Location

Zahara de Los Atunes is a cosy little fishing village where the inhabitants have lived from the sea ( tuna fishing mainly ) for many centuries. During the day you can still see the distinctive blue fishing boats in action close to the beach with a backdrop of the Moroccan mountains less than 15 kilometres away. Until recently this coast used to be military area and since it’s release to the county it has been carefully watched by the various environmental parties who all have vowed to preserve this pristine part of Spain and to keep the coastline in it’s original condition.

Developments like in the rest of Spain, especially around the Costa’s along the Mediterranean Sea with Benidorm or Torremolinos as prime examples, are forbidden here.

This has resulted in small scale development of uniquely styled villa’s and apartments ( no high rise ) that complement the natural splendour of this area. You won’t find many foreign tourists here. The majority are people locals or holidaymakers from Sevilla or Madrid.

On the way to nearby Barbate the cows still graze on the beach, campers are parked between the sand dunes and Hippies and surfers still crowd the pleasant beaches of villages like Canos de Mecca (don’t miss a drink in the Bedouin tent with it’s spectacular views on your left when you enter the village!), El Palmar or Conil ( excellent night market!) where time has stood still.

For bird and nature lover’s it’s paradise here as well with several national parks in close vicinity and the annual bird migration from the cold north to the warm south stopping here for resting or breeding. Flocks of storks for example can be seen on a regular basis.