Costa de la Luz

A holiday destination for vacationing Spaniards, in recent years the Costa de la Luz has seen more foreign visitors, especially from France, Germany, and the UK. Increasing urbanization and tourism-oriented development of parts of the coast have had economic benefits.

Attractions and recreation

Aside from the beaches and the sunshine, there are ample opportunities and facilities for leisure activities, like fine dining, golf, kitesurfing, boating, and other water sports. The Costa de la Luz has protected natural reserves and a number of natural attractions. Among them are the Doñana National Park, where endangered species, such as the Spanish imperial eagle and the Iberian lynx (Felis pardina), can occasionally be sighted; the Bay of Cádiz; the steeply-pitched shorelines of the southern section of the Andalusian coastline; the salt marshes of Barbate and the seaside cliffs at La Breña (both within the La Breña y Marismas del Barbate Natural Park); and the wetlands at the mouths of the rivers Tinto and Odiel, where there is a profusion of water fowl and, in season, other migratory birds, including storks and flamingos.

A further facility of interest is the atmospheric research station El Arenosillo, where sometimes rockets are launched.