Los Ojos Beach

The rock is the reason to come. Lava has set in ridges and shelves across the beach, and walking between them you can read how the island was born, layer by layer of cooled flow meeting the sea. Golden sand fills the gaps, and the cliffs close the cove in on both sides.

At low tide a sea cave opens up next to the beach. It is worth timing the whole trip around it.

The rough track in keeps the place quiet and off the usual tourist round. Nobody comes here for a swim. You come to scramble over the rocks, sit with your feet in the water and stay on into the evening, when low water and sunset can line up.

• Swimming is poor: waves and rocks make the water rough. Treat it as a beach for sitting, paddling and exploring.
• Check a tide table before you set out. At high water the cave is out of reach, and the scramble down is easier at low tide.
• There are no toilets and no drinking water at the beach or nearby. Bring water and everything else you need.
• The track in is gravel, full of holes, dust and loose rock. A car with high ground clearance is recommended; a 4x4 is not essential.

The beach is reached by car. The last part of the drive is an unpaved track across the Jandía peninsula: gravel all the way, with holes, dust and loose rocks and no hard surface anywhere. A car with high ground clearance handles it far better than a low hatchback, though a 4x4 is not essential. Take it slowly.

A parking area sits above the beach, about 70 m away in a straight line. From there it is a short walk down, steep in places and ending in a scramble and a flight of steps. The nearest bus stop is about 2.4 km away in a straight line.

Best: at low tide, ideally late in the day.

Avoid: high tide and days of heavy swell.

Low water opens the way to the cave and makes the scramble down easier, and an evening low tide lets you stay for sunset; at high water and in big surf the sea takes back the rocks and the cave.