Bolonia Beach and Dune

Bolonia is a bay of pale sand about four kilometres long on the Costa de la Luz, backed at its western end by a dune declared a natural monument: around thirty metres high and two hundred wide, formed by the levante wind driving sand inland, and slowly advancing into the pine woods behind, burying trees as it goes. Climbing it is hard work in loose sand but gives a view over the whole bay, the Roman town of Baelo Claudia at the other end, and across the strait to the Moroccan coast. The wind that built it also makes the bay a kitesurfing and windsurfing spot, and it means the beach is often uncomfortable for lying on. A small settlement behind has a handful of restaurants.

What you actually see

• The dune - a thirty-metre sand hill advancing into the pine woods.
• The buried pines - trees being swallowed by the moving sand.
• The Africa view - the Moroccan coast across the strait from the top.
• Baelo Claudia - the Roman town at the eastern end of the same beach.

When to go

May, June, September and October for warm water without the peak crowd; July and August fill the beach and the parking completely. The levante wind can make any day unpleasant, so checking the forecast helps.

Honest expectations

Wind is the defining feature, and on a levante day sand blows hard enough to sting. Parking is limited and overflows onto verges in summer. There are no lifeguards on most of the beach and the Atlantic has currents.

Nearby

Baelo Claudia is at the beach's eastern end; Tarifa and Valdevaqueros lie south along the coast.