Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have the most unusual urbex in Spain — an island where the Sahara wind erodes abandoned buildings at a speed no mainland abandonment can match and where the tourist bubble of the 80s-90s left hundreds-room hotels closed among the dunes. The SS América on Garcey Beach in Fuerteventura, the luxury ocean liner christened by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939 and split in half by a storm in 1994, leaving the bow grounded in the sand forever. The Hotel Stella Canaris, the tourist Frankenstein that collapsed in 2013 leaving hundreds of workers unpaid and the largest palm park in Fuerteventura dying of thirst. Discover the 5 best abandoned places in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, selected from our Urbex Spain Map — 600+ GPS locations across Spain.
Why Lanzarote and Fuerteventura Are Exceptional Urbex Destinations
The eastern islands of the Canary archipelago combine the heritage of the tourist bubble — monumental closed hotels, half-built ghost developments, abandoned leisure complexes among lava fields — with the maritime heritage of historic shipwrecks on their coasts. The volcanic and arid landscape creates a post-apocalyptic atmosphere that no mainland abandonment can reproduce.
1. SS América – Garcey Beach, Fuerteventura — The Ghost Ship: Luxury Ocean Liner Split in Half in 1994, Christened by Eleanor Roosevelt, Grounded Forever (Known Location)
The SS América on Garcey Beach in Fuerteventura is the most photogenic and surreal abandonment in the Canary Islands — the luxury ocean liner of the United States Lines, christened by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939, which was split in half by a brutal storm on January 15, 1994, off the Canarian coast. The crew was rescued by helicopter; the ship ran aground forever. The rusted bow emerges from the waves on Garcey Beach with a scale that no land abandonment can match — 220 meters of rusted steel on a black volcanic sand beach with the Atlantic in the background. A shipwreck that has been a destination for photographers and explorers from all over Europe for more than 30 years. Documented by EscapadaRural as one of the 25 most spectacular abandonments in Spain.
🔗 Source: EscapadaRural – The 25 Most Spectacular Abandoned Places in Spain
2. Hotel Stella Canaris – Fuerteventura — The Largest Abandoned Tourist Complex in the Canary Islands, Closed in 2013, Empty Pools, Dead Palm Trees (Known Location)
The Hotel Stella Canaris in Fuerteventura is the most photogenically powerful tourist abandonment in the Canary Islands — a huge resort complex that, after a decade of glory, went bankrupt in 2013, leaving hundreds of workers unpaid for months and the largest palm tree park in Fuerteventura to die of thirst. The empty pools, neglected gardens, and dead palm trees create a collapsed luxury setting that urbex photographers from all over Europe have documented since its closure. A slide box found inside the hotel inspired the photographic project "Territory" by photographer Cristian Barros. Documented by Yorokobu as the most emblematic "urban planning disaster" of Fuerteventura.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Must-See Abandoned Sites in Spain →
3. Ghost Town of the Tourism Bubble – Northern Fuerteventura — Half-Built Blocks, Empty Pools, Roads Leading Nowhere (Only on Our Map)
A ghost town in northern Fuerteventura — half-built apartment blocks with rusted concrete pillars that support no floors, empty pools never filled with water, and perfectly paved roads that end in the middle of volcanic lava fields leading nowhere. The ghost towns of Fuerteventura are the legacy of the Canary Islands' 80s-90s tourism bubble — projects left half-finished in the most arid and volcanic landscape of Spain due to developer bankruptcies or tourism market crises. GPS coordinates available on our Urbex Spain Map.
4. Large-Scale Abandoned Hotel – Lanzarote Coast — 1980s Hotel Complex with Pools, Tropical Gardens, and Ruined Double-Height Lobby (Exclusively on Our Map)
A large-scale 1980s hotel on the coast of Lanzarote — the double-height lobby with interior garden palm trees growing uncontrollably up to the broken glass ceiling, pools with bright blue painted bottoms still visible under the volcanic dust layer, and tropical gardens completely overtaken by vegetation in the black lava landscape. The 1980s hotels in the Canaries were so large and expensive to maintain that bankruptcy or a shift in the tourist market could condemn them to permanent abandonment. The combination of building decay, uncontrolled vegetation, and Lanzarote’s volcanic landscape creates an atmosphere no abandoned mainland hotel can replicate. GPS coordinates available on our Urbex Spain Map.
5. Abandoned Fishing Village – Fuerteventura Coast — Mid-20th Century Fishermen’s Houses, Stranded Boats, Atlantic Landscape (Off the Radar — Only on Our Map)
A small abandoned fishing village on the coast of Fuerteventura — mid-20th century fishermen’s houses with whitewashed walls and fiber cement roofs collapsed by salt spray, boats stranded on the sand no longer in use, and the Atlantic landscape of the Indian Ocean with Africa on the horizon. The fishing villages along Fuerteventura’s Atlantic coast are the most specifically Majorero domestic heritage — the local architecture of communities that lived from fishing and tuna trap work before mass tourism completely changed the island’s economy. Find it on our map — with access rating and condition report.
Safety Tips
- SS América: never approach the ship's hull in the water or try to climb the wreckage — the metal is severely corroded and may give way without warning; photo taken from the beach sand
- Wind: the Saharan wind in Fuerteventura can reach gusts of 80-100 km/h, making exploration of unstable structures dangerous — cancel visits to ruined buildings in strong wind conditions
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
The urbex code: "Leave everything as you found it — the next explorer deserves the same experience."
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous abandoned place in Fuerteventura?
The SS América on Garcey Beach — the luxury ocean liner christened by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939 and split in half by a storm in 1994. With 220 meters of rusted steel on a black volcanic sand beach with the Atlantic in the background, it is the most visually impressive abandonment in all of Spain. Free access from the FV-2 road.
Why are there so many abandoned hotels in the Canary Islands?
The massive tourism expansion in the Canary Islands during the 70s-90s was driven by speculative criteria that ignored long-term sustainability — many hotels were built too large, too far from established tourist areas, or with insufficient construction quality to compete with modern offerings. Developer bankruptcies, shifts in tourism models, and economic crises left dozens of complexes stranded in the volcanic landscape.
Is legal access allowed to the SS América?
The SS América is a shipwreck on a public beach — access via Garcey Beach is completely free and legal. What is neither legal nor safe is trying to climb on the ship’s remains or approach the hull in the water: the metal is severely corroded and poses a real collapse hazard. Photographing from the beach sand is the safest and most spectacular way to document the wreck.
🎯 Summary
Visit the abandoned places in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura: from the SS América split in half on Garcey Beach to the Hotel Stella Canaris with its empty pools and dead palm trees, and the ghost towns where roads end in lava fields. Each of these 5 abandoned sites in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura captures a different layer of the volcanic islands where mass tourism left its own ruins in Spain’s most arid landscape.
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