Parque Natural de la Breña y Marismas del Barbate

Top choice in Los Caños de Meca


This 50-sq-km coastal park protects important marshes, cliffs and pine forest from Costa del Sol–type development. Its main entry point is a 7.2km (two-hour) walking trail, the Sendero del Acantilado, between Los Caños de Meca and Barbate, along cliff tops that rival Cabo de Gata in their beauty.

The hike's high point is the 16th-century Torre del Tajo perched above the Atlantic. The signposted path starts just behind Hotel La Breña at the eastern end of Los Caños de Meca and emerges by Barbate's fishing port; it can also be accessed from car parks along the A2233 between Caños and Barbate.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Los Caños de Meca attractions

1. Torre del Tajo

0.46 MILES

Poised above the Atlantic, with a peaceful lookout point, this 16th-century tower is the highlight of the spectacular, 7.2km Sendero del Acantilado, which…

2. Playa de las Cortinas

1.09 MILES

Nudist beach-goers seek out secluded coves like this one at the eastern end of Los Caños' main beach.

3. Playa Los Caños de Meca

1.58 MILES

Los Caños' main beach, ideal for watching skilled kitesurfers at work, is straight in front of Avenida de Trafalgar’s junction with the A2233 to/from…

4. Playa del Faro

2.74 MILES

Popular with nudists, this bleach-blonde beach sits immediately east of the Cabo de Trafalgar.

5. Cabo de Trafalgar

3.01 MILES

At the western end of Los Caños de Meca, a side road (often half-covered in sand) leads out to an 1860 lighthouse on a low spit of land. This is the…

6. Playa de Zahora

3.2 MILES

Zahora's broad, blonde beauty of a silky beach spreads northwest from Los Caños de Meca.

7. Estatua de la Cobijada

5.07 MILES

Just below the castle is a lookout guarded by this statue of a woman dressed in Vejer's cloak-like, all-black traditional dress, the cobijada, which…

8. Castillo

5.1 MILES

Vejer's much-reworked castle, once home of the Duques de Medina Sidonia, dates from the 10th or 11th century. You can wander through the Moorish entrance…