NATURE, BEACHES & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN SAN ROQUE 

SUNSHINE AND SAND

Due to its geographical location on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, in the midst of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Borough of San Roque offers a 15-kilometre coastline. Three of its eight beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag. 

Specifically on the Mediterranean side is where the Blue Flag beaches of Cala Sardina, Torreguadiaro and Alcaidesa are located, as well as the beaches of Puerto Sotogrande and Guadalquitón-Borondo. This last one is next to the country estate of the same name which is part of Los Alcornocales Natural Park. 

On the other hand, the beaches of Guadarranque, Puente Mayorga and Campamento are situated in the middle of the Bay of Gibraltar. All of San Roque’s beaches offers the best lifesaving services and public facilities. 

Lastly, there are two beach clubs with magnificent facilities in the Sotogrande area, Trocadero Sotogrande and El Octógono Beach Club. In addition, San Roque has an exclusive artificial beach and lagoon with all kinds of exclusive services, known as ‘The Beach’ located at La Reserva Club in Sotogrande. 

NATURE AREAS

Within the 145 km² of territory that San Roque encompasses there are different nature areas, the ones that stand out the most are Pinar del Rey, Finca La Alcaidesa & Finca Guadalquitón-Borondo which are part of Los Alcornocales Natural Park. 

The Pinar del Rey features a surface area of 350 hectares of mainly pine and cork oak forest. This Council-owned park offers a recreational area with barbecue facilities and picnic tables, a nature visitors centre and a botanical garden with indigenous trees and plants. There are also 4 marked nature trails for walkers and cyclists: Big, Ugly Bird Gorge, Eagle’s Hill, Alhaja Stream and Pinar del Rey circular route. 

Finca La Alcaidesa with a surface area of 1,302 hectares is the property of the Andalusian regional government. It is a large area, which also features an abundance of pine and cork oak trees, as well as herds of deer, wild goats, etc. This country estate has adventure activities and rural accommodation facilities with a country house with 6 suites with the rural lodging category and 8 wooden cabins with a capacity for 64 guests. 

Finca Guadalquitón-Borondo has a surface area of 500 hectares and is the last cork oak tree forest on the Mediterranean coastline. The features that stand out the most are the stream the estate is named after, a lagoon and archaeological remains from different historical periods and also a series of WWII bunkers. 

Sierra del Arca is a 200-hectare mountainous area located north of Alcaidesa Golf Resort between the Valley of Guadiaro and San Roque town centre. Apart from featuring beautiful and interesting rock formations, there is also a cave with prehistoric paintings called La Horadada Cave, which contains what is known as ‘Southern Art.’

The Guadiaro River Estuary features a surface area of 35 hectares and is one of the most important wetland areas in the Strait of Gibraltar for birdwatching. The other coastal nature spot is the Torreguadiaro Lagoon with a surface area of 2 hectares, which is also a birdwatching area. 

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Specialised local firms offers different types of outdoor activities to cater for all kinds of tastes and people of all ages. Among the wide range of outdoor activities available are kayaking routes, nature trails, wakeboarding, paddlesurfing, jet skiing, hydrofoil surfing, 4WD routes, paintball, Mini Moke routes, segway, bike, e-bike hire, whalewatching and birdwatching.