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 towering dune. A distinguishing feature is its central rock stack, which you may recognise from the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
©Tono Balaguer/Shutterstock
Playa de Mónsul
Top choice in Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
1.42 MILES
Boasting glorious beaches, vertiginous cliffs and a semi-desert hinterland, this 340-sq-km park occupies Andalucía’s southeastern corner. It’s a wild…
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15.23 MILES
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,…
19 MILES
Almería’s formidable, six-towered cathedral, begun in 1525, was conceived both as a place of worship and a refuge for the population from frequent pirate…
24.94 MILES
These rare and spectacular caves, 2km east of Sorbas, are part of a vast network of underground galleries and tunnels. Guided visits lead through the…
1.04 MILES
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19.34 MILES
The second enclosure of the Alcazaba sits above the Muro de la Campana de la Vela, a wall named after its bell, which once chimed in times of danger. Much…
19.41 MILES
The highest part of the Alcazaba, the Tercer Recinto consists of a castle constructed by the Catholic Monarchs in the early 16th century. Many of the…
Nearby Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar attractions
0.3 MILES
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…
0.36 MILES
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…
0.56 MILES
A quiet, stony beach about 200m off the main dirt road southwest of San José, accessible by a footpath.
1.04 MILES
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…
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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…
6. Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar
1.42 MILES
Boasting glorious beaches, vertiginous cliffs and a semi-desert hinterland, this 340-sq-km park occupies Andalucía’s southeastern corner. It’s a wild…
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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…
2.38 MILES
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