As part of a recent press trip, I got to experience spending the day with the newly opened Mehari Experience in Fuerteventura. The company own a range of different buggies that they take out to explore the incredible island and have only been open a few months.
When we arrived I was a little apprehensive as you all probably know by now, I’m scared of absolutely everything! I remember going in a jeep when I was a child and absolutely hating it, so when I saw our mini jeep-like buggy I could feel myself getting more and more anxious.
When we arrived we were introduced to the team that was taking us out, including two drivers and a photographer.
They handed us some water and the cutest explorer hats which everyone immediately put on, for the ‘gram of course. Shortly after we picked our buggy and made our way to the first destination.
I decided to sit in the front as I’d heard that it would be a lot less bumpy, and I had the safety net of there being a seat belt. After about 2 or 3 minutes being on the road, I realised there absolutely nothing to be scared of as it was one of the most fun things I have ever done. Although it was slightly windy, it was amazing to see every last detail of the journey without a window in the way.
The views were stunning and riding around in our little buggy made it so much more surreal.
Our first stop was at a small farm, where we were going to go camel riding. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take part in the camel ride due to weight restrictions, but the girls that did take part looked like they had the best time – even though MoMo was incredibly naughty.
As we didn’t go on the camels we went for a walk up a small hill to see the view and oh my god, it was incredible. You could see out over to the sand dune national park, with the horizon not far behind it. We were also told that we’d visited at a time where Fuerteventura was experiencing something it hadn’t for years – green scenery. Normally the scenery is quite brown and volcanic however they’d had a few days of rain and so everything had started to turn a gorgeous shade of green.
After we’d soaked up the view, we got back into the buggys and headed towards one of the islands many volcanos. The journey was quite long so it was great to experience the buggys on a more rural road, with lots of turns and hills. I honestly didn’t think it would be something I’d enjoy so much, but I was having the best time.
As we got closer to the volcano the views were absolutely incredible. We were quite high up so we could see for miles and honestly, I could have stayed there for hours just enjoying the view.
The volcano itself was much easier to get to and was amazing to see inside. I had never seen the crater of a volcano before, which was pretty cool. Although the volcano was incredible, the highlight had to be the chipmunks that inhabited it. I felt like Snow White as they all surrounded us, asking for food. Luckily the team had packed some seeds for them to eat so we all grabbed a handful and squealed as they took them out of hands. It was honestly the cutest thing.
After we had been to the volcano we decided it was time to have some lunch, so we drove the buggys to a fisherman and surfer town called El Cotillo. We parked up on the seafront and had lunch at a gorgeous restaurant with an incredible view of the ocean. After a lot of cava, cheese, croquettas and steak – we were ready to go to our next spot, a lighthouse surrounded by a volcanic beach.
The lighthouse was only a short stop, but it was a great spot to get some photos of the buggys. I loved the beaches surrounding it too, as they were covered in fascinating volcanic rocks. Before visiting the island I didn’t realise how much volcanic history there was, so it was incredible to see black rocks at every turn and corner.
Once we’d got the shots we want we went back towards the fishing town to visit a small museum (which ended up being closed) and to see views as the sun started to set on the horizon. I could have sat watching the horizon for hours, but we had one more stop and it was the one I was most excited about – the xxx sand dunes and national park.
Whilst we didn’t go into the national park itself, we did go to the sand dunes that were closer to the beach. As we climber over the first dune we were greeted by a stunning view of the sea which was a beautiful colour – very similar to the Adriatic sea I fell in love with on my recent trip to Croatia.
We spent quite a while at the top of the dunes taking photos and doing crazy things like building a human pyramid, and it was honestly the highlight of the whole day. It was great to act like a child playing in the sand again, and the backdrop just made it that more amazing.
I was so so impressed by the whole day, considering it was the first time the buggys were taken out on this kind of tour. The team at Mehari were incredibly welcoming and made the experience even more special as we got to spend the day getting to know them. I would honestly recommend booking a tour with Mehari to anyone visiting the Canary Islands as it was such a fun and unique way to explore a beautiful island.
