To set foot on Lobos Island you need an authorisation from the Cabildo de Fuerteventura. It is free, but it is compulsory and it is separate from your boat ticket. And here is the trap that ruins trips: you cannot request it in advance.
The official permit site only opens applications within the 5 days before your visit. In their own words:
“the platform enables applications 5 days ahead of the visit date. If your preferred date is not available, we recommend checking again in the days before.”
In other words: it is a maximum, not a minimum. If your trip is three weeks away, today you simply cannot book the permit: the calendar only shows today and the next four days. You will read elsewhere that you must apply “at least 5 days in advance” — that is the opposite of how it works.
The Natural Park’s management plan (2006) sets a carrying capacity of 200 simultaneous visitors. To enforce it, on 15 January 2019 the Cabildo introduced a compulsory prior authorisation, independent of the transport you use to get there — ferry, water taxi, catamaran or your own boat, it makes no difference. You can be asked for it at any moment while you are on the island.
That quota is split into two four-hour slots:
| Morning | 10:00 – 14:00 |
| Afternoon | 14:00 – 18:00 |
Checked on 14 August 2026 in the official form itself: the morning slot was sold out on all five available days, and afternoons were only free from the third day onwards. In high season, mornings go first.
If your authorisation shows as “not active”, that’s normal: they activate on their own date and time. And it is personal and non-transferable — someone else’s won’t do. Official support: soporte@lobospass.com.
Boat operators hold their own allocation of authorisations and process yours for you. It’s the way out when the official calendar won’t give you your date, and the only way to lock it in weeks ahead.
| Adults | Children 4–11 | Under 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferry with permit processing | €19 | €13 | €2 |
| Ferry without processing (you apply yourself) | €17 | €11 | Free |
Translated: having it handled costs €2 per person. For two euros you skip the five-day window, the scramble for places and the confirmation email.
BOOK WITH THE PERMIT INCLUDED →
Ferry from Corralejo harbour · 20-minute crossing · ★ 9/10 with over 4,400 reviews · free cancellation up to 24 h before.
The Lobos water taxi includes the permit in the base price, with no options or surcharges: €16, three euros less than the ferry with processing. A 15-minute crossing and, best of all, a free return: boats leave every 30 minutes and you decide on the day which one to take, so you stay as long as you like.
The honest small print: it’s a speedboat, not a ferry. You collect your ticket at Calle Iglesia 26 in Corralejo (not at the harbour), it has fewer reviews (826 — though a very high ★ 9.4), and some travellers describe stepping off onto the Lobos jetty as awkward in a swell. With small children or limited mobility, the big ferry is more comfortable.
SEE THE WATER TAXI (€16) →Data verified on lobospass.com (official Cabildo de Fuerteventura site) and with the operator on 14 August 2026; it may change — the binding information is always the official site and the checkout process. Continue with boat times and prices and what to see on the island.