Visit Cabo de Gata
Getting to write about which are the places that one should visit and know in Cabo de Gata is a very complicated task because it is full of places to know, viewpoints with spectacular views and hidden corners. Here I present what I consider that you should not miss if you visit Cabo de Gata.
Where to start my visit to Cabo de Gata?
Normally, when I visit Cabo de Gata, I stay in Mojácar, which, for me, is the ideal place to stay. I wake up very early in the morning so that I have time to go through everything without going in a hurry. There is nothing worse than a visit to Cabo de Gata in a hurry. Also look at the picture that I find myself in the morning. This is not paid with money.
On the road from Mojácar to the Cabo de Gata park you will also find some things to see, I’ll leave you here, you decide if you want to go or not.
The Castle of Macenas
The castle of Macenas is a defensive construction of the 18th century. Later it went to use it the civil guard. It is on Macenas beach and from here you can access the pilurico tower.
The Pilurico Tower
This tower is much older than the macenas castle since it is from the Nasrid period. They used it to watch the coast. You can climb it since it has been restored and the view of the coast is gorgeous from above.
You can see the whole coast, the truth is that it was not fools who put it here.
Sopalmo
Sopalmo is a village that is on the way to Carboneras. It made me very funny because there are two streets in the village, one that goes to the right and where all the pots and windows are blue, and one that goes to the left where they are red. I laughed with an inhabitant who said that it seemed that some are left and others right, but it has nothing to do!
Also, in a little garden I saw a panda seat turned into a gardener! A very picturesque place that is totally recommended to know.
Viewpoint of the Granatilla
From this viewpoint you can see the Sierra de Cabrera and the Algarrobico beach and the horrible half-built hotel that has made this beautiful beach famous. If you can take a walk through it, I recommend it, it’s a beach with dark and fine sand and very quiet.
Lighthouse of Mesa Roldan
From this viewpoint you can see a good part of the coastline of Cabo de Gata. It has a castle like Macenas that you can climb as well. A more than recommended view. The lighthouse is private property and can not be accessed.
Beach of the Dead
The beach of the dead is already past Carboneras and owes its name to the tip of the dead that is south of the beach. It is called the tip of the dead because due to the currents that there are in the area, this is where the deceased ended in shipwrecks. The beach of the dead is one of the largest in the park of Cabo de Gata and is well known. In it, countless advertisements and scenes have been recorded both on television and in the cinema.
It is not that I have a super fine sand or anything like that, what I like most about this beach is the water and the environment. Although sometimes, unfortunately, there is a pig that leaves their remains on the beach, it is normal to be super clean and well maintained.
Access is not easy, you have to walk a goat trail a good distance. Although the difficult thing is not to go, but to return. The path is the descent from the hill to the beach and the hiker brings them, but hey, you know what they say, who wants something, something costs!
The beach is spectacular, at least it seems to me. The part I like most about this beach is the corner that is in the southern area that is more collected between the rocks and that if there are few people gives you a certain privacy, yes, it is right at the end of the beach so you’ll have to kick it in to get there.
For saying something I do not like, in high season they charge you for leaving the car parked.
El Cargadero de Mineral de Aguamarga
The first time I visited it was a great discovery for me. In this area of Cabo de Gata, mining excavations were made to obtain iron ore. Several lines of railroad were made that had to take the mineral until a dock of load for the boats.
The mine was operational until 1942. You can visit the ruins of the facilities, but be careful because there are not many security measures and it can be a bit dangerous. From up there, the view of the small village of Aguamarga and its beach is amazing.
The Gold Mines of Rodalquilar
Well, although it may not seem like it, in fact, in Cabo de Gata gold was extracted until not long ago. The gold mines are now abandoned and you can visit them with total freedom. Again I warn you that it is dangerous, so be careful.
This mine was operating from 1883 until 1966, at which time the mine ceased to be productive. At that time, Rodalquilar went from having 1400
Behind the mine there is a path that goes a little further into the mountain and if you follow it you can also see open-pit mining for ore.
El Cortijo del Fraile
The Cortijo del Fraile is an 18th century building that was built by the friars of the convent of Santo Domingo de Almería, but in the 19th century it passed into private hands. Here there was a passionate crime that led to the novel by Federico Garcia Lorca Bodas de Sangre.
But it is even better known because it was the setting for several films from the west, the best known being The Good, The Ugly and The Bad. The best way to get here is from Rodalquilar as there is a dirt road that goes straight. On other roads it is more complicated and easy to get lost.
Mirador de la Amatista
Returning to Rodalquilar you can visit the Mirador de la Amatista. At this point, in addition to having an information point, you have one of the best views of the coast of the natural park of Cabo de Gata.
You can also see some coves, the Isleta del Moro and, the Pico de los Frailes, which is the highest mountain in the park. It’s located on a curve, and every time I pass the curve I can not help but stop. I love this view.
Oolitic Dunes of Los Escullos
These dunes can be up to 250,000 years old and are fossilized. The ooliths are like small balls that are formed and that are added and accumulated until they form the dune that is then petrified. I thought it was very interesting.
Las Salinas
Las Salinas is a beautiful corner that also serves as an observatory for birds. It is surely the most famous place in Cabo de Gata and it is more than recommended to know it. In the salt pans you can go along the road while you have the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the saline on the other. It is the place where multiple advertisements and video clips are filmed, such as Jamiroquai and his cosmic girl song that is recorded here.
It also highlights in the salt flats the almadraba tower or church of the salinas that is an icon of this area and for which this point of the Cabo de Gata park is perfectly distinguished.
Mermaid’s viewpoint
The mermaids viewpoint is probably the best known point of the Cabo de Gata park. To get to the viewpoint it is necessary to leave the salt flats behind and head towards the Cabo del Gata Lighthouse.
Once you have passed the infinite straight line of the salt flats, the road becomes more complicated and twisty and you will even find some stone that has fallen from the walls of the mountain. The curves are very closed and dangerous and at some point only a car passes by so please be careful.
When you arrive at the cabo de gata lighthouse, on the right you have the beach of Cabo de Gata and on the left the view of the sirens reef which is a recommended place to stop and observe. Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop and contemplate what surrounds you, I believe that in this place is the only thing that one can do.
In addition to these beautiful places that are in the natural park of Cabo de Gata, you can visit cities and towns that are very close to Cabo de Gata and that deserve a visit.
Níjar
Níjar gives name to the natural park although it is more known for its crafts, its ceramics and its tomatoes. You can not leave Níjar without trying or buying Raff de Níjar tomatoes, you will not regret it.
Mojácar
Mojácar is surely the town that I know best in this area because I have been coming to visit it for 25 years. It is a town with a special charm. You can visit Mojácar village that is on a mountain and that is the oldest and most typical of Mojácar.
You can also visit Mojacar Playa, which is full of places, restaurants and hotels where you can spend a few days and relax.
And you? What do you recommend to visit in Cabo de Gata?
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