The Cabo de Gata natural park, in Almeria offers some truly spectacular beaches. A couple of which are regularly voted as being the ‘best in Spain.’This windswept, barren and desert landscape has set the scene for numerous Hollywood classics such as the “Good, the bad and the ugly,” “A fistful of dollars,” “Indiana Jones - the last Crusade” amongst others.
Cliff diving from La Cala del Cuervo
Ok you don’t have to dive, but jumping from the cliffs is a thrill not to be missed. There are jumps up to a good 15m.
Where to go? Las Negras from San Jose. Just before getting into the village of Las Negras, there are signs for the campsite - Camping Las Negras - the road turns sharply rightwards and drops down to the beach.
From the little rocky beach that just sits just in front of the campsite, there’s a small path that leads up into the cliffs above. This is the path that eventually, after 1.5kms, leads to a beach called El Playazo. A beautiful walk.
Follow this path upwards, you’ll quickly see an old tower, there are several smaller tracks that lead towards and beneath it. La Cala del Cuervo sits behind the tower on the first rocky outcrop. Any of these spots are perfect for diving.
The water is deep and the bed is sandy, in places. Always double check carefully where you are going to be landing. I suggest getting into the water with mask and making doubly sure you are jumping onto a sandy patch and that the water is deep enough. One important point to bear in mind is always make sure you can get out of the water easily after jumping. Its a long swim back to the beach.
Best snorkeling spot - Los Escullos beach - Cala Hermanicas
All of Cabo de Gata offers fantastic snorkelling, the caves and underwater rock formations just next to Los Escullos are particularly beautiful and are one of the main destinations for scuba divers.
The water quality, flora and fauna are second to none. The deep water enables the dive boats to get in close. For people snorkelling, its an easy enough spot to get to, with a little walk and a short swim. You snorkel over layered rocky platforms, with huge drops between the platforms. The water can get very deep very quickly - up to 40m. Although close to the coast, its important to be a confident swimmer and its always best to swim with a friend. Getting there is straightforward.
Drive past Los Escullos heading south-west in the general direction of San Jose, the coastal road quickly becomes a track. Its passable in a normal car with care. Keep driving as far as you can. There’s a large two-storey ruin on the path to San Jose, park here (or as near as you can get). Follow this path upwards for about 500m, it eventually drops back down into La Cala Hermanicas, a rocky cove. Get into the water here and start exploring.
Best eats
Cabo de Gata can be expensive to eat out. The more popular villages, particularly the ones next to the beach can be overpriced. If looking for some fantastic home-cooked and very reasonably priced food - Bar La Plaza in the tiny village of Fernan Perez is highly recommended.
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