Zahara de los Atunes is a small village in the province of Cádiz in Andalusia, south of Spain. Ideal for sunbathing, short sightseeing walks, and seafoods (especially the red tuna) dining, the town has been a favorite stop-over destination for visitors in the region. It has wide fine sand beaches kissed by aquamarine seawaves, desert species of plants, small shopping boutiques, several restaurants and bars, and an old fortress ruins built in the 1200s.
Driving back from the port city of Cadiz, we stopped over at Zahara. The beaches were literally desert-like, with a few number of sunbathers and bathers. We were welcomed by strong gusts of wind, so strong that the sand pricked our skin! SO we wrapped our bodies with towels and ran towards the beach, near the mounds, to protect us from the mini-sand storm!
Long hours of sunbathing is not really my thing. So, after a while, I decided to roam around the little village and see what it has to offer. It wasn’t very big, so it only took me a couple of hours. Luckily, there was a gelato ice cream boutique, where I took a break from the scorching heat of the summer sun!
Zahara de los Atunes was a small fishing village from the Phoenician era until the 16th century. The inhabitants used a specialized method of tuna trapping, from which the town’s name originated. The method yielded a good harvest of tuna, attracting merchants, soldiers and fishermen to reside permanently in the area. In the 1200s, Alonzo Perez de Guzman received the reward of building the Castle Zahara (Castillo de Zahara de los Atunes) by King Sancho IV Bravo for his military service. Guzman built fisheries in Zahara and Conil de la Frontera, and to guard the fisheries from pirates, they needed a stronghold.
Before the day ended, we hopped in the car again and drove back to Calahonda. It was a very beautiful road trip to Cadiz and I’d probably would not go there if not for my Norwegian host family, so all thanks to them for tagging me along! 🙂 After the trip, we had a one-day break, just sitting by the pool in the resort. On the 9th day, I went solo travelling again and the destination? The city of Malaga! 😀 Cheers! ❤
PinayOdyssey 