Catamaran trips on Fuerteventura

Yes, and it is free. The island council allows 200 visitors per time slot – 10:00 to 14:00 and 14:00 to 18:00 – and the authorisation is separate from your boat ticket. Some operators arrange it for you, others do not say a word about it. Check the booking page, and if it stays silent, apply yourself at lobospass.com. Nobody should charge you for it.

This matters more here than on a small island. Corralejo to Morro Jable is about 111 kilometres and a good hour and a half by road, so a tour that starts at the other end costs you the day. The boats to Lobos leave from Corralejo in the north, the whale trips from Morro Jable in the south, and the jeep safaris to Cofete start in the south too. Buggy tours, island tours and surf courses run at both ends.

Sometimes. These are wild animals, and unlike the strait between Tenerife and La Gomera there is no resident group off Fuerteventura, so no operator here can promise sightings. It shows in the ratings: 4.2 to 4.6 for the trips from this island against 4.6 to 4.7 for the Tenerife boats in the same feed. Book it as a boat trip you will enjoy anyway, not as a guarantee.

A car makes the island much easier – the distances are long and the bus network is thin. Cofete is the exception: the track runs about 20 unpaved kilometres from Morro Jable and takes 45 to 60 minutes each way, and hire car insurance generally does not cover unpaved roads. Some companies also charge a penalty if they find out. That is the practical reason people book a guided jeep tour instead.

The wind is why the island has world-class windsurfing and why the surf schools are here. For a beach day it means finding a sheltered spot rather than staying in. Boat trips are cancelled when the swell is too high; what happens to your money then is stated on each booking page, so read that line before you book a fixed date.

If you want a dramatic volcanic landscape, yes – because Fuerteventura does not have one. Timanfaya National Park is on Lanzarote, the ferry crossing takes about 30 minutes, and the organised day trips run around seven hours. If you would rather see this island properly, spend that day on Betancuria, Ajuy and the north instead.

The Lobos boats and the popular jeep safaris fill up a few days ahead in summer and around Easter, and the permit slots for Lobos are limited on top of that. Outside those weeks, a day or two is usually enough. Since almost every tour cancels free up to 24 hours before, booking early costs you nothing.

Many are, but the age limits are set by each operator and they differ – the minimum age is stated on the booking page of each tour, and that is the only place worth trusting. As a rule the ferries and catamarans take children of any age, while buggies, jet skis and speedboats set a lower limit. If it is not written down, ask before you pay.