Costa de la Luz

From Punta Umbría
to Ayamonte
The last part of the Costa de la
Luz begins at Punta Umbría.
Surrounded by pine woods,
the locality came into being in
the 14 th century when it was
ordered that a tower, called
Punta de Umbría, be erected
to give advance warning of
possible invasions. No more
than a small fishing village
until recently, it has now
become a major summer
resort. During the summer
one can go to and from
Huelva by “canoas”, as the
locals call the boats. Nearby
are Marismas de Odiel natural
park and Los Enebrales nature
zone, a veritable paradise for
wildlife species.
The road carries on along the
coast flanked on the one side
by pine woods and on the
other by solitary beaches. Now
and again there are roadside
restaurants and the odd
camping site.
El Rompido. Cartaya
On the way it is worth
stopping at Isla de En medio,
a nature zone, and La Laguna
del Portil, now classified as an
ecological reserve. Further on
is Cartaya, a place known to
the Phoenicians, where one
can still see the ruins of a
small castle which was
originally Roman and later
Arab. Cartaya is famous for
the beach and port of
El Rompido, a strip of land
separating the river from the
sea, and for the nature zones
Los Enebrales Beach.
Punta Umbría
Gibraleón
San Silvestre
431
de Guzmán
Cartaya
Lepe
Aljaraque
Ayamonte
La Antilla
Isla Cristina
HUELVA
El Rompido
Isla de
Enmedio
San Juan
del Puerto
Moguer
Palos de la
La Rábida Frontera
Mazagón
Punta
Umbría
Trigueros
of Río Piedras and Flechas
del Rompido. The Mirador or
vantage point offers a
wonderful panoramic view.
Next along is the beach of
La Antilla and white Lepe,
a prosperous truck-farming
town with important
cooperatives and an intense
devotion to the Virgen de la
Bella, whose image is said to
have floated in from the sea.
And finally, at Ayamonte one
comes to the end – or the
beginning – of the Costa de
la Luz. Ayamonte has always
been a quiet fishing town,
white houses sloping down
to the harbour, where at any
time one will find fishermen
mending their gaily-coloured
nets. “Ayamonte” is a
corruption of the name
originally given it by the
Greeks: Anapotaman,
meaning “on the river”.
Set on a height is the Parador,
which affords an excellent
La Palma Camas
del Condado San Juan de
A-49
Aznalfarache
Bollullos Par
del Condado Aznalcázar
La Puebla del Río
“Santuario
de El Rocío”
El Rocío
Trebujena
Sanlúcar
de Barrameda
Ayamonte
PARQUE NACIONAL
DE DOÑANA
Chipiona
Rota
El Puerto de
Santa María
CÁDIZ
San Fernando
Chiclana
Sancti-Petri
Cabo de Trafalgar
view of the town and the
mouth of the river Guadiana –
the best time is near sunset.
Ayamonte’s popularity derives
chiefly from Canela and Moral
beaches (each five kilometres
long); although already
becoming lively in springtime,
the high season is from June
to early September.
The end of the Costa de la Luz
marks the beginning of
Portugal, now much closer
since the international bridge
over the Guadiana was
opened in 1991.
Los Palacios
y Villafranca
Lebrija
IV
Conil de
la Frontera
PARQUE NATURAL BREÑA
Y MARISMAS DE BARBATE
El Cuervo
A-4
Arco
la Fro
Jerez
de la Frontera
Puerto Real
PARQUE NATURAL
DE LA BAHÍA DE CÁDIZ
S
Medina
Sidonia
Benal
Ve
de la F
Barb
Zahara d
los Atun
Ensenada de Bo
Punta Camar
24
25
Plaza Mayor. Lepe