Femes Viewpoint

The whole south of Lanzarote spreads out below the square: the dry plain dropping to the white houses of Playa Blanca, the sea beyond it, and on a clear day the low hills of Fuerteventura across the water. You take it in sitting down, with a drink from the bar and the village church of San Marcial a few steps away.

In the late afternoon the sun sinks straight ahead, and the sea below turns from blue to bright metal. That makes the evening the time to be here. Femés itself is quiet, with a handful of places to eat, and it is an easy stop on the way back from Playa Blanca.

• The road up to Femés is steep; take it in a low gear, especially coming back down.
• From the afternoon on, the view faces into the sun, so photos of the coast come out backlit and washed out.
• Fuerteventura only shows on a clear day; haze over the strait hides it completely.
• There are no public toilets or water taps near the viewpoint; the bar and the eateries in the village are the places to stop.

Femés sits at the top of a steep climb, and most people arrive by car on the way to or from Playa Blanca. An asphalt car park lies about 60 m from the viewpoint, so once you have parked the walk is just across the square, with step-free access to the lookout. The Iglesia de Femés bus stop is about 70 m away, by the church.

Best: late afternoon into sunset, on a clear day.

Avoid: hazy days, and the afternoon if you want sharp photographs of Playa Blanca.

The viewpoint looks south over the coast towards the evening sun, so the late light is the show to watch and the hardest to photograph against; morning light comes from the side and suits the camera better.