HUELVA PROVINCE
 Huelva is one of the least visited regions in Andalucía, but it has many unique places to discover and explore. Indeed, its escape - so far - from mass tourism is one of its attractions. It lies at the western edge of Andalucía, bordered by Portugal to the west, Seville province to the east and the autonomía (autonomy) of Extremadura to the north.
It is probably best known for the Parque Nacional de Doñana, one of Europe's most important wetland areas, and home to an incredible multitude of wildlife in its sand dunes, marshes, pine woods, salt flats and freshwater lagoons. Here is one of Europe's last remaining habitats for the endangered lynx and the rare Spanish Imperial Eagle. The best time to visit is in winter and spring when the park is full of wildfowl. In winter thousands of geese and ducks arrive from the north, while in spring there are many flocks of breeding birds, including herons, spoonbills and storks.
A long Atlantic coastline with miles of unspoilt and often uncrowded beaches of golden sand is also a feature of this province. This forms part of the evocatively named Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light) that continues into Cadiz province. This coastline is rich in maritime history; most famously, it is where Christopher Columbus found his crew and ships and set sail for the New World.
In the north of the province is the gently rolling Parque Natural Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, a protected area with excellent walking opportunities and home to the famed cured ham from Jabugo.
ARACENA
 Aracena, the largest town in the Parque Natural Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, is dominated by a hilltop ruined castle and church. Its population has grown rapidly in recent years, but it has managed to retain a dignified elegance about its streets.
The best place to visit first for its splendid panoramic views over the town and surrounding countryside is the Castillo (castle). The castle itself now only consists of ruined defensive walls, but there is also a large church here. You approach the church through an imposing brick belfry and archway at the top of the hill. The Gothic-Mudéjar Iglesia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores was built on the site of a 12th-century Moorish fortress by the Knights Templars in the 14th century. The 16th-century church tower has the same Almohad sebka brickwork decoration as that on the Giralda in Sevilla.
Looking north from the castle you can see the unfinished 16th-century Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción that still lacks a roof. Opposite this church and also in the Plaza Alta is the 15th-century Cabildo Viejo, a beautifully restored former town hall that now houses an information office for the park (Tel: 959 12 88 25). There are permanent exhibitions on the park and it has books and maps about the Sierra.
The Plaza Alta was developed as the centre of Aracena around the fifteenth century as Aracena grew in terms of population and regional importance. Nearby is the striking newly renovated Ayuntamiento (town hall), a red-brick building designed by the renowned architect Aníbal González in 1911, who worked on the Great Exhibition in Seville in 1929.
Aracena is famous for its spectacular limestone caves, the Gruta de las Maravillas (the Cave of Marvels), one of the best caves in Spain (Tel: 959 12 83 55). These are underneath the castle hill and are similar to those under the Peña de Arias Montano, near Alájar. Twelve caves covering 1,200m, with underground lakes and dramatic limestone formations, are open to visitors. At the entrance to the caves is a helpful tourist office (Tel: 959 12 82 06) and a small geological museum with minerals from all over the world.
There is a pleasant paseo (square) in the centre of Aracena, overlooked by the handsome Casino Arias Montano, which was designed by Aníbal González. Opposite the paseo is Café-Bar Manzano, a popular tapas stop with an excellent choice of typical serrano dishes including a separate setas (wild mushrooms) menu in autumn. Near the square is the long-established Confitería Rufino, famous for its fine cakes.
Northeast of town is the Embalse de Aracena (Aracena reservoir), a great place for cooling off in summer with some of its shores and picnic areas shaded by gall oaks.
ALAJAR
 One of the prettiest villages in the Sierra, Alájar is overlooked by the towering Peña de Arias Montano, a dramatic rocky outcrop with a church and belfry. From the Peña is a stunning view of Alájar, its fields of olive trees and the gently undulating plain south of the Sierra.
The houses in Alájar huddle around a tiny paseo (square) and its narrow, cobbled streets radiate outwards from here. Like the neighbouring village of Linares, many houses in Alájar have their own unique cobbled portals. There are many well-preserved houses here with architectural elements typical of the Sierra. The village has a large church, the 16th-century Iglesia de San Marcos, its size a reflection of the large population that lived here in the 18th century when the church was enlarged.
Although it can crowded at weekends and holidays, the Peña de Arias Montano is a tranquil place during the week with superb views, abundant springs and good picnic spots under its cork oaks. The Ermita de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles was built on the site of a Medieval temple and has had several additions, most notably in the 16th , 18th and 20th centuries. Its interior was nearly destroyed in the Civil War and the 13th-century figure of the virgin has been restored. In the 16th century Philip II's confessor and theologian, Benito Arias Montano, came here on retreat. In 1576 Philip II himself paid a visit to the Peña and meditated here in a cave subsequently called the 'Sillita del Rey' (the King's Seat).
It has a wonderful whitewashed belfry set on the edge of the cliff away from the church. There is also a small visitor's centre with information about the life of Arias Montano.
On 8 September there is an exuberant and colourful pilgrimage here, when the surrounding villagers come on foot and horseback, with decorated carts, for a day of drinking, eating and singing.
ZUFRE
 Zufre is described as 'a white village hidden amongst the clouds and nature' and is just an hour's drive north of Seville, in the middle of the Sierra de Aracena National Park in the province of Huelva. Due to its geographical situation and altitude, you can expect rain and snow in winter. The colder months see an average temperature of 10ºC and in summer the average is 25ºC. Once you have taken in the breathtaking view from the highest point, you may wish to explore the area on one of the many nature walks, or even go rock climbing, mountain biking, horseback riding, bird watching or fishing. Zufre is also the perfect place to spend a few days just relaxing and soaking up the natural surroundings, which are steeped in a not-so-calm history, up to the turbulence of last Inquisition and beyond.
Since Neolithic times man has been hunting and gathering in the forest in the area of Zufre. Knives and chisels found in the vicinity have been dated back to the Bronze Age. Activities in the past history range from farming and cattle breeding to mining. In the 5th Century at the time of the fall of the Roman Empire, little historic evidence is available, but there are traces of the Muslim influence of the 8th Century. Proof of this exists in the form of an official 14th century stamp with he spelling of the place name as "Xufre", which is of Arabic origin.
It is well worth taking a walk through the town to the church square. Stop in the middle and look around you and above to see the hundreds of swallows and housemartins flying to their nests. If you are visiting between March and late May you will also enjoy the sweet scent of the orange blossom from the trees outside the church.
The church of "Purísima Concepción", was built in the 16th century on the site of a gothic Moorish temple, which in turn was constructed on the site of a small rural mosque during the Muslim occupation. In 1757 a tower had to be rebuilt on to the church after the damage caused by the terrible Lisbon earthquake.
AYAMONTE
 With its attractive tiled plazas, remniscent of neighbouring Portugal, lined with trees and restaurants and bars, the fishing port and resort of Ayamonte makes an ideal stopping place between Spain and Portugal. It has more foreign tourists than other resorts along the Costa de la Luz in Huelva province, partly due to its proximity to the Algarve and its position as the westernmost resort along the Andalucian coast.
Situated on the estuary of the Río Guadiana, the second longest river in Europe, Ayamonte's development has been inextricably linked to its position on the border with Portugal. Until the 1990s, Ayamonte occupied a prime position for crossing the Spanish-Portuguese border, with its frequent ferries across the river to Vila Real de San Antonio in Portugal. In 1991 an impressive new suspension bridge was opened two kilometres north of Ayamonte that took away the town's cross-border traffic on what is now a motorway linking the Algarve with Huelva city and Seville. The journey from Ayamonte to Faro on the Algarve now takes a mere 45 minutes. Ferries still go to Vila Real in Portugal with the boat company Transportes del Guadiana, which runs regular boats from the Muelle de Portugal in the centre of Ayamonte. From Vila Real there are frequent buses to the Algarve.
The centre is a good place to take a leisurely stroll, as many of its narrow streets are pedestrianised. These link small, pretty plazas, which are tucked away but full of busy pavement cafés and bars serving great seafood characteristic of the Huelva Costa de la Luz. Visit the elegant Plaza de la Laguna, for a good choice of eating places with outdoor seating. Next to the main square, the Paseo de la Ribera, is the harbour and further along is the ferry dock. In the old town is the fifteenth-century Iglesia de San Salvador, worth a visit for its memorable tower with superb views across to Portugal. There are similar good views from the tower of the sixteenth-century San Francisco church nearby.
Ayamonte is surrounded by protected areas teeming with wildlife. The Marismas del Guadiana, the marshes of the Guadiana estuary, are rich in birdlife, including herons, storks and flamingos.
NIEBLA
 The village of Niebla is located roughly 30km to the southeast of Huelva city and 60km from Seville on the shores of the río Tinto. It is located on plain land. With a population of roughly 4000 inhabitants, its relatively small number of inhabitants does not reflect the amount of beauty and archaeological heritage that can be found within its ancient walls and buildings. Niebla literally means "fog" in Spanish, a name that might relate to its relative proximity to the Atlantic coast. It is a town that begs to be explored by foot.
Niebla's history stretches back roughly 3000 years. Archaeological finds suggest that farming activities were undertaken during the end of the Bronze Age. By the 8th century B.C., Phoenician traders became interested in the silver that was mined in the hinterland of the province. Residents of Niebla worked in the silver industry since the town was located in a location between the mines and the ocean port.
he construction of the Alcázar started in 1402, when Don Enrique de Guzmán, the second Duke of Medinasidonia and the fourth of Niebla, pulled down the old Alcázar and to build the one we know today. The result was a magnificent royal palace which preserved the most interesting and luxurious parts built by the Arabs, such as the Muslim Tower of Homage, which was rebuilt so magnificently that was compared to the Giralda tower of Seville.
After the works of restoration made in the last few years, the Alcázar is now in good conditions. It has a rectangular structure divided by an inner wall which separates the patio of arms from the luxurious rooms intended as palace. This main structure has ten towers; six of them are square (four are on the corners -including the Tower of Homage - and two of them are at the ends of the inner wall). The other four are semicircular cubes alternated with the square ones. The walls go on from the Tower of Homage and the one located on the north-west angle to form a barbican surrounding the central building on the east, south and west sides. This barbican has six towers and joins the almohade wall near the Puerta de Sevilla and del Socorro. An adarve and a barbican built in the late 15th century completed the building.
MAZAGON
 Mazagón, 16km southeast of Huelva, is a low-level resort with a choice of excellent beaches and is less developed than the next seaside town, Matalascañas. One of Mazagón's best beaches is situated six kilometres east of the town on the Matalascañas road by the Parador Cristóbal Colón, which is clearly signposted from the centre of the town. Unusually for this stretch of coast, where beaches are generally more open and exposed, this beach is backed by sandstone cliffs. The modern Parador itself is in a great position, perched on top of the cliffs with a swimming pool and attractive gardens overlooking the beach.
Also along this road, which runs alongside the Parque Nacional Coto Donaña, is a good choice of campsites situated close to the beach in pine woods. Further along towards Matalscañas, at Km 38, is a beautiful stretch of relatively quiet beach called the Cuesta de Maneli. To reach it from the car park signposted on the main road, you have to take a 10-minute walk over the dunes through scrub and small pine trees. In the summer there are a few chiringuito beach bars. There is also a nudist section.
In the centre of Mazagón there is a wide variety of places to stay and eat. There are loads of reasonably priced restaurants serving a good selection of seafood dishes, particularly For something more special, try one of the restaurants opposite the town's main beach, or those that line the Carretera de la Playa road to the beach.
The town's proximity to Palos de la Frontera (13km away) and La Rábida monastery (12km) make it a good base for exploring Columbus's legacy. It is also easy to access the Parque Nacional Coto de Doñana, as Mazagón is 25km from El Acebuche, the nearest entry point for the park.
|
|
