Costa de la Luz

Food
Leisure and
entertainment
To be recommended are wines,
oil, cured meats (mainly Jabugo
ham), but above all shellfish (king
prawn, Norway lobster and
ostiones – a large, coarse variety
of oyster), seafood soups and
fried fish (sardine, tuna, sole, urta
[toothed gilthead] and plaice). All
along the coast, choco – a variety
of large squid – is a speciality, and
the best way to enjoy it and other
delicacies is by having tapas in the
bars. The cuisine of Cadiz and
Huelva is generally based on
simple, old-time recipes.
Wines
The Jerez-Sherry appellation of
origin embraces the triangle
formed by Jerez, Sanlúcar de
Barrameda and El Puerto de
Santa María, although it can
also be extended to parts of
Chiclana, Chipiona, Rota and
Trebujena. What makes these
wines special, apart from the
climate, are the procedures
used in the winemaking
process, such as mixing old
wines with new, so that we
talk of soleras rather than
“vintages”. Another special
feature is the formation of a
layer of fermentation – the
“flor” – which is what
determines whether or not a
wine will be a fino. If the flor
does not appear, the wine will
be an oloroso. Depending on
colour, flavour and strength,
sherries can be classified as
finos, amontillados, olorosos,
moscateles, palo cortado or
Pedro Ximénez. The most
important wines from the
province of Huelva are those of
El Condado, which are similar
to sherry in type. The
production is consumed almost
exclusively in Andalusia.
Where to stay
Throughout the Costa de
la Luz accommodation is easy
to find, be it in Paradors,
hotels or hostels, apartments,
bungalows, country houses
or camping-sites. However,
if you decide to go at times
of year like Easter or summer,
it is advisable to book in
advance. The Costa de
la Luz has four Paradors – two
in the province of Cadiz
and two in the province of
Huelva.
Carnival in Cadiz
Festivals
of interest to tourists
Bulls, horses, song and wine –
these are the essential
components of the festivals of
the Costa de la Luz. The province
of Cadiz offers three festivals that
are classified as of International
Tourist Interest. These are the
Carnival of Cadiz, the Horse Fair
of Jerez (10 to 17 May) and the
Horse Racing on the beach at
Sanlúcar de Barrameda (month of
August). Classified as of National
Tourist Interest are Holy Week in
Arcos de la Frontera, Corpus
Christi in Zahara de la Sierra and
the Fair of Exaltation of the
Guadalquivir in Sanlúcar de
Barrameda (from 28 to 30
August). The province of Huelva
hosts the most famous romería in
the whole of Spain – that of
El Rocío in Almonte. This takes
place at the Feast of Pentecost,
but during the month of May
there are numerous romerías
throughout the province of
Huelva, the most important being
at Cartaya, Lepe and Moguer.
Natural areas
Cadiz has two natural parks:
Los Alcornocales (Information
Office in Alcalá de los Gazules.
% 956 413 307) and Sierra
de Grazalema (Information
Office in El Bosque,
% 956 727 029).
Huelva. Besides Doñana
National Park, there are three
Nature Reserves: Isla de
Enmedio, Laguna de El Portil
and Marisma de El Burro; eight
Nature Zones: Los Enebrales at
Punta Umbría, Estero de
Domingo Rubio, Lagoons of
Palos and Las Madres, Marshes
of Isla Cristina, Marshes of the
river Odiel, Marshes of the
river Piedras and Flecha del
Rompido, Peñas de Aroche,
Sierra Pelada and Rivera del
Aserrador; and there is one
Natural Park: Sierra de Aracena
and Picos de Aroche.
Designated natural areas
occupy a total of 210 hectares
in addition to the 105,000 ha
of Doñana National Park.
% 959 430 432
www.info@parquenacionaldonana.com
Royal Andalusian School
of Equestrian Art
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