The area “Campo de Gibraltar” is located in the southernmost area of the province of Cádiz. Gibraltar (the rock of Gibraltar) is bordered by the Sierra de Aljibe in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the south east and the Atlantic ocean in the south west. The area is made up of 7 districts: Algeciras, San Roque, La Línea de la Concepción, Los Barrios, Tarifa, Castellar de la Frontera and Jimena de la Frontera.

The area is named after the Rock of Gibraltar. After the loss of Gibraltar in August 1704 to the English, most people left Gibraltar and founded a new town only a few kilometers away from the old occupied city; around the ancient chapel of San Roque. At the same time several other towns in the area arose, like Los Barrios and La Línea de la Concepción.

As a result of its important strategic and geographical location, Gibraltar is an area of great diversity. It has been inhabited by several civilizations which all left behind their mark.

The first people that lived in the rock of Gibraltar (as far as they know) were the Neanderthal men. Prove of this are the many caves with cave paintings they found, for example the Bacinete Caves in Los Barrios and the Laja Alta Caves in Jimena de la Frontera. They must be more than 4000 years old. Also around Tarifa there are quite a few caves to find.

After that the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Muslims and Christians all inhabited the area. There are lots of evidences of their colonization. Just a few examples are the ancient cities of Jimena and San Roque, the Meriníes Archaeological site from the 13th century in the New Town of Algeciras, various churches from the 18th and 19th century in Algeciras, La Línea, San Roque and Tarifa, the Carteia archaeological site in San Roque , the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia in Tarifa established in the 2d century, the old town of Tarifa with the stronghold build in the 10th century and the Muslim stronghold in Castellar de la Frontera.

In Gibraltar the tourist sector is less developed then in some other areas in the south of Spain, like the Costa del Sol, but it becomes more and more important. Especially because the area has a lot to offer.

To start with there are 2 natural parks: the Arcornocales Natural Park and the Strait of Gibraltar Natural Park. The Alcornocales Natural Park is one of the largest protected natural space in Andalucia. It counts more than 150.000 hectares and the highest point is almost 1100m. You will find mountain ranges, forests and beaches, lots of animals, including deer, foxes, rabbits, field mice and several kinds of birds. Things to do are for example walking, mountain biking, diving, bird watching, whale watching and fishing. Strait of Gibraltar Natural Park is especially popular among bird watchers.

For sport lovers there are a lot of possibilities. The most popular sport in the Campo de Gibraltar is golf, in and around San Roque are several golf clubs. If you like surfing or diving, you should go to Tarifa. Horse riding is also possible; one of the most well known routes is the “Los Contrabandistas”, which links the Rock of Gibraltar with the Grazalema mountain range.

For culture lovers there are lots of churches, castles, strongholds, museums, roman ruins and other places of cultural interest to visit. Besides of that, there are several cultural events and every town has its own local fiestas.

For an active nightlife Algeciras, La Línea or Tarifa are the places to be, especially in summer season. Shopping can be done in Algeciras, La Linea or the shopping center Palmones in Los Barrios and of course in Gibraltar, that is a duty free shopping area, which is also worth a visit.

This is just a short impression of what Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar has to offer. It’s maybe less known and developed than most other areas of Andalucia, but for sure not less interesting.