juice tastes like you’ve just bitten into a raw onion.

After our testers and tasters, we were able to buy the products if we wanted to. I didn’t, quite simply because I’m a budget traveller who can’t afford to spend €30 on moisturiser.

Lunch

Lunch was included in the tour, and by the time we got to the restaurant, we were all looking forward to a hearty meal.

The restaurant was full of other tour groups, and we were all sat on tables of eight. This meant that we got to know a few other people on the tour, and get tips from everyone else on what was worth visiting on the island.

I’m a vegetarian, so my meal was a little different to most people’s, but still, it was delicious. The starter for vegetarians was pumpkin soup, but everyone else had what they called a classic Canary Island dish: a soup consisting of noodles, chickpeas and bacon.

The main course was fairly simple, but still tasty. For the meat eaters, it was crispy chicken leg with potatoes and salad, and for us vegetarians, it was a Spanish omelette with salad.

Dessert wasn’t quite as nice as the first two courses. We were each given a choice of strawberry or chocolate ice cream, which came in yoghurt pots that reminded me a lot of school dinners. But still, ice cream is ice cream, no matter how it’s served!

The lunch also included free red wine, which certainly helped everyone get to know each other, as we gradually got slightly tipsy.

Fourth Stop: Bar, museum and viewing point

I’m not sure exactly what this stop was called, but it was located at the top of the tallest mountain. Our tour guide gave us around 20 minutes to enjoy this stop, and recommended we get a cocktail and take in the views.

Having just had lunch and free red wine, the thought of paying for a cocktail didn’t much appeal to me, so I spent some time looking around and taking photos of the view, before venturing inside to explore.

As well as the bar, there was also a museum inside, with beautiful displays, models of the island, and lots of information.

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If you want to look around the museum, I’d recommend skipping the bar completely. There’s so much information to read that you won’t have time for both!

Fifth Stop: Betancuria

Next we stopped at the historic town of Betancuria, which looked quite similar to the Mamma Mia! setting.

We visited the 17th century church there, the admission already paid for and included in our tour price. This church was definitely more impressive than the first one we visited, with beautiful gold alters and cardinal robes on display.

We were taken through to the back of the church, to what we were told was the Cardinal’s dressing room. This room was full of amazing paitings, and a hand crafted, red and gold ceiling.

Aside from the church there wasn’t really much to do in Betancuria. We were given an hour here, but aside from restaurants there wasn’t anything else to see or do. The town only consists of two small streets, and so most people passed the time with an icecream.

Sixth Stop: Goat Farm

Our visit to the goat farm was definitely interesting. We got to see the goats being milked, the goat pens outside (where there was also camels, tortoises, and geese), and we had a few indoor demonstrations and tasters as well.

We watched the demonstration alongisde a French TUI tour, and half of the entertainment was the banter between the two tour guides.

We watched a farmer demonstrate how to make Gofio, a traditional Fuerteventura delicacy. Gofio they told us was like flour but with a more nutty taste, and to make the soft dough that was the finished product, the Gofio was mixed with water, sugar and a little salt in a goat skin!

I warn you, the first taste is a bit weird, and the texture is unexpected, but even if you don’t like at first, go for a second bite! Once you get used to the texture, you start to appreciate the nutty taste.

As well as the Gofio, we also got to taste honey rum (which honestly, is so tasty you could drink it like juice), and a few different types of goats cheese. We could also try cactus jam if we wanted to.

Of course, once we’d tasted everything, we were given the opportunity to buy everything we’d tasted and more.

Seventh Stop: Mountain Road and Viewpoint 

This stop apparently wasn’t an official one (although there was another TUI bus there when we arrived, which makes me think it was). Our tour guide got the coach excited by telling us we were taking a detour down Fuerteventura’s most dangerous road.

The road was without a doubt a scary one, with sheer drops either side as it wound up the mountain.

The coach stopped at a viewing bay, where we all piled out of the coach to see the views and take pictures.

One word of warning, there aren’t really any barriers, so you could walk right to the edge if you wanted to. One member of our tour had a slight stumble, and it is easily done if you don’t have your wits about you.

You’ll also see some squirrels that look a bit like chipmunks, and these guys are super curious, and some of them quite tame. We managed to get a few good close-up shots of the little critters.

End of the day

That was the end of our tour, and we were each then dropped back to our hotels. It took around an hour/hour and a half to get back. The day finished at around 5:45pm.

Pros and Cons of the Tour

Cons

• Much of the tour felt like we were being sold to.
• Apart from the caves, it wasn’t particularly adventurous. It was perhaps more suited to an older crowd.
• The time spent at each stop could be reorganised. For example longer time was needed at the caves and perhaps at the museum, and less time was needed in Betancuria.
• It was sometimes not clear what would cost extra – for example we were told we could have orange juice instead of wine (which was included), but were then brought a bill for it. And we were told at the mountain stop that the next part of the tour was a cocktail stop – but the cocktails were not included.

Was it worth the money?

This is a question I always get asked after going on tours, and the answer for this one is yes.

The tour was something like 50 euros each, but that included travel all around the island, lunch, a tour guide, and several private demonstrations.

We saw more than we would have had we just hired a car and hit the open road, and we visited places we wouldn’t even have known about.