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Superb Horse Riding, Photography and Birding Vacations on the Costa de la Luz in Andalusia, Spain.

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Barbate

Lively holiday destination.

Situated in the southwest of the province of Càdiz, the borough of Barbate offers the colour, richness and diversity typical of Andalusia. The beaches, natural park, marina, sports, climate, festivals and people together make up a land with a thousand and one flavours that is waiting to be discovered, and that can be enjoyed at any time of year. With the proximity of important National parks and protected areas such as the Doñana, the Alcornocales and the Straits of Gibraltar the area is perfectly situated to enjoy a variety of activity holidays.

Barbate.

The base for most of our holidays is Barbate, which is a modern town of some 20.000 people. The town has grown up around a fishing industry which goes back to Roman times when fish-salting was at its peak. Although modern in design the town still has some nice buildings in the heart of it's old town. It has a wonderful "promenade" where you can stroll for almost 2 km from the River Barbate to the Marina. The promenade has plenty of lively bars and restaurants in which you will be made more than welcome by the local people.

Promenade at Barbate

Barbate Natural Park

Parque Natural de la Breña y Marismas de Barbate.

The natural park of Barbate consists of spectacular cliffs, beautiful woods of umbrella pines and the marshes of the river Barbate. The cliffs stretch from Barbate to Caños de Meca and fall over a hundred metres into the Atlantic. The 3797 hectares of protected area have ecosystems of great ecological value. Home to teeming colonies of herring gulls and egrets, along with a stunning variety of wildflowers, herbs and palms. The cliffs, forest, sand dunes and marshes of the river Barbate all form what is considered one of the most diverse and best-preserved parts of the Andalusian coast.

Zahara de los Atunes.

The base for Birding Holidays is the small fishing village of Zahara de los Atunes 11km from Barbate on the Atlantic coast. Zahara has an interesting atmosphere, on a quiet day, it is like going back in time. By contrast, on a summer's day, it's the trendy place to be. The village boasts a stunning wilderness of 20 km of unspoilt white sandy beaches stretching as far as Cape Gracia. In the village itself there are the ruins of the Castillo de las Amadrabas built in the fifteenth century by the Dukes of Medina Sidonia for protection against pirates and later used by local fishermen to store their tuna fishing equipment.

Los Caños de Meca

A Sherry Bodega

Activities.

The routes for horse riding are taken through the Barbate Natural park which provides an extensive area ideal for exhilarating riding. The forest has been planted on sand which is an all weather surface just perfect for the horses, and of course the trees provide plenty of shade during the hotter months of the year.
For bird watching holidays visits are made to the Doñana, Alcornocales and the straits of Gibraltar. The holidays vary depending on the time of year and you may well see huge migrations of raptors across the straits, or the multitude of species nesting in the Doñana.
During the photography weeks as well as photographing locally around Barbate, visits are made to Vejer de la Frontera, Cape Trafalgar and Jerez de la Frontera. All these towns provide superb opportunities to use your camera and return home with an unbeatable collection of photographs.

Andalusia weather.

During summer it is possible to sunbathe almost every day from May through to October. There is virtually no rain with daily highs ranging from 25°C to 35°C and nightly lows about 15°C. Winter is mild with a mixture of clear, sunny days with sometimes overcast but warm days. Evenings are noticeably cooler. The first rains are late September or early October and can be heavy but rarely last more than a day or two. Daily highs range from 15°C to 20°C and nightly lows rarely below 10°C.