Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Costa de Almería
Boasting glorious beaches, vertiginous cliffs and a semi-desert hinterland, this 340-sq-km park occupies Andalucía’s southeastern corner. It’s a wild…
Must-see attractions in Costa de Almería
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Set between dramatic headlands 3km northeast of Las Negras, this sandy hideaway is the holy grail of the park's numerous beaches. The 250m-long playa,…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
The most celebrated of the playas off the San José beach road, Playa de Mónsul is a fabulous sandy wedge hemmed in by sharply eroded lava rocks and a…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
The Calas de Barronal consist of four beautiful little beaches (El Lance del Perro, Cala Chica, Cala Grande and Cala Principe) that run along the coast in…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
The first beach southwest of San José is Playa de los Genoveses, a lovely, 1km-long stretch of sand framed by two headlands. It owes its name to the…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
On the main road between La Isleta del Moro and Rodalquilar, this high viewpoint commands breathtaking views of the vertiginous, unspoilt coastline. From…
Costa de Almería
Perched on the highest point in town – originally the site of a castle – this hilltop mirador (viewpoint) looks down to the sea and over a hazy brown…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
The pretty and secluded little beach of Cala de Enmedio is capped by strikingly eroded rocks. It's a bit of a hike to get to – about 1.5km southwest of…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Southeast of San Miguel de Cabo de Gata, some of Spain's last surviving salt-extraction lagoons draw flocks of migrating flamingos and other waterbirds…
Costa de Almería
Hidden near the foot of the hilltop pueblo, this historic fountain is a village landmark. Locals and visitors come to fill containers with the water that…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Set amid the Martian red-rock terrain at the top of the village, the skeletal remains of Rodalquilar's gold mines are an eerie sight. The complex, which…
Costa de Almería
Beautifully maintained and thoughtfully interpreted by the owners (who live upstairs), this house-museum re-creates a well-to-do villager's dwelling from…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Marking the southwest point of the promontory, this photogenic lighthouse commands stirring views of a jagged volcanic reef known as the Arrecife de las…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Rodalquilar's extensive botanical gardens showcase the vegetation of Andalucía's arid southeast. It's well planned, with every plant, tree and shrub…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
A 400m-long strip of sand, the Playa del Playazo is sandwiched between two promontories, one of which is topped by a small 18th-century fort (now a…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
This nudist beach, frequented mainly by adults and couples, boasts a lovely 800m-long strip of sand. It's accessible via tracks behind the large dune at…
Costa de Almería
The fortress-style Iglesia de Santa María dates from 1560 and may have once been a mosque. Inside, its restrained white interior features a modern 1960s…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
A half-moon crescent of sand off the main beach road from San José. Accessible by a walking path, it's less frequented than many of the area's better…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
A quiet, stony beach about 200m off the main dirt road southwest of San José, accessible by a footpath.
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
This abandoned farmstead on a windswept plain 6km northwest of Rodalquilar was the scene of the tragic, true-life love-and-revenge story that inspired…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
From its position 3km east of the Faro de Cabo de Gata on the Cabo de Gata promontory, this grounds of this 18th-century watchtower (which is not open for…
Costa de Almería
An 18th-century watchtower 2.5km south of the end of the main Mojácar beach. You can't enter it but it's free to view from the outside. From the tower a…
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
At the far end of the village, this museum has displays on the local mines and the geology of Cabo de Gata and Andalucía. Signs are primarily in Spanish,…
Costa de Almería
A coastal watchtower dating to Nasrid times in the 13th century; you can climb to the top. It's 1.3km south of the Castillo de Macenas.
Costa de Almería
A white arch spanning a small lane in the hilltop centre, the old city gate was built in the 16th century on the site of an earlier Moorish gate.