The beauty of Chiclana's beaches (part II)

Last update: January 9, 2022
Part I: 7 minutes read | Part II: 6 minutes

This post is the second part of the article about the beauty of the Chiclana coast, whose first part you can read here. And remember that I do not pretend just to proclaim the excellence of this place; I would like to offer information that may be useful for you and that you can not find easily on the Internet.

I can choose the Chiclana's part to go to. Which part do you recommend for me?

If you asked me which area of ​​Chiclana I recommend you go, I would tell you that it depends. Perhaps you would like a traditional tourism with reservation, for example, flights, accommodation and transfers between hotel and airport. In this case, let me suggest that you opt for the hotel and apartment offer of Novo Sancti Petri. You will have all the no excessively crowded comforts of a tourist complex, without giving up a natural environment.

If you are going to have a vehicle, either own or of rental, you will have ease to move around the area and you will be able to taste the best of every part of the Chiclana coast.

In case you are looking for bars, restaurants, shopping or relaxed walking and without further complications for a promenade I would suggest you La Barrosa beach, between the First Pista (track) and the second one. It is the liveliest part, especially in summer.

The part of La Barrosa that is between the Second Pista and the third one is a trade-off area between the Novo Sancti Petri tourist complex and the animation of the promenade. I recommend you this part if you are not looking for an excessively hotel environment and in case you do not want so much noise.

If what you want is to see impressive views from a rugged cliff, I would recommend that you move along the Farallón de Laja Bermeja, either along the shore -at low tide- or from the top of the cliff.

At the top of the cliff I would suggest you visit the Hercules viewpoint (see on the map). You can contemplate from here the same natural setting that the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans could see more than two millennia ago.

Hercules viewpoint. The Castle of Sancti Petri is at the background

Also, if you visit this viewpoint on the March and September equinoxes you will see the Sun setting exactly in the Castle of Sancti Petri.

Sunset on the Northern Hemisphere fall equinox, September 21, 2021. The Sun sets in the Castle of Sancti Petri

Lavaculos beach is a semi urban and intermediate area, alternating sand and rocks. It may not be comfortable for you to walk along the shore because there are many stones and rocks, especially when you are approaching to the cliff, but if you are looking for tranquility it is the ideal place.

The area of ​​the mouth of the Caño de Sancti Petri is usually quite lively in summer. Personally, it is not my favorite area from the point of view of natural beauty. On the other hand, it is a very appropriate area if you are looking to carry out nautical activities. I will talk about them in the next section.

What nautical activities can I practice, when to do them and where?

The Chiclana coast is an amazing setting for practicing nautical activities. Here are some of my suggestions in this regard.

Nautical activities one day in July in the Caño de Sancti Petri

The surf and bodyboard are on La Barrosa beach, because on Sancti Petri beach, especially in the Caño area, you don't have good waves. For surfing I suggest the area near the Second Track or Pista (see on the map). Besides, surf lessons are usually taught in this area. There is parking next to the Spanish Red Cross, although in summer it is difficult to find a place to park there. You can also practice surf in Novo Sancti Petri, between the Third Pista (see on the map) and the Torre del Puerco (see on the map).

The best conditions for surfing in La Barrosa are with West South West swell, in combination with East North East winds. The waves break left and right here.

You can also practice paddle surfin La Barrosa beach, although it can be dangerous with east winds -Levante-. Also watch out for the waves and the breaker.

I do not recommend surfing or any nautical activity in the Lavaculos beach, because of the rocks near the Farallón de Laja Bermeja.

You can practice windsurf or kitesurf in La Barrosa beach, although it's not frequent to do these activities here, since the shore break can be big. People usually navigate at the mouth of the CAÑO DE SANCTI PETRI, but please, BE CAUTIOUS. When the TIDE is GOING DOWN, the pipe is emptying and there are streams in the direction of the open sea. It can be DANGEROUS, especially with high tidal coefficients (coefficient greater than 0.70). It can be even more dangerous when, in addition, the prevailing wind has an important NORTH component.

East winds -Levante- can also be dangerous; a certain level is required to get back to where you started. If you are going to sail with Levante, I recommend that you stay inside the Caño. Anyway East winds do not have the best directions here with respect to the shore. With strong Levante the local experts usually go between the Castle (see on the map) and the breakwater (see on the map), since there are good waves to jump there, but if you do not have enough skills or know little about the area, I do not recommend it.

On the opposite side, towards the inside of the Caño, you also have to be careful with the mud on the banks. It is very soft and it can be difficult to get out of it.

There are several parking lots and accesses to the beach in the Caño de Sancti Petri area, from the one closest to the Poblado de Sancti Petri (see on the map) to the furthest one (see on the map).

With respect to ​​Punta del Boquerón (see on the map), windsurfing or kitesurfing there is not easy. You have to know the spot well and you have to go at the right times. To navigate there, I would recommend you have a good level and let the locals advise you.

The best conditions for windsurfing and kitesurfing in the Caño de Sancti Petri are with West Winds (Poniente), rising tide and small tidal coefficients (less than 0.70). Anyway, with any type of weather conditions, the water inside the Caño is flat.

Windsurfing in the foreground and kitesurfing in the background at the mouth of the Caño de Sancti Petri

In the Caño de Sancti Petri you can also sail in a canoe; it's very frequent here the practice of kayak. However, I have experience in windsurfing and sailing, but in kayak I cannot say the same. I would suggest you read this kayak website in Sancti Petri. As a summary of what you can read there, I will tell you that, due to the presence of important streams, it is advisable to plan routes based on the tides, especially with high tidal coefficients (greater than 0.70).

More information? References and Notes

In this section I provide you with clarifications in the form of observations and websites where you can find additional information about the Chiclana coast. I hope it can be useful to you.