Beaches – Tarifa, Spain Travel Guide

Beaches

Long stretches of white, sandy beaches are part of what makes Tarifa the perfect summer destination. Of course, all of this depends on the amount of wind that’s stirring things up. While there are days that lying on the beach is nearly impossible unless your goal is to exfoliate, the good news is that there’s something to do in almost every meteorological situation.

Playa de los Lances is the largest and longest beach in Tarifa. In fact, it’s so long, that people actually think of it as a series of several different beaches. The beach stretches along the west side of the city and heads all the way out to a sand dune just before it reaches Punta Paloma (”Pigeon Point”).

If you’re up for a stroll, the trek from Tarifa to the sand dune at Punta Paloma is well worth the time. If you stop to do a little seashell hunting along the way, it will take at least two or three hours. Fortunately, once you arrive, there’s a shuttle leaving from the Punta Paloma campsite that zips you back to Tarifa.

If you depart from Tarifa, you’ll start the walk at the section of beach that lies just outside the city. This is probably the most popular section among the Tarifeños. In this area, you’re most likely to see families and groups of teenagers lumped around in the sand and amateur surfers testing the waves.

Further toward Punta Paloma as you approach the campgrounds lining the coast, you enter the land of tourists. Trekking even farther through the white sand and around some rocky points, you’ll come across the kite and windsurfing zone. This area of los Lances is generally packed full of people, especially during the peak of tourist season. If you have time (in Tarifa that’s all you ever have), stop and watch the surfers zoom around for a while. Whether you decide to observe or just pass through, make sure to keep an eye out for plummeting kites and invisible kite strings. At the end of the walk, both the dune and the point provide incredible views of the long stretch of Playa de los Lances all the way back to the whitewashed town of Tarifa.

If you’re looking for a way to make the peaceful stroll even more relaxing, try slathering yourself up with a bit of Punta Paloma mud. Out on the point there are several spots where, if you dig deep into the earth, you’ll find a deep gray colored mud that works great for a good, clean mud bath. Don’t believe it? Just smear a few handfuls on your body and face, let yourself dry in the sun, then wash it all off in the salty ocean.

Playa Chica is the smallest of the Tarifa beaches, but is also one of the only refuges from the relentless wind. It’s situated just south of Playa de los Lances in a small cove that allows it to stay relatively calm even during heavy gusts. The only downfall is that it tends to get pretty crowded on breezy days. Otherwise, the beach has a lot of charm and is an excellent place to go even after the sun goes down.

Playa la Caleta is not really a beach at all, but a series of rocky platforms and sandy coves that are just fun to explore. The area lies to the east of Tarifa’s old town and can be reached by simply following the boardwalk south of town. La Caleta is most popular among fishermen and those who are looking to get away from the crowds, but is not especially clean.

Questions?
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