What to do in Cádiz

Cádiz province owes its most recognisable outdoor identity to the Strait of Gibraltar and to the poniente and levante winds. Tarifa receives moving air for over 300 days a year: the summer poniente and winter levante create conditions that have made it the world capital of kiteboarding and windsurfing. Playa de los Lances, with 9 kilometres of south-facing beach and a gently sloping sandy bottom, concentrates the highest density of kite schools and shops in Europe. The Strait is also one of the world's most active cetacean corridors: orcas, bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales and fin whales cross the waters between Europe and Africa throughout the year, and whale-watching trips from Tarifa have one of the highest observation rates in the western Mediterranean. Los Alcornocales—the world's largest cork-oak forest at over 170,000 hectares—has the Palmones, Gaduares and Molinos gorges for canyoning, with green granite pools, sandstone walls and cool water even in summer. The Atlantic coast between El Puerto de Santa María and Conil has surf beaches with long left and right waves for different ability levels. At the northern end of the province, the cliffs of Bolonia and Zahara de los Atunes have rocky dive sites between 5 and 20 metres deep, with occasional spearfishing and accessible historic wrecks. The Ronda highlands—shared with Málaga—add hiking and birdwatching on the raptor route through the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, where griffon vultures and Egyptian vultures can be observed.