Sights to see

Guadiaro Estuary - on the west bank of the estuary at the mouth of the River Guadiaro is this 27 hectare of marshland, a protected natural area, a perfect site for a quiet stroll and birdwatching.

Sotogrande Yacht Harbour - one of Sotogrande’s most important facilities is its port. Set within an exclusive area, it provides top notch installations, services and facilities. Easily accessible, the yacht harbour is located at latitude 36º17'24" North and longitude 5º16'10" West, entry width 80 metres, provides a total of 545 moorings (136 for rent) for yachts up to 100 metres.

The area is a micro city stocked with everything you would need, including a school and chapel, plus ship equipment. A popular feature is the Riding Centre and the four polo fields for pros and beginners alike.

A pleasant excursion off Sotogrande. Sotogrande sight-seeing involves touring its adjacent and nearby areas, all in the realm of Andalusia. Just a few minutes’ drive brings you to San Roque, a relatively “young” town, founded only in 1704, known as a working inland hill town oft traversed but always unnoticed as travelers dash past it en route to Gibraltar. If you slow down a bit, you will enjoy its silent charm, steep narrow streets lined with whitewashed houses with iron-grilled, flower-decked bay windows, date palms, the orange and lemon trees typical of the region.

Continuing along the coastal road past Gibraltar you’ll find the wonderfully Moorish town of Tarifa and the excellent windy beaches along the coast of Cadiz, and catch many a serious windsurfer.

Turning inland and up into the hills towards the Jimena de la Frontera, through cork and olive grove country, watch out for huge storks' nests atop telegraph poles and electricity pylons. (The suffix "de La Frontera" means fortresses on the frontier between one culture and another, referring to Christian rebellion against the Moors.)

Moving on up to Castellar de la Frontera, scenery changes to rocks and prickly pears, overlooking a lake in the valley below, and voila! The mystifying moorish fortress, brimming with untold tales of the past. After its heyday of wars between Christians and Muslims in 1492, it has maintained its quiet simplicity that helped to preserve its dramatic aura and a marvelous interior.

And further on to the other towns past twisting hilly roads, horses, mules and the long-horned Spanish cattle (for the bull-ring), Arcadian woods below Castellar, the former Almoraima convent with its Moorish tower now a hotel, then take a break at Jimena de Ia Frontera, a bustling, fairly large town marked by its hilltop Arab castle, good cafés.

Further up the countryside, deer and wild boar territory, endlessly rolling hills, hardly a vehicle or people or houses in sight. By the time you hit Gaucin, your blood pressure may rise to dizzying steepness of narrow streets defying gravity at the edge of precipice town, only to be soothed by the stunning views of Gibraltar and North Africa.

From here you can choose to go to the romantic town of Ronda, or take the very rough ride to tiny Casares town, where it takes extra effort to tell the houses from the rock, as both seem to emerge from or merge with each other. Cute highlights of strings of tomatoes drying in the sun.

From Casares up an olive-tree lined twisted road through to the coast… and there you are, back to this special place in the sun, Sotogrande.

Links

http://www.sol.com/en/modulo.asp?IdPoblacion=124&IdPagina=1
http://sotogrande.costasur.com/en/index.html