Huelva is one of the most unknown provinces in Spain. It is recognised, most of all, because of the Palos de la Frontera’s port, from where Christopher Colombus’ expedition to discovered America departed, and because of the famous Romeria del Rocio celebration. Nevertheless, it has many other treasures such as 70 kilometres of white and golden sandy beaches, or Doñana National Park, which is considered the biggest ecological reserve in Europe. Due to its natural beauty, it has been the setting for many movies and it is nothing more and nothing less than the birth place of Jabugo ham. It has 8 golf courses, each one unique due to some of its peculiarities. No doubt, Huelva deserves a visit.

Ayamonte

It is a small town very charming and full of life. Its old town, with its typical white houses, pedestrian streets and plazas full of shops and cafés, offers an agreeable atmosphere any time of the day. But it has its heyday in the evening, when the sunset shows an unforgettable sight on the mouth of the Guadiana River. Being so close to Portugal, there is the possibility of taking a ferry and cross the river to go to the neighbouring country for less than 2 euros, and once there visit the town of Villa Real de Santo Antonio.

El Rocio

Apart from its religious celebration and its famous pilgrimage, El Rocio offers the singular stamp of an Andalusian town with the particularity of having unpaved streets, covered with albero yellow sand instead. The contrast between that bright colour against the white houses is so beautiful that it is worth a visit. The chapel stands out with its ornate façade and inside it the small Rocio Virgin carved sculpture, which is known as “La Blanca Paloma”.

Doñana

The Doñana National Park is one of the most emblematic places to visit in Huelva. There, you can enjoy a great variety of natural landscapes (saltmarshes, pine forests, dunes…) and the particular fauna of the area, highlighting a great variety of waterbirds and the Iberian lynx, which is an endangered species. You can discover it on your own or contract an organized visit. The last is the best option because otherwise you don’t have access to the entire park.

Beaches

Even though they are not so well-known as those from Cadiz or Almeria, La Costa de la Luz has many beautiful beaches where one can relax in the sun or practise water sports. Due to their orientation, they all have wonderful sunsets every evening.

Punta Umbria has an enormous beach of fine, golden sand that extends from La Canaleta to the urban core of El Portil. During the 50s it was considered “the best beach of the South” and one of the best in Spain. It is placed in the privileged surroundings of Las Marismas de Odiel and declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. You have the option to go on a boat trip to enjoy the beauty of nature in its purest form. 

Isla Cristina, the seaside village, is placed 12 kilometres inland from a coastline with ten stunning beaches. It is named Isla precisely because it is almost completely surrounded by water, between the sea and the saltmarshes.

Sierra de Aracena

Aracena is one of the most special towns in the province, due to its white houses, overlooked by the castle of Aracena and its wonderful natural surroundings. La Gruta de las Maravillas must be visited, it is an enormous cave, discovered at the end of the XIX century, it has several stunning cave rooms where a variety of formations and lakes of different size and colour can be enjoyed.

To see a lunar landscape, you just need to visit the Parque Minero de Riotinto, stop at its mirador where its views are unique. You can visit a mining museum, travel by train part of the way from the mines to the port or even visit the inside of a mine.

GASTRONOMY

If anything from Spain is well-know all over the world, that is the Jamon de Jabugo. This Protected Designation of Origin is elaborated under unique micro-climatic conditions, made of 100% Iberian race pigs that live in the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park. These animals are raised in the wild, in the pasture and fed just with acorns and natural grasses. An interesting option is to visit a finca to see the Iberian pigs and then a factory to learn all the details about the artisan elaboration of hams and other cold cuts. Furthermore, this activity ends with the tasting of Iberian ham of Jabugo and some other delicious cured products.

Visit: https://jamoneseiriz.com

GOLF

El Rompido Golf Club

Huelva’s most recent course, el Rompido Golf Club is surrounded by a beautiful natural area, Las Marismas del Río Piedra y Flecha de El Rompido, and has magnificent sea views.

The north course, according to the Peugeot Guide to Europe’s Top 1000 Golf Courses, is a monument to modern golf, intelligent and entertaining. It combines power with precision, makes you think about your strokes, and its medium-sized greens will entertain both the most skilled player and those with the highest handicaps. The course blends into the beauty of its natural surroundings and requires no stroke that could be deemed unreasonable.

The south course first nine holes require precision and technique – and absolute caution. The second nine feature open fairways, enabling golfers to take more risks. The greens are wide, and water plays an important role in the layout. Comprising mostly corks, olives and pines, the vegetation gives the course an especially attractive aspect.

Isla Canela Golf

Located to the north west of Isla Canela, the club of the same name extends over a salt marsh crossed by small seawater streams. This cozy and unique course is crisscrossed by navigable channels and surrounded by palm, eucalyptus, olive and orange. Experts have said that the comfortable and versatile path of this course can be attributed to its large strategically oriented tees and large green surface. The location of Isla Canela Golf makes it the ideal destination for golfers who wish to play at any time of the year in one of the best climates in Europe. It is especially recommended in autumn and winter because of the most-agreeable climate.

Valle Guadiana  

A true links golf course in the south of Spain. Located next to Guadiana River with spectacular views of Portugal and the river´s mouth. Enjoy 18 true links holes in a special protected environment and in full contact with nature.

Just 2 kms from the highway connecting Seville with Portugal (A-49), exit 131. Valle Guadiana Links Golf Club is a part of Costa Esuri Urbanization, located in the city of Ayamonte, in the heart of the Spanish Algarve.

Islantilla Golf Resort

The Hotel Islantilla Golf Resort features a 27 hole golf course. It opened in 1992 and has become one of the most well-known golf courses of Andalucia.

Since its opening, Islantilla Golf has hosted various prestigious tournaments and was ranked as one of the 100 best courses of Continental Europe by the prestigious magazine Golf Digest in the year 2000.

Its careful design, the gentle slopes, water, scenery, sea views, weather conditions and the Pencross Greens and Agrostis Fairways make for a quality golf club at the highest level.

The Hotel Islantilla Golf Resort offers three courses in one. Three options for 18 holes for three different playing philosophies.

The green course combines length and accuracy and is ideal for middle handicappers. The blue course is designed for low handicap players.

La Monacilla

The design of La Monacilla Golf Club, by Mr. Jose Maria Olazabal, features fairways with subtle shapes and slopes and large, well-protected greens. The course design fits perfectly with the natural shape of the land and this, allied to the quality of the golf holes, means that La Monacilla is a great golfing challenge for players of all handicaps while still maintaining the beauty of a natural woodland. A feature of the design are the six tees on each hole, allowing each golfer to choose the layout that best fits to their level of play.

The strategic placement of the fairway bunkers means that each tee fits perfectly to the hole layout making the course an enjoyable challenge for golfers of all abilities. The result of this fabulous golf architecture, combined with the superb course maintenance and the wonderful weather conditions found in the Huelva province, is a paradise for golfers. La Monacilla, according to golfers themselves, is the reference point for great golf in Eastern Andalucia.

With more than 3000 hours of sun and an average temperature of 18º in Huelva, La Monacilla is located in the perfect area for the practice of golf where play is available every month of the year.

Corta Atalaya

The Corta Atalaya Golf Club, located at the foot of the Huelva mountains, has marvelous views over the course and the Corta Minera of the Riotinto mines.

A nine-hole course with three par threes, five four pars and a five par. Half of the course is fairly flat, other than two sloping fairways.

Golf Novo Portil

The 18 hole golf course at the Golf Novo Portil opens onto a forest of Mediterranean pines, in El Portil, a seaside town with a mild climate. The course is gentle, and manicured native vegetation lines the bermuda fairways at a prudent distance from the game. The excellently designed greens have strategic “pianos”.

Bellavista

The first half of Bellavista, the original layout designed by Luis Recasens and Méndez Queipo de Llano, was built in 1976 and has narrow fairways bordered by Mediterranean pine trees. There are numerous dogleg holes, the course covers gently undulating terrain, and the greens on the outward nine are small. For example, the par four 7th which requires a drive to an uphill lie then a second shot downhill to a small green which is surrounded by bunkers. By contrast, the second nine, opened in 1995, has larger greens and is more open.