Canary Island’s 'popcorn sand' beach draws visitors as rhodoliths shape knobbly shoreline

Fuerteventura's Playa del Bajo de la Burra, on the island's north coast near Corralejo, has drawn travelers for its popcorn-like sand — a knobbly texture created by rhodolith beds rather than ordinary grains. The beach has surged in popularity as a destination to see the surreal surface, though the Atlantic waters along this stretch are often rough and not suitable for swimming.

Geologists explain that the popcorn effect comes from rhodoliths, calcareous algae that, together with white sand, have grown underwater for millennia. Waves and sun gradually shape their fragments into small, white, bulbous forms that mingle with the island's black sand and volcanic rocks. The result is a coast where the sand resembles popcorn and which is visible along a rugged shoreline near Corralejo and other nearby beaches.

Playa del Bajo de la Burra sits in the La Oliva municipality, part of the Corralejo area. Fuerteventura is the second-largest Canary Island and the oldest geologically, with terrain forged by volcanic activity up to 30 million years ago. Its winter weather stays mild — the island commonly records around 21 C in December — thanks to its proximity to Africa. The landscape has drawn filmmakers and travelers alike; the island doubled as North Africa in Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings, and it has appeared in other productions such as Allied. On the coast, wind-battered watersports conditions attract surfers and kitesurfers, while nature lovers keep an eye out for species such as barbary falcons, Egyptian vultures, and chipmunks.

No sun loungers dot the sand; Popcorn Beach is described as a wild spectacle to be admired on a hike or cycle along the rugged coast. Tourists have flocked to the site largely through social media exposure, cementing its status as a distinctive environmental feature on the island.