If you do not have enough with the crystal clear waters, the golden sand and the views of Trafalgar from the Zahora beach, very close we have other beaches with landscape corners that have nothing to envy to the postcard beaches that we see from other latitudes in the world.

Los Caños de Meca

We have always considered Zahora as the beach that stretches from Cabo de Trafalgar to La Mangueta beach.

Therefore, to follow an order, Los Caños de Meca, ranges from Cape Trafalgar to the south, to the cliffs of the Breña Natural Park.

Almost at the side of Zahora

Los Caños is a few minutes drive from Zahora. On foot you can go in half an hour, although the local road is narrow and with traffic. Another feasible and recommended option is to get to the beach, walking from Zahora to Cabo de Trafalgar, one of the most picturesque spots on the Andalusian coast.

The lighthouse is a centenary witness to the ups and downs of these waters and looks out onto a cliff with very nice views of the sunsets and the strong marine currents in the area. Information panels remind us that in those waters the decisive battle of Trafalgar took place in 1805, which meant the decline of Spain's maritime power to the detriment of the English force.

The lighthouse area is very beautiful and has some coves for bathing and large areas of rocks ideal for discovering the local marine fauna. It is not advisable to go too deep into the water since the area is known for its danger.

Continuing south we reach the nucleus of Los Castillejos, with some small coves that are the anteroom of the nudist beach, with beautiful hotels, some good restaurants and above all beautiful landscapes of the first pine forests of the natural park that end up in the first cliffs.

The nudist beach, less and less nudist, offers areas of sand and stone and gives access to a beautiful excursion under the cliffs, only feasible at low tide, which leads us to the jets or curtains, the authentic pipes of Mecca, which are some small waterfalls or freshwater falls that end up on the beach and form a paradise image worth visiting. The journey is complicated, not suitable for everyone.

The Beach of la Yerbabuena

If we go by car towards Caños de Meca and then Barbate. Just before reaching this town, on your right you will see a wonderful beach, between the port and the first cliffs, which is perhaps one of the most beautiful in all of Andalusia.

In a totally natural environment without constructions, the beach ends at the first cliffs that shortly after will form the great stone walls of the natural park, adorned with stone pine, mastic and juniper pine forests.

La Yerbabuena or Hierbabuena is a beach with clear sand, predominantly sandy bottoms and shallow. Enjoy side winds although the strong lift lashes the beach with intensity. It has a parking area at the beginning of the beach, but being so long, the most remote areas are usually very quiet.

The Beach of the Mangeta

Playa Mangueta is one of those increasingly scarce beaches that have been left out of urban planning plans and that retains the virginity of always. It is a stretch of coast without houses, without services and with very little public, unknown in a certain way and that only those who know the area best tend to frequent it.

It is a clear sandbank that is located at the mouth of the Arroyo de San Ambrosio, a small watercourse that dries up during the summer months and comes from the Vejer mountains.

How to get to the Beach Stub

Mangueta is at the end of the first access lane to Zahora if you come from El Palmar, which is accessed through a curve with very little visibility and dangerous, which is probably the most common reason why visitors do not know it. The main reference is the signage of the Saboy bar.

If you come slowly and go pending as you see the first houses of Zahora coming from El Palmar, you will see it.

It is also possible to access from the Playa del Palmar through the dirt track in the southern direction. It is parked about 10 minutes walk from Mangueta.
Once in Mangueta it is easy to choose a place because the number of bathers is very low. The closer to the parking lot the more people there are and the best area is going north, towards Playa del Palmar, where the beach becomes more sandy.

What if it is very windy? What do we do?

In addition to taking advantage to taste our delicacies and wines in the restaurants in the area, we can also take a cultural excursion.

A walk by St. Ambrose and his Hermitage

The excursion to San Ambrosio is a pleasant walk from Zahora and the closest rural and inland tourism option, with its natural and even archaeological touch.
The route can be done on foot, by bicycle or by car and takes place along the inland paths of San Ambrosio and other districts of the Vejer and Barbate districts.

A good option if there is a lot of wind, bad weather or if you just want to breathe a bit of country air two steps from the beach.

The walk begins at the beginning of the San Ambrosio road, on the other side of the road from the start of the Mangueta lane. The dirt lane goes inland and offers a landscape of pine forest, cultivated fields, livestock farms and rural tourist establishments, some of them very attractive.

At the first crossroads we continue to the right and arrive at the hermitage, which is located next to the stream that will have to be crossed by a small bridge.

The Hermitage of San Ambrosio

It is located on a small hill, in an area suitable for agriculture, dominated by forage crops and the presence of cattle.

What we will see will be the remains of a Visigothic hermitage declared a Site of Cultural Interest, with the category of Monument in 2004.

It is a building that is the result of material overlays corresponding to diverse cultural moments, whose origins date back, at least, to the Roman era, as can be deduced from recent investigations that have detected the existence of a possible Roman villa in its space.

It is possible to characterize fundamentally the current Hermitage of San Ambrosio as a result of the foundation of a paleochristian hermitage on possible remains of the mentioned town, with significant Visigothic and Mudejar reforms.

It is one of the very few examples, in the south of the Peninsula, of a basilica of early Christian origin responding to the scheme of a single nave and rectangular apse. This, together with the existence of a baptistery and the survival of remains of tombs of possible Visigothic dating, explains the value of the hermitage as an example and witness to the architecture of that period.

The state of the monument is precarious although reinforcement work has been done. Archaeological remains of this site are preserved in the Ermita de la Oliva in Vejer.

Area Motorhomes Zahora – Los Caños de Meca

If you come with your motorhome and yet you do not know the Area of Motorhomes Zahora – Los Caños de Meca, we indicate how to get there:

From the access from Cádiz towards Algeciras, from the national 340, take the exit towards Vejer Costa, highway A-2230, follow the road to El Palmar and once you pass by the gas station, at the roundabout turn left and take the A-2233 road, continue this road until you pass the Caños de Meca campsite, 200 meters later you will find the Motorhome Area which is to your right.

Your adress:

Comarcal Highway A-2233, kilometer 10.3
11,159 Zahora - Barbate (Cádiz)

GPS coordinates :

36 ° 11’54 ”N 6 ° 2 ′ 3 ″ O

You can read more information about the Area from here: http://areasautocaravanas.com/area-autocaravanas-zahora-los-canos-de-meca/

You can reserve your place Online from here: http://areasautocaravanas.com/reservas/reserva-en-area-de-autocaravanas-zahora-los-canos-de-meca/

If you want to know more areas to leave your motorhome along the coast, you can download this guide: