Montana Cardon

The path ends at a chapel set into the rock: the shrine of the Virgen del Tanquito, a niche in the mountainside with viewpoints beside it. Below, the south of Fuerteventura opens out across the Jandía isthmus, the central plains and the ridges of the Cuchillos de Vigán.

The mountain itself is the draw. It is rugged and steep, its reddish slopes sculpted by erosion, and it looks like few other hills on the island. The rock is part of the Basal Complex, the oldest geology on Fuerteventura. Cardón spurge grows here, and rare native plants hold on in the cliffs that nobody can reach.

For the Majos, the island's first inhabitants, this was a sacred mountain. Its surroundings hold dwellings and burial caves, and local legend puts the tomb of Mahan, a giant of colossal size, on its slopes.

• The car park at the start of the trail sits right by the road and has few spaces.
• No bus stop nearby, and no toilets or information point at the site: come by car and bring your own water.
• The walk to the chapel is easy. Beyond it the trail is unmarked and loose rock slides underfoot.
• The slopes are windy and bare of shade, so bring a layer and sun protection.
• The route is out and back on the same path.

Montaña Cardón stands by the FV-605 in the municipality of Pájara, in the south of the island. No bus stops nearby, so the approach is by car. The trail starts from a car park right beside the road, where spaces are few; a free gravel car park also lies about 2 km away in a straight line.

From the road the path climbs to the shrine of the Virgen del Tanquito and the viewpoints beside it, then returns the same way. Past the chapel the way on towards the top is unmarked and runs over loose rock.

Best: a clear, calm day, early or late, when the sun is low and the views to the south reach furthest.

Avoid: the middle of a hot day, and days of strong wind.

The slopes are bare and give no shade, and the path is windy even in ordinary weather.

Montaña Cardón is a protected natural monument. Keep to the authorised trails: rare and threatened native plants grow on the slopes, and the surroundings hold archaeological sites, dwellings and burial caves. Leave stones and remains where they lie. The shrine of the Virgen del Tanquito is a site of pilgrimage and popular devotion, so behave there as you would in a chapel.