Cadiz Province - Costa de la Luz

On a clear day you can see right over to Africa from the Costa de la luz

Appropriately christened the Costa de la Luz (Coast of the Light), the Atlantic shoreline of Cadiz province have many wild and windswept beaches, with its strong winds making Tarifa the foremost windsurf and kitesurfing site in Europe.

Considerable stretches of the coast are particularly noteworthy for their wealth of wildlife, including the extensive Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park, covering the beaches and wetlands of Cadiz Bay; the Estrecho Natural Park along the Strait (Estrecho) of Gibraltar from Algeciras to Bolonia, including a significant marine section; and the Breña and Marismas de Barbate Natural Park, the coastal cliffs and pine forest between Los Caños de Meca and Barbate as well as Barbate´s saltmarshes.

Being so close to the Strait of Gibraltar means that the province is an ideal place for birdwatching during periods of migration between Europe and Africa, and whalewatching.

Villages

Atlanterra		Barbate
Atlanterra is an exclusive urbanisacion situated 30km north of Tarifa. More >		Barbate is a town of some 20.000 people on the Costa de la Luz, 40km north of Tarifa. More >
Bolonia		Cadiz
Bolonia is a small isolated coastal village and fishing community on the Atlantic coast of the Costa de la Luz. More >		Cadiz province has some of Andalucia's most windswept beaches, prettiest white villages and most celebrated sherry. More >
Caños de Meca		Chiclana
Caños de Meca is a small but unspoiled community on the windswept but stunning Costa de la Luz on the Atlantic coast. More >		Adjacent to the salt marshes, Chiclana is not on the coast itself. Sancti Petri has become the towns summer resort extension. More >
Chipiona		Conil de la Frontera
Sitting on the coast in the far west of the province of Cádiz, the pretty town of Chipiona lies at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river. More >		This small town is fast becoming popular with summer tourists. More >
El Palmar		El Puerto de Santa María
El Palmar is a long, straight beach, the road is lined with bars and restaurants and is popular with surfers. More >		Like nearby Jerez, Puerto de Santa Maria is well known for its sherry, be sure to ask for the locally produced "fino" which is very light and dry. More >
Novo Sancti Petri		Puerto Real
Adjacent to the salt marshes, Chiclana is not on the coast itself. Sancti Petri has become the towns summer resort extension. More >		Puerto Real lies with the sea and marshes to one side and extensive pine forests to the other. More >
Roche		Rota
A modern beachfront development and some isolated coves. More >		Rota, an ancient town, stands at the extreme north of the Bay of Cádiz in a privileged position. More >
Tarifa		Zahara de los Atunes
This little fishing town was the first point of the Moorish invasion of Southern Spain in AD711. More >		Zahara de los Atunes is a small fishing village on the Costa de la Luz 30 km north of Tarifa on the Atlantic coast. More >
Vejer de la Frontera
If you are exploring the N340 Costa de la Luz coast road, you'd be wise to make time for a wander around Vejer. More >

Parks

Estrecho		Marismas de Barbate
Created in 2003, the Parque Natural del Estrecho is the southernmost protected area in Europe. More >		Created in 1989, the Breña y Marismas de Barbate park is Andalucia's second largest coastal reserve. More >
Bahía de Cádiz
Cadiz Bay supports a surprising wealth of wildlife, given the built-up areas that are in and around it. More >