GOMA - LA ATALAYITA - POZO NEGRO
Difficulty: Medium/Low.
Length: 14.5km
Summary:
Between lava rivers and aboriginal heritage, towards the beach.
Details:
This trail sets off on the road Fv415 close to the crossroad to Casilla de Morales - Valles de Ortega, SE direction. You will walk along one of Europe's largest aloe vera plantations, a plant that has adapted perfectly to the islands arid climate and is no longer used as food due to its therapeutic and medicinal properties.
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The trail runs parallel to the edge of the lava field that makes up the Malpais Chico badlands, which were created by lava from the Caldera de Gayria. Leaving behind the peak of Goma to the North, continue along the highway, with the Morro Halcones and Morro de la Pared mountains to your right in the South.
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On your left, you will pass the Pozo Negro Experimental Farm which belongs to the Fuerteventura Island Council and marks the entry to the Pozo Negro valley. This farm is used to work on techniques to adapt different arboreal species to Fuerteventura's arid climate as also to improve the islands livestock population.
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Carefully cross the highway where it enters the Malpais Grande lava field and quickly you will find the trail that heads East towards the Atalayita indigenous settlement.
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The indigenous settlement consists of a set of dry wall structures. Such settlements were always established close to water springs emerging from the adjacent mountainous elevations or from the basalt escarpment itself - a supply of potable water was one of the determining factors when choosing where to set up a village. Fuerteventura's indigenous houses are characteristically sunk in the ground, with a number of steps that that descend down to the base of the house explaining why the houses appear very low from the outside. There is a visitor information centre for the site but it is temporarily closed.
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Continue along the southern edge of the lava field to reach Pozo Negro creek with it's fishing village, extensive pebble and sand beach and a couple of restaurants. You can head back along the highway that traces the northern edge of the lava field or you can also continue on trails that head north to La Torre and the Salinas del Carmen salt pans.