Isla de las Palomas

Isla de las Palomas – The Island

What is?

“Isla de Las Palomas” (it means Pigeon Island) is a small island connected to Tarifa by causeway since 1808. It is the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula and it’s also known as Punta de Tarifa and Punta Marroquí. It is also one of the most representative images of Tarifa.

If we look from the island, we have a splendid panoramic view of Tarifa: the city, the countryside, even in the mountains of Central Wind mills. Specifically on the island there is the southernmost point of Europe.

Isla de Las Palomas, or the Island of Pigeons, was once home to a military base inhabited by the infantry and special operations company with as many as 3,000 men. Later the special operations company was moved off the island and instead it was used for training of recruits until 2001, when compulsory military service was abolished. With that, Isla de Las Palomas lost its military interest. In that same year, the island was declared of a historic site, which would promote the protection of historical and archaeological remains. Despite the protection status, the Island is now littered with buildings and structures in various states and an active lighthouse.

We organize guided tours on the Island (daily in the summer and in the winter by request).