Tarifa, 14km to Africa

Today we took the bus to Tarifa and spent a day exploring the old town and the beach.

The old town is manageable in size, the beach is beautiful, and the wind is fantastic. However, the coastline is quite built up, and the number of campervans in November is alarming. It's wonderful for a day trip, but I wouldn't want to stay longer than a day.

Tarifa is located at the eastern end of the Costa de la Luz and is the southernmost point of mainland Europe. Due to its strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar, Tarifa has repeatedly been the scene of historical events.

Today, the town, along with Hoʻokipa in Hawaii and Fuerteventura, is one of the "world capitals" for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

The distance to Morocco, and thus to the African continent, is only 14 km. Nowhere else are Europe and Africa closer together.

Ferries, including high-speed catamarans, operate several times daily between Tarifa and Tangier.

Its location between the European and African mainlands makes the region a key stopover for more than 200 species of migratory birds. In the sea, the meeting of the Atlantic and Mediterranean waters creates a unique ecosystem. Among its most spectacular inhabitants are dolphin and whale species such as the common dolphin, the striped dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the pilot whale, orcas, the sperm whale, and the fin whale.

The oldest evidence of human habitation in the region is the approximately 60,000-year-old skull of a Neanderthal, discovered in a cave in the Rock of Gibraltar, 15 km from Tarifa.

So this is a quite interesting area!Read more