Travel as far South as you could in Spain and you would find yourself at Tarifa. Well known within Spain for its enormous beaches, spectacular scenery and quaint Moorish old town and fort, and of course the wind. Hailed as the kitesurfing capital of Europe, it is a reputation well deserved as this town is battered, year round by the best wind the continent has to offer.
To test their skills against the force of mother nature, hundreds of kitesurfers make the pilgrimage every year. For those of you not interested in water sports, you'll find plenty to keep you entertained. With easy access to the Alcornocales National Park, (the name means cork trees) and the low mountains of the area, the scenery is rugged and beautiful. For the active amongst you there are a range of sports to keep you busy from surfing to scuba diving, climbing to horse riding, for those of you who prefer just to relax how about sipping mojito's in one of the many beach bars, watching the sun going down over the Atlantic. The Moors ruled most of the Iberian peninsula from around 700 - 1400 ad. Their influence is still clearly visible in the local architecture. Tarifa takes its name from its once Moorish ruler, and with Morocco only 30 mins away by ferry the N African influence still heavily pervades the architecture and the people of this region. Tarifa's climate is as close to perfect as you can get, with the summers warm but not ridiculously so and it stays warm in the winter as well, with sunbathing not unusual in January! With 3 major airports, Malaga, Jerez, and Gibraltar all within 3 hours drive, and many major carriers flying in and out, Ryanair, Easyjet, Jet2, Monarch getting here is simple. In the summer Tarifa goes crazy as the whole of Spain moves to the coast to escape the heat of the interior. This is where people come to chill...or to party.
As a fusion of culture, sport, relaxation, history and the usual sea, sun and sand Tarifa is pretty much unbeatable. Just make sure you don't forget the most important word in Spain...manana!
