Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura, Canary Islands)

Puerto del Rosario is a port city located on Fuerteventura Island's eastern part, in the Las Palmas province of Canary Islands. The city is Fuerteventura's capital since 1860. Its current population is around 37,000.

Puerto del Rosario (port locode ESFVE) is managed by the Las Palmas Port Authority and currently operated under concession GPCI-Global Ports Canary Islands (80:20 joint venture company between GPH-Global Ports Holding Plc and Groupo Sepcan SL).

• In mid-November 2021, following a public tender process, the Las Palmas Port Authority awarded GPCI a 20-year concession for the cruise operations on Fuerteventura (thru 2042). The company also won the bidding for Port Las Palmas on Gran Canaria (40-year concession deal/thru 2062) and Port Arrecife on Lanzarote (20-year concession deal).
• GPH is currently the world's largest cruise port operator, with 24x total ports globally (as of 2022).
• The concession deal included GPCI investing ~EUR 40 million into a new cruise terminal (in Las Palmas) and modular cruise terminal facilities in Arrecife and Puerto del Rosario.

The Canaries are very popular for winter cruising vacations due to the archipelago's mild climate in comparison to other European regions. Las Palmas Ports (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote) are also cruise destinations with great international flight connections. During the Coronavirus crisis in 2020, unlike other European seaports that closed for passenger shipping traffic, these Canary ports handled 0,5+ million tourists via "bubble cruises" around the Canaries.

Originally known as Puerto de las Cabras (translated "Port of the Goats"), Puerto del Rosario had little political importance in the shadow of the island's ancient capital Betancuria. It was established as a fishing settlement with a natural harbor. The written in 1854 "Atlantic Navigator" describes the town (then "Cabras") as "principal port" and "insignificant place". Although small and underpopulated (population around 1000 in 1936), Puerto del Rosario is the main shipping port serving all the imports and exports from and to Fuerteventura.

In 1860, Puerto de las Cabras became the island's capital. Being popular for shipping goats, this is where the original name of the port came from. However, in 1957, the name "Cabras" was considered not suitable and was replaced with the more attractive Rosario (rosary).

During the 1960s there was rural-to-urban migration - from farm areas and smaller villages into Puerto del Rosario, so the city's population grew in this period. In 1976, due to North Africa's decolonization, further population growth occurred. Then, the Spanish Foreign Legion was based in the city.

The most popular cruise tours in Puerto del Rosario are to Betancuria (small town on the island's western part) and to Playa Blanca (White Beach), which is located approx 3 km (2 mi) south of the city.

The Rotondas shopping center (in the city) and Corralejo (resort town on the island's northern tip / approx 40 min bus travel from Puerto del Rosario) are Fuerteventura's best places for shopping. Know that you have to show your passport in order to use credit cards.

Puerto del Rosario cruise terminal