Here, our mini-tour of the Huelva province illustrates why this is the area where the Spanish people holiday. Whoever said this is Spain's best-kept secret was certainly telling the truth!

The fine, sandy beaches of the Costa de la Luz , in the shelter of pine woods, stretch in an arc from Ayamonte to Punta Umbria. This is the coast of Western Andalucia. The Costa de la Luz gets its name not just from the average 3,000 hours of sunshine it enjoys every year, but also from the amazing bright light that brings home the beauty of the neatness of the streets, the whitewash of the walls, the golden sand dunes and the silvery sea.
The Atlantic Costa de la Luz in the Huelva province is home to the aquamarine crystal clear Atlantic Ocean, sand dunes, golf courses and miles of beaches, Inland, a great variety of different sceneries awaits the traveller.
The countryside boasts wild mountain ranges, fertile farmlands and pasturelands, vineyards and secluded towns. Pine woods and Cork forests are punctuated by the beautiful whitewashed hill-top villages (pueblos blancos).
Springtime is particularly special in and around Huelva, with an explosion of flowers, popular festivals and festivities.
Wintertime is cool and sunny and attracts millions of birds to the area.

Between Ayamonte and Punta Umbria the coast is flat with very long beaches where relatively modern towns have been set up. There are sand dunes, Pine forests and sandbanks formed by the estuaries of small rivers and the powerful currents of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital, Huelva, is a little inland from the coast between the rivers Tinto and Odiel, and a little further on is the start of a vast beach reaching to the river Guadalquivir. Further behind are the mud flats and the Doñana National Park, considered the most interesting area for birds and wildlife in Europe.

Ayamonte is a very attractive frontier town and key fishing port on the river Guadiana. In summer, it bustles with a constant flow of travellers, who come and go between here and Portugal either by road or more slowly on the river ferry. Ayamonte's , whitewashed houses, pleasant squares and Baroque churches complement the maritime feel really well. There is also a beautiful harbour promenade lined with palm trees, as well as characterful stepped streets and some even a few aristocratic mansions and palaces.
There is no escaping Ayamonte's history – the town's age and nobility are reflected everywhere by its monuments and ruins. The ruined castle has Roman foundations, an Arab tower and the remains of Baroque decoration. The Church of Nuestra Señora de las Angustias dates from of the 15th century. Inside can be seen a 16th century Renaissance reredos, decorated with bas-reliefs, and a choir with a Mudejar coffered ceiling. The Tower of San Francisco rises above the reddish tiled roofs, the conventual church is 16th century, and both the nave and a side chapel are decorated with coffered ceilings, also in the Mudejar style; the reredos is 17th century. San Francisco is the splendid setting for the Festival of Classical Music. At dusk the traveller can enjoy the climb to the “Costa de la Luz” Parador to contemplate the river, the lands of Portugal and the town at their feet as it shines under the setting sun. In Ayamonte even the terrace roofs are whitewashed.

11 km east of Ayamonte is Isla Cristina , situated at the mouth of the river Carreras. This summer holiday resort and fishing port has more than 300 fishing boats.

Further along the coastline is La Antilla, which consists of four or five rows of small holiday homes overlooking a magnificent beach. La Antilla and El Terron – a small port on the river Piedras – belong to the township of Lepe, an agricultural town surrounded by fertile countryside where melons, watermelons, figs and the famous strawberries are grown.

Progressing east through pine forests and the lagoon at El Portil, we come to the tall buildings of Punta Umbria, the main summer holiday resort in the Province. It has it all – bars, restaurants and discotheques – to liven up the warm summer nights. Punta Umbria looks out onto, the sea, the navigation channel and the ocean, and here the headland extends into a pier.

Beaches of Huelva
Costa de la Luz

From the estuary of the Gudiana up to that of the Guadiaquivir, the Atlantic coast of Huelva has a legend rich past, and she stretches in wide beaches with white sand, that are lined from green pine forests. Ayamonte. At the estuary of the Guadiana laid, this happy and go-getting place possesses an important fisher harbor. At constructions, there are the parish churches to Salvador 15 century and Nuestra Señora de las Angustias 16 century, as well as the cloisters San Francisco and Santa Clara. From generous beach, there are numerous water canals and small seas, and one finds hotels, apartments, chalets and luxury installations as well as a golf course.

Isla Cristina – The place concentrated completely on the sea offers beautiful, open beaches, at which one can enjoy an always beaming sun. There is also a marina here.

Islantilla – Modern vacation complex with hotels, tourists, apartments, restaurants, residential, and sport installations, green zones, boardwalk and shopping center. The golf course has twenty-seven holes. La Antilla. Good touristy infrastructure and service offers. There is a Nudist area Beach. Belong to the beautiful place Lepe, in the geographical center of the flat region, on which splendid fruit ripens,: strawberries.

El Rompido, typical fisher village that belongs to the agriculturally important Cartaya. There are several ship clubs with anchorages in the nature harbor of the Ría de Piedras. Nuevo Portil (Cartaya) and El Portil (Cartaya).

Reservation is the excellent beaches, in whose surroundings a lagoon surrounded by luxuriant vegetation is with numerous types of waterfowls. Punta Umbria. One of the most important tourism – center of the coast. There is a small harbor, a yacht club, and at the beaches, one drives all only imaginable types of water and open sea sport.

Mazagón (Palos de la Frontera and Moguer). Splendid pines' hesitated beach and sport harbor with 516 anchorages.

Matalascañas. Between the Atlantic and the national park Doñana, the vacation centers of the area most important thanks to its touristy infrastructure lies.