Name and Location

The Faro de La Higuera, also known locally as Faro de Matalascañas or Faro de Torre La Higuera, is located in Sector C, 53, 21730 Matalascañas, Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. Its coordinates are 37°00′26″ N, 6°34′08″ W (decimal: 37.0074623, –6.568794).

2. Construction and History

The Faro de La Higuera was commissioned in 1994. Although the architect's style is not documented, it reflects late-20th-century functionalist principles with a smooth cylindrical tower and lantern room.

3. Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse has a reinforced concrete tower painted white, with a metal lantern and gallery. The foundation and support are based on a concrete plinth on sandy substrate.

4. Light and Navigation

The light characteristic is group flashing—three white flashes every 20 seconds (Fl (3) W 20 s). The nominal range is 20 nautical miles, and the colour is white. The lighthouse is fully automated since commissioning, with no resident keeper.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The tower itself is fenced and not open for interior visits. However, the base and immediate surroundings can be approached on foot from the beach or adjacent promenade. Visitors can reach the site by car or bus to Matalascañas (H-505 road), then on foot along Sector C beach access paths.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse sits at the transition between pine-covered dunes of Doñana National Park and the sandy Atlantic shore. It offers panoramic beach vistas to the south and east, as well as inland dune and salt-marsh flats to the north. Visitors can spot migratory birds in the park during spring and autumn.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Although relatively modern, the lighthouse marks a sector long used by fishing communities and is the only major light along the 5-km stretch between Mazagón and Punta Umbría. Locally, it's sometimes referred to as "the white tower of Doñana," although this is not an official nickname.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse has a focal height of 47 m above mean sea level, and its light characteristic sequence timing is 0.5 s flash + 2.8 s eclipse + 0.5 s flash + 2.8 s eclipse + 0.5 s flash + 12.9 s eclipse.

9. Further Information

For more information, refer to the Spanish Carta Náutica nº D 2345 (Golfo de Cádiz), NGA List of Lights Pub. 113, entry 09175, and Puertos de Andalucía website.