# Cabo de Gata

Undeveloped beaches between lava flows, white fishing villages and the clearest sea in Andalucía, 40 minutes from Almería.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/cabo-de-gata · Revisado: 2026-11-12

The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is the wildest stretch of coast in the Spanish Mediterranean: sixty kilometres of volcanic cliffs, beaches without a single building, white fishing villages and an interior of farmhouses and prickly pears in the driest area of Europe. It was declared a natural park in 1987, its waters have been a marine reserve since 2001 and it forms part of a geopark. It is not a place of great monuments: you come to swim, to walk between coves and to look at the seabed.

## How do I get there from Almería, Murcia or Granada?

By car. From Almería it is about 40 minutes to San José along the A-7 motorway towards Murcia and the AL-3108 road, which heads south from the San José exit. From Murcia, about two hours along the A-7 southwards. From Granada, a little over two hours along the A-92 and the A-7. These are estimated times: allow more in summer and on long weekends.

The park has no road along the coast. Each village has its access from the interior: San José and Los Escullos from the AL-3108 and the Rodalquilar road; Las Negras, from Rodalquilar or Campohermoso; the lighthouse, from Almería along the AL-3115, which skirts the salt flats and ends at the point. To go from the lighthouse to San José you have to go back inland. The bus companies serving the area, according to the Junta, are ALSA, Autocares Bernardo and Frahemar, but with few departures: for a day or a weekend, a car is the practical choice.

## Where do I park and how do I get to Genoveses and Mónsul?

The two most famous beaches are south of San José, at the end of a dirt track. Outside summer you drive in with your own car: there is a car park of about 20 spaces beside the Genoveses trail and another of about 50 at the Casa del Mónsul, about 4.5 km from the village. In summer the Junta closes that track to vehicles without authorisation; in 2025 it was from 21 June to 28 September. Those weeks you get in with controlled spaces or on the bus from San José, or on foot. The same rule limits to five the number of kayaks that can go together without a permit.

In the villages, parking is easy from October to May and difficult in August. If you sleep in San José, leave the car at the hotel and walk to the western beaches.

## How much time do I need?

One day covers the essentials of the south: a morning at Genoveses or Mónsul, lunch in San José and the afternoon at the lighthouse and the Sirenas reef. With two nights you add the centre of the park: the walk from Los Escullos to La Isleta del Moro, Rodalquilar and its gold mines, and the cove of San Pedro on foot from Las Negras. With three, a morning at sea: kayaking between caves or an introductory dive in the marine reserve.

## When to go?

April, May, June, September and October are the best months: the water is good from June and lasts until October, the trails can be walked without the heat and the beaches have room. In July and August it is very hot, the villages fill up and you have to get up early for the beach. In winter it is almost always sunny and the trails are at their best, although swimming is only for the brave and some restaurants close, such as La Gallineta, which reopens in March.

## Where to sleep?

San José is the most convenient base: it has most of the hotels and restaurants, the diving centre and the western beaches on foot. Here are the Hotel Don Ignacio, on the seafront, and La Posada de Paco, small and designed for adults. Rodalquilar is the quiet alternative, in the centre of the park, with the Hotel de Naturaleza Rodalquilar and its spa. With small children or in a motorhome, the Camping Cabo de Gata is next to the lighthouse and the salt flats, with bungalows and a pool with slides.

## What not to expect

There are no long promenades or beaches with sunloungers: at Genoveses, Mónsul or San Pedro there is no shade and no bars. Bring water, food and a parasol. The wind changes the sea from one day to the next: the kayak companies choose the stretch according to the forecast, and it is wise to have a plan on land for the day of the levante.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Film locations, Horse riding routes in Spain, Classic film locations
- Cerca: Guadix (a 109.1 km), La Alpujarra (a 112.9 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Los Genoveses Beach and Its Trail** (3 h · 2.3 km · Families · Free; in summer, car access is regulated): Los Genoveses is an open cove south of San José, between the Cerro del Ave María to the north and the Morrón de los Genoveses to the south: nearly a kilometre of sand with no buildings, with dunes, a fossil dune and a restored windmill behind. There are no beach bars and no shade on the sand. The water stays shallow for many metres, which is why it is the most comfortable beach in the park for going with small children.
Why they are called the Genoveses
The name comes from the 12th century. In 1147, during the Christian siege of Almería led by Alfonso VII, with Aragonese, Pisans and Genoese, a Genoese fleet hid in this cove. The besiegers pretended to withdraw, the defenders left the city unprotected and the Genoese attacked it. The Junta explains that their memory remained in the place names, in the cross on the Almería coat of arms and even in some surnames.
The trail, from the windmill to the Morrón
The official Los Genoveses trail measures 2.3 km, is estimated at an hour and a half and is of low difficulty, along track and path, with 41 metres of height difference. It starts on the Mónsul road: from the San José ring road, about three hundred metres after the tarmac ends, a track leaves on the right beside the Los Genoveses windmill. There is a car park of about twenty spaces 150 metres from the start panel, where an interpretive table explains the view if you don't want to climb the 133-metre Cerro del Ave María.
The path goes down to the beach among dwarf fan palms, eucalyptus and the prickly pears planted on the old terraces of the El Romeral farmhouse. About seven hundred metres along there is a junction with rows of pines, and then the ruins of a bunker at the edge of the sand, with fixed and moving dunes. The path continues along the beach itself; after about five hundred metres of sand a stony area in white and yellow tones appears, the fossil dune. The trail ends at the end of the beach, next to the Morrón anchorage. The Junta advises climbing the Morrón de los Genoveses, a 74-metre volcanic headland, to see the whole cove and the waters of the marine reserve.
Access by car: it depends on the month
Outside summer you can reach it by car along the dirt track. Each summer the Junta closes the way to motor vehicles without authorisation to the beaches between Genoveses and Cala Carbón; in 2025 it was from 21 June to 28 September. During those weeks a bus runs from San José and you can go on foot or by bike along the track. The dates for each year are published in the BOJA (Andalusian official gazette) in spring; the details are on the sheet for summer access to Genoveses and Mónsul.
What to bring and when to go
Shade is scarce on the trail and non-existent on the beach: bring a parasol, water and food. In high summer, arrive early. For swimming among rocks with a mask, the neighbouring Mónsul beach is along the track. The two top the Sunday with Genoveses, Mónsul and the lighthouse.
- **Mónsul Beach** (3 h · Families and couples · Free; in summer, car access is regulated): What it is
A grey-sand beach between two arms of volcanic rock, with a large dune at the back and the famous Peineta rock at the water's edge. It is the best-known image of the park and one of the most crowded in August. The sea floor drops away faster than at Genoveses and, at the sides, the rocks are good for watching fish with a mask.
The Indiana Jones beach
One of the best-known scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, by Steven Spielberg, with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, was filmed at Mónsul. The dune, the dark lava flows and the Peineta are unchanged, so it is easy to recognise. There is nothing signposted and no memorial to the filming on the sand: Almería's film history is told in the display cases of Casa Miguel, in San José. The NeverEnding Story and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen were also shot on the same beach.
How to get there
From the San José ring road the dirt track leaves towards Genoveses; you continue to the Casa del Mónsul, about 4.5 km. There is a car park of about 50 spaces and the Vela Blanca trail starts. In summer car access is regulated by the Junta and there is a bus from San José; the rest of the year you drive in with your own car.
When to go
In spring and autumn you have it almost to yourself. In summer, arrive before ten or go late in the afternoon, when the sun sets behind the dune.
- **Vela Blanca Trail, from Mónsul to the Tower** (1 h 30 · 3.4 km · Hikers and teenagers · Free): The Vela Blanca trail leaves from the Casa del Mónsul, west of San José, and climbs along the edge of the volcanic sierra to the Vela Blanca pass, where the Sirenas viewpoint stands, below the watchtower of the same name. The Junta gives it 3.4 km each way, an hour and a half and low difficulty, along track and path; it is linear, so the return is by the same way and in total it comes to about seven kilometres. The maximum height difference is 185 metres.
A white sail among black rocks
The name comes from a pale patch at the base of the point: a dome of altered volcanic tuffs, white in colour, that stands out among the dark andesites and dacites of the rest of the sierra. From the sea it looks like the sail of a ship. On top is the tower, built in the 15th century to watch for Barbary pirate raids; it communicated with the other towers of the coast by smoke signals.
From Mónsul to the pass
From the Casa del Mónsul, beside a restored traditional cistern, you follow the same track to the west. After about 250 metres the turn-off to the Media Luna beach leaves, and eight hundred metres later the track crosses the Mónsul ravine, from which the path descends to Cala Carbón, closed to the south by Punta Redonda: its columnar rocks are lava flows that cooled suddenly on entering the water, among the most interesting formations in the park.
You pass the vehicle access barrier above Cala Carbón and the track gains height; in about four hundred metres, a bend gives a view back, with the Barronal beach in the distance. Level with Punta Colorada the path leaves the coast to cross the Parra ravine at its head, with a palm grove on the slopes and some plants unique to the cape, such as the dragoncillo or the cape pink. There is an interpretive table about the tower there. The last stretch climbs to the barrier at the pass and the Sirenas viewpoint, from which you see the volcanic rocks rising from the sea off the cape.
Before you go
The Casa del Mónsul is reached by the dirt track that leaves the San José ring road, leaving Genoveses behind, in about 4.5 km. At the start there is a car park of about fifty spaces. In summer, the Junta restricts the passage of cars without authorisation to these beaches; see the sheet on summer access to Genoveses and Mónsul.
There is little or no shade and no water along the route. Do it from October to May, or at dawn in summer. On the way back, Mónsul beach is next to the car park, and the lighthouse and Sirenas reef can be seen from the other side, arriving by car from Almería.
- **From Los Escullos to La Isleta del Moro** (40 min · 1.6 km · Families · Free): The El Moro Arraez trail links Los Escullos with La Isleta del Moro along the water's edge, in the centre of the coast of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park. It is 1.6 km of path, about 40 minutes each way, with a maximum height difference of 19 metres: the Junta rates it low difficulty, and it is the shortest official walk in the park. From the very first step you can see La Isleta closing off the cove, so you never lose your bearings.
Beaches, reef and balates
The trail starts north of Los Escullos, where the Arco beach meets the cliffs, less than a hundred metres from the water. At first you walk along the edge of the beach and cross the mouth of a dry watercourse; the sand narrows and, after about five hundred metres, gives way to a rock reef. From the small hillocks that follow you can see dark patches in the water: they are Posidonia meadows.
After passing a rocky point beside a house another, smaller beach appears, and the path goes in among gentle hills and ravines with dwarf fan palms, cornical and sea-lavender. In one of the ravines there is a small palm grove. Further on the path moves away from the coast for a moment and crosses land that was cultivated in terraces, the balates, built to retain water. From there you see the La Isleta anchorage and, to the west, the Los Frailes domes, the roof of the volcanic sierra. The last stretch returns to the shore and ends by climbing some stone steps to the La Isleta del Moro viewpoint.
A name in dispute
The village is actually called La Isleta del Moro Arraez. It is not on an island: it sits on a point that looks as if it continues into an islet, whose outline recalls a turban or a helmet. The second part of the name has two explanations, according to the Junta: an Arabic word for a ship's captain, or the name of the man who held the rights to the moruna, a fishing method that the village's fishermen still set in summer for the passing of amberjack and pompano.
Before you set off
Los Escullos is reached by the AL-4200 road, with a short detour between Rodalquilar and El Pozo de los Frailes. There is parking at the beginning and at the end of the trail, so you can leave a car at each end or come back the same way, which is what most people do. At the other end of Los Escullos is the San Felipe battery, a fort from the time of Charles III restored in the nineties: it is worth a visit before setting out.
There is little or no shade: in summer, go first thing or at dusk, with water and a hat. Throughout the park camping, lighting fires, fishing and collecting minerals and fossils are prohibited. The walk fits in the Sunday with Rodalquilar, La Isleta and kayaking on this website; a few minutes away by car, in El Pozo de los Frailes, La Gallineta serves fish and rice dishes.
- **San Pedro Cove on Foot from Las Negras** (2 h 30 · Hikers and teenagers · Free): San Pedro is a cove with no road, north of Las Negras, on the volcanic coast of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park. You reach it on foot along a path that skirts Cerro Negro or by boat from Las Negras. It is the first stage of the official San Pedro-El Plomo-Agua Amarga trail, which in full measures 11.1 km, is estimated at four and a half hours and which the Junta rates as medium-high difficulty. Going to San Pedro and back from Las Negras takes a morning.
From El Estanquillo to the castle
From Las Negras a track leads north to the El Estanquillo farmstead, half a kilometre away. There, past the Las Negras ravine, the trail begins, beside a car park of about twenty spaces. The path follows a corridor to the north-east with Cerro Negro on your right; once past it, the view of the inlet opens up, with San Pedro in the distance. The track ends at a path where you turn right to go down to the cove by the slope that falls to the sea.
Before going down, the Junta's sheet points out a spot, about four hundred metres of climb up the slope, from which you can see the coast as far as Los Lobos hill and its tower, El Playazo and the castle of San Ramón. In the gaps of the cliff nest seabirds, mostly yellow-legged gulls.
A cove with a castle and a spring
At the entrance to the cove is the castle of San Pedro, which began as a garrison and was later enlarged as a bulwark of the coast; in 1743 a British ship bombarded it for a whole day and left it almost destroyed. Today San Pedro is a small settlement, with vegetable gardens, that lives off one of the few freshwater springs of this coastal sierra. The Junta reminds visitors to make sure the water from the springs is drinkable before drinking it, and along the whole trail camping, lighting fires, fishing and catching animals are forbidden.
If you continue to Agua Amarga
From San Pedro the trail continues along the Rellana de San Pedro and Punta Javana to the Plomo cove, a former fishing hamlet still inhabited, skirts the Cerro de la Higuera to the Enmedio cove and, after the hardest climb of the route and the Cerro del Cuartel, ends on the outskirts of Agua Amarga. It is linear: if you do it in full, leave a car at each end or ask about the buses in the area, which according to the Junta are run by Alsa, Autocares Bernardo and Frahemar.
Without a scrap of shade
The sheet sums it up: little or no shade. Between June and September, in the midday sun, the path becomes hard going; set out at dawn or leave the route for autumn and spring. Take plenty of water, a hat and shoes with a firm sole: the terrain is stony.
To eat afterwards, Alacena Azul is in Rodalquilar, a few minutes by car, and the morning combines with a visit to Rodalquilar and its gold mines.
- **Rodalquilar and the Ruins of Its Gold Mines** (1 h 30 · Families · Free from outside): Rodalquilar is the former mining village of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park, in the bottom of a volcanic caldera that opens to the sea at El Playazo. Gold was sought here from 1880 to 1990. The abandoned installations still stand on the slope above the village, and walking among them, with the valley at your feet, is the best way to understand why the park is a UNESCO Global Geopark.
From ore to ingot: the Denver plant
The piece you can see from all over the valley is the Denver plant, a cyanidation plant of American technology that the Empresa Nacional Adaro started up in 1956 to treat the ore from Cerro del Cinto. The Junta's leaflet explains the process: the ore was weighed and emptied into hoppers, conveyor belts carried it to the mills, it was mixed with water to form a fine paste and passed to tanks where cyanide dissolved the gold; from the washing tanks came the rich mixture that was turned into ingots in the precipitation building. The stone stairs and the large circular tanks you see today are those tanks and those halls.
The Cerro del Cinto trail
To walk it in order, the Junta has signposted the Cerro del Cinto trail, in its short version: 4.4 km circular, an hour and a half, low difficulty, on track and path, with 92 metres of height difference. It starts next to the park's administrative office and the Rodalquilar exhibition hall, where there is parking for more than twenty cars; the panel is about 25 metres away.
The path begins beside old spoil heaps now covered in vegetation, passes beneath the Denver plant and climbs the Rambla de las Yeguas and old mule tracks of the Abellán mines, among abandoned farmhouses, cultivation terraces and remains of mining buildings. From the upper part you see the volcanic caldera of the valley with the plant below and El Playazo in the distance. There is a long variant that goes round the whole hill. There is no shade and some stretches of stony dry watercourse: wear shoes with a firm sole.
What not to do
The Junta asks you not to leave the path because of the risk of falling into mine shafts and galleries, which cannot be visited. With children, keep them close at the edges of the tanks.
The Casa de los Volcanes
In the former Foundry House is the Casa de los Volcanes, the interpretation centre for the park's geology, with a room devoted to Rodalquilar and a model of the Denver plant, another of volcanoes and a mineral collection. Its opening hours are not published regularly: ask first at the Las Amoladeras Visitor Centre, on 950 16 04 35. If it is closed, the ruins can be seen just as well from outside.
Afterwards, El Playazo is a few minutes by car, with the castle of San Ramón beside the sand. To eat in the valley, Alacena Azul, in the Hotel de Naturaleza Rodalquilar, is open to the public. Rodalquilar is the first stop of the Sunday with Rodalquilar, La Isleta and kayaking.
- **Cabo de Gata Lighthouse and the Sirenas Reef** (45 min · Everyone · Free): The Cabo de Gata lighthouse rises on the south-western tip of the volcanic sierra that gives the natural park its name, at the end of the road that leaves Almería along the coast. At its foot, a viewpoint looks over the Sirenas reef: a group of needles and rocks of dark volcanic stone rising from the water off the cape. It is a short stop, half an hour to three quarters, free and with no facilities other than the car park and the viewpoint.
Lava needles and a legend of seals
The rocks of the reef are remnants of the volcanic activity that formed this whole sierra. The Junta explains in its leaflets that the capricious shapes of these stones have fed legends among sailors for centuries, and that the mermaids of the name were in fact monk seals, which lived on this coast until the middle of the last century.
To the east, from the sea, behind the Sirenas reef you can see another rock, the Dedo reef, and then the white mass of the Vela Blanca dome, formed of altered volcanic tuffs that contrast with the dark andesites and dacites around. That pale patch, like a sail, gives its name to the spot and to its 15th-century watchtower.
The salt-pan road
From Almería you arrive along the AL-3115: it passes the Las Amoladeras Visitor Centre, at kilometre 7, crosses San Miguel de Cabo de Gata, skirts the salt pans and the long beach and climbs through La Fabriquilla to the lighthouse. There is a small car park next to the viewpoint. The road does not continue to San José: at the Vela Blanca pass there is a barrier to vehicles. To go to San José you return by the inland route, or, if you are on foot, the Vela Blanca trail ends at the viewpoint on that pass, on the other side of the sierra.
When to go
At dusk, when the sun sinks over the sea in the west and the rock darkens against the water. At midday in summer there is no shade. The cape is exposed to the wind: bring something warm even if it is fine down on the beach.
On the way it is worth stopping at the salt pans, especially with binoculars, and if you come from Camping Cabo de Gata you are on the same road. From the water it looks different: one of the kayak and snorkelling routes in the park goes from La Fabriquilla to the Sirenas reef, depending on the state of the sea.
- **Guided Kayak and Snorkel along the Volcanic Cliffs** (3 h · Families and teenagers · Desde 39 € per person): The guided kayak and snorkel route run by Cabo de Gata Activo covers, over about three hours, a stretch of the volcanic coast of the natural park, with caves you can paddle into, passages between reefs of volcanic rock and a halfway stop to swim with mask and snorkel. The company is registered in the Andalusian active tourism register (AT/AL/00073) and is a member of the Almería association of kayak companies. No experience is needed: they rate it medium-low difficulty, for normal fitness.
How it goes
On arrival at the meeting point you are given a life jacket, a paddle and a small bottle of water, and the instructors give a mini-course on how to paddle, how to handle the kayak and the safety rules. Then the group sets off. The route advances with short rest stops in which the guide explains the volcanic geology, the wildlife and the history of that coast; depending on the stretch, you enter caves and cross reef barriers.
Halfway, you stop at a cove to swim and look at the sea floor with mask and snorkel. The route is circular: you return to the point you left from. It is accompanied by a support boat and the guides carry radios.
Five stretches, and none to choose
The company works five stretches of coast: Las Negras-El Playazo, La Fabriquilla-Sirenas reef, Agua Amarga-Punta de la Media Naranja, Los Escullos-Punta de Loma Pelada and San José-Cala Tomate. Which one is done depends on the wind and the state of the sea that day, so it cannot be chosen; the meeting point is confirmed when you book. Departures are at 9:00, 12:30 and 16:30, depending on the date.
Price and equipment
In November 2026 the website advertises an offer: €39 per person for ages 11 to 75 and €29 for ages 4 to 10, against the normal rate of €45 and €35, with group discounts. It includes the kayak, paddle, life jacket, mask and snorkel, water, the mini-course, third-party liability and accident insurance and a photo report that can be downloaded from its website. The waterproof dry bag and a wetsuit, for the cooler months, are requested when booking.
The kayaks take two adults and two children at most, so a family of four goes in one. The children's rate starts at age 4, although the company recommends in its FAQs an age of 7 to enjoy it.
From April to October, if the sea allows
The season runs from late April to mid-October. With a ground swell or strong wind the stretch is changed or the trip cancelled. If you don't feel comfortable in the water, remember that the stop includes swimming in the open sea, always with a life jacket.
If afterwards you want to go deeper, the introductory scuba dive leaves from San José. The kayak is one of the stops of the Sunday with Rodalquilar, La Isleta and kayaking and of the weekend from Almería.
- **Introductory Scuba Dive in the Marine Reserve, from San José** (3 h · Teenagers and adults · Desde 120 € per person): The introductory dive is the first scuba dive for someone who has never dived, with an instructor beside you, in the waters of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park, a marine reserve since 2001. In San José it is organised by Isub San José, a diving centre opened in the village in 1998, at Calle Babor, 8, a short walk from the beach.
From the dry briefing to twelve metres
The morning starts at the centre: the instructor explains how the equipment works and the basic principles of scuba diving. Then you put on the equipment and practise some basic exercises in a shallow, calm area where you can stand. When you are comfortable, comes the introductory dive, always at less than 12 metres.
The whole activity lasts about three hours. Underwater you will spend on average about 45 minutes: the centre explains that the more relaxed you are, the longer your air lasts. The ratio of students per instructor is small, so the instructor keeps an eye on you the whole time.
Price and what is included
The introductory dive costs €120 per person on the 2026 rates, with VAT and rental of all the equipment. If you don't want a tank, the centre offers guided snorkelling for €42 and a freediving introduction for €90. If you like it, the introductory dive is valid for a year to count as the first dive of the beginner course at any PADI centre; at Isub itself, the Open Water costs €450 and the Scuba Diver €345.
The medical questionnaire
Before diving you must fill in a medical questionnaire, the one required by Royal Decree 550/2020 on diving. Depending on your answers, you may have to bring it signed by a doctor, so fill it in at home with days to spare. The website does not publish a minimum age: if you are going with minors, ask when booking.
When and how to book
The centre works all year round, as long as the sea allows; if not, the day is changed. Book in advance on its booking website, on 950 380 004 or at info@isubsanjose.com, especially in summer, because groups are small.
If you still want more water, the kayak with snorkelling explores the marine reserve's coast from above. To sleep a short walk from the centre, the Hotel Don Ignacio is on San José's seafront promenade, and Casa Miguel on the main street.
- **Horse Ride to Cala de Enmedio from Agua Amarga** (2 h · All levels; the 3-hour routes, riders with some experience): Hípica Aguamarga is 3 km from Agua Amarga, in the heart of the natural park, and its rides leave straight from the stables. The most popular is the two-hour one: it follows a hill trail to Cala de Enmedio, an unspoilt beach with no buildings. Depending on how many people are in the cove, you may be able to ride along the shoreline.
The routes

La Rambla, 1 h. Follows a dry watercourse beside the stables. It is the one suited to beginners and children.
El Olivo Milenario, 1 h. For slightly more experienced riders: it covers part of the watercourse up to a very old olive tree of extraordinary size.
Cala de Enmedio, 2 h. Hill track to the unspoilt beach.
Viejo Ferrocarril, 3 h. For people with some experience: it follows the old railway track towards Lucainena de las Torres and returns via the Olivo Milenario and the old ore-loading pier.
Cala del Plomo, 3 h. To El Plomo beach, with cliffs of volcanic origin; there may also be a stretch along the shoreline.

There is also a route to Llano de Don Antonio, which the website mentions without describing.
Price, age and booking
The riding school's website does not publish prices, minimum age or weight limit: ask when you book. Rides are by appointment between 8:00 and 22:00, every day of the week, and the riding hours change with the season. Book by phone (628 075 041) or by email. It is a registered active-tourism company (AT/AL/00093).
When to go
In summer, ask for the first or last hours of the day: the Cabo de Gata hills have no shade. From October to May you can ride comfortably at any hour.
What to bring
Long trousers, closed shoes, a cap, sun cream and water. If you want to set foot on the cove, put swimwear in your backpack, although it is not clear how long you stop there: ask.
Combine with
Los Genoveses beach and the path from Los Escullos to Isleta del Moro complete a day on the coast.

## Dónde comer
- **Casa Miguel in Tierra de Cine** (Restaurant, San José, €€). Qué pedir: the arroz a la marinera (minimum two portions), a chopped Níjar tomato salad and the fish of the day that the staff recommend
- **Alacena Azul Restaurant** (Restaurant, Rodalquilar, €€). Qué pedir: the €25 menu, with Almería tomato with garlic and bonito, fried John Dory or fried fish and a house dessert
- **La Gallineta** (Restaurant, El Pozo de los Frailes, €€€). Qué pedir: a rice dish to share, a banda or del senyoret, or a fish stew

## By car: The Car Ties It All Together
The park has no coast road: San José, Los Escullos, Rodalquilar, Las Negras and the lighthouse are linked through the interior, with short detours to the sea. By car you see three or four corners in a day. In summer, leave the car in San José to go to Genoveses and Mónsul.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–130 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Don Ignacio** (Hotel): The Don Ignacio is San José's four-star hotel, entered in the Andalusian tourism register under number H/AL/00610 and today run under the brand Don Ignacio by Oasis. It is on the seafront promenade, at the edge of the village beach, with the pool looking onto the bay. From the door you walk to the sand, the marina and the restaurants of the main street, without touching the car all day.
Sea terrace or family room
The hotel has four types of room. The standard double has a private terrace with sea views and is set up with a double bed or two beds, with an option of an extra bed or cot subject to availability. The simpler double does not have those views. The family room has a large double bed and a sofa bed, and the junior suite adds a separate living room and sea views. All have a bathroom with bath, air conditioning, minibar, safe and flat-screen television. If you want to wake up looking at the sea, ask expressly for one of those with a terrace or views: not all of them have them.
Prices change with the date and are checked in its booking engine. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out at 12:00; according to its rules, at full occupancy check-in may be delayed by an hour.
Pool, breakfast and parking
The outdoor pool has a solarium and free sunloungers, and follows fixed hours announced on the rules notice. Breakfast is a buffet, there is a café and a terrace with views of the bay for summer evenings. The hotel has no parking in the building: it offers a private paid car park about two minutes away. In high season, parking on the seafront is very difficult, so book it with the room. The website does not say whether pets are allowed: ask beforehand.
San José as a base
From here, the track to Los Genoveses beach and Mónsul leaves from the end of the village, a few minutes by car or on foot; in summer car access is restricted and there is a bus from San José. The village diving centre, where the introductory scuba dive leaves from, is a short walk away, as is Casa Miguel, on the main street. The Vela Blanca trail starts at the Casa del Mónsul, following the track.
San José is at the end of the AL-3108 road, which descends from the A-7 motorway. From Almería it is about 40 minutes.
- **Hotel La Posada de Paco** (Small hotel): La Posada de Paco is a two-star hotel at Avenida de San José, 12, the main street of the village, a minute from the centre and two from the beach. It defines itself as an adults-recommended hotel and is designed for a slow pace: a pool, a small spa, a simple gym and a trust-based bar where coffee is free all day and you serve yourself the other drinks and note them down. Reception is open 24 hours, so you can arrive in the small hours.
Five rooms, all for two
There are five types of room: comfort, plus, superior with double bed, superior with twin beds and premium. All are for two people at most, with individual climate control; if there are three of you, it won't work. The comfort, on the ground floor, is the simplest and has a private balcony. The premium, on the upper floor, is the largest, with a south-east-facing terrace, a king-size bed or two beds, and a bathroom with a skylight. Booking on its website, the hotel promises the best price and a reduced rate if you stay more days.
Spa and pool
The premium includes an hour of spa a day for the two guests; in the other rooms the spa is paid separately, with a discount voucher if you book direct, depending on the dates. In 2026, the pool is open throughout the whole period the hotel is open. The gym is good for a short routine before going out.
Breakfast from the province
Breakfast is served unhurried and with Almería products: organic extra virgin olive oil from Lubrín, mountain cured meats, artisan cheeses from Serón, bread, seasonal fruit, home-made pastries, coffees and infusions. The hotel advises checking the dates on which it operates.
Parking and setting out on excursions
The parking, free of charge, is within the grounds; it covers a good part of the spaces but cannot be reserved. There is an electric car charging point. From here, the dirt track to Los Genoveses beach and Mónsul leaves from the end of the village, and in summer, with car access restricted, you go on foot or by bus. For dinner, Casa Miguel is on the same street, and the introductory scuba dive leaves from the village diving centre.
What it doesn't accept
It does not accept animals; the team offers to point out places where you can stay with your dog. Nor is it designed for families with children, because of the capacity of the rooms and the atmosphere it aims for.
Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00; if you arrive earlier or leave later, they store your luggage. After booking they send you a link to pay the deposit, and you cancel by email, WhatsApp or phone.
- **Hotel de Naturaleza Rodalquilar** (Spa hotel): The Hotel de Naturaleza Rodalquilar is a four-star hotel at the entrance to the former mining village of Rodalquilar, in the Los Albacetes locality, in the centre of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park. It is a modern building with white walls, a courtyard, gardens, a pool with Balinese beds and an art room, the Carmen de Burgos, which holds exhibitions throughout the year. It opens all year and presents itself as a pioneer in alternative energy and sustainable operation; it is a collaborating entity of the UNESCO Global Geopark.
Rooms that look onto the volcanoes
The hotel was designed so that the park comes in through the windows: from the terrace-corridors of access and from the large windows of the rooms you see the volcanic landforms that surround the valley. There are single rooms, doubles for two adults, triples for families and junior suites. On the headboards are ceramic murals by Antonio Flores, and each room has a work by a different artist. The hotel insists on silence: in the morning, what you hear is birds. The website does not publish fixed prices; they are checked in its search engine for each date, along with current offers.
The La Amatista circuit
The hotel spa, La Amatista, has a 50-minute circuit with hydromassage, foot bath, contrast and sensation showers, hammam, sauna and heated beds, as well as a menu of massages and treatments. Ask when booking whether the circuit is included in your rate or paid separately.
A table at home
The hotel restaurant, Alacena Azul, is also open to the public. Its dining room looks onto El Playazo de Rodalquilar and the 2025 menu has a set menu of starter, main course and dessert for €25, with fish of the day, grill and Almería vegetables. Breakfast is served in the hotel itself.
With a dog
The hotel declares itself pet-friendly. You must notify them before arriving and accept their admission policy and prices, which are communicated when you book.
Rodalquilar as a base
Rodalquilar is halfway between San José and Las Negras, so from here you can explore the park by car without sleeping in the coastal villages, which are fuller in summer. On foot, from the hotel you climb to the ruins of the gold mines and the Denver plant, and El Playazo, with the castle of San Ramón, is down towards the sea. Las Negras, the starting point for San Pedro cove, is a short drive away, and San José a little over a quarter of an hour.
- **Camping Cabo de Gata** (Campsite): Camping Cabo de Gata is on the Almería side of the natural park, beside the Cabo de Gata road: you reach it by a one-kilometre tarmac track from kilometre 9 of the AL-3115. It belongs to the Campingred network and is registered as a two-star campsite. It is the cheapest accommodation in the area for families with children, for motorhomes and for those travelling with a dog, and it also opens in winter, with a climate the house itself sells as the place where the sun spends the winter.
Three pitch sizes
There are three types of pitch. The standard is about 70 m², with an electricity hook-up of 6, 10 or 16 amps and deciduous trees, which give shade in summer and let the sun through in winter. The comfort, of the same size, adds water and drainage. The grand comfort is 120 m², with electricity, water and drainage, but no shade. They accept caravans, campervans and motorhomes up to 9 metres long and 3 high. Prices depend on the dates and are checked in the search engine on its website.
Five bungalows, two designed for dogs
The bungalows are of five types, for four people and one for five. All have air conditioning and heating, an equipped kitchen without oven or toaster, a capsule coffee machine, television, sheets and towels, and parking by the door; depending on the model, a porch or terrace. Those with the suffix DOG accept pets, with their papers in order and a supplement per stay, and the campsite has a shower for washing dogs on returning from the beach.
You can cancel up to seven days before arrival and you get a full refund.
Pool with slides and a new restaurant
The pool, of almost 200 m², has slides and a jet area and opens from Easter to October. There is a playground, a seven-a-side football pitch, a tennis court, a basketball hoop and a boules area, and on special dates, such as Halloween, entertainment activities. The supermarket has fresh and basic products, there are washing machines and dryers and chemical toilet emptying for motorhomes. The restaurant, La Parcelita del Cabo, is new and has its own menu; book on 647 75 95 15.
A step from the lighthouse and the salt pans
From here the lighthouse and Sirenas reef and the salt pans are along the same road, and the Las Amoladeras Visitor Centre is at kilometre 7. For the beach you have to take the car. San José and Los Genoveses beach are about half an hour away by the inland route, because the coast road does not continue beyond the lighthouse. To arrive from the A-7 motorway, the campsite recommends exits 762 or 769, even if the satnav says otherwise.
### Servicios
- **Las Amoladeras Visitor Centre**: Natural park information centre on the Almería to Cabo de Gata road, km 7: maps, trails and exhibition
- **Summer Access to Genoveses and Mónsul**: In summer, cars only with authorisation; control car parks and a bus from San José

## Luxury: Spa, Pool and a Table with a View
Cabo de Gata has no big resorts: luxury here is a four-star hotel with a pool or spa and a morning out by boat or kayak. Two hotels fill that role well.
Presupuesto orientativo: From €150 por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in style
- **Hotel Don Ignacio** (Hotel): The Don Ignacio is San José's four-star hotel, entered in the Andalusian tourism register under number H/AL/00610 and today run under the brand Don Ignacio by Oasis. It is on the seafront promenade, at the edge of the village beach, with the pool looking onto the bay. From the door you walk to the sand, the marina and the restaurants of the main street, without touching the car all day.
Sea terrace or family room
The hotel has four types of room. The standard double has a private terrace with sea views and is set up with a double bed or two beds, with an option of an extra bed or cot subject to availability. The simpler double does not have those views. The family room has a large double bed and a sofa bed, and the junior suite adds a separate living room and sea views. All have a bathroom with bath, air conditioning, minibar, safe and flat-screen television. If you want to wake up looking at the sea, ask expressly for one of those with a terrace or views: not all of them have them.
Prices change with the date and are checked in its booking engine. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out at 12:00; according to its rules, at full occupancy check-in may be delayed by an hour.
Pool, breakfast and parking
The outdoor pool has a solarium and free sunloungers, and follows fixed hours announced on the rules notice. Breakfast is a buffet, there is a café and a terrace with views of the bay for summer evenings. The hotel has no parking in the building: it offers a private paid car park about two minutes away. In high season, parking on the seafront is very difficult, so book it with the room. The website does not say whether pets are allowed: ask beforehand.
San José as a base
From here, the track to Los Genoveses beach and Mónsul leaves from the end of the village, a few minutes by car or on foot; in summer car access is restricted and there is a bus from San José. The village diving centre, where the introductory scuba dive leaves from, is a short walk away, as is Casa Miguel, on the main street. The Vela Blanca trail starts at the Casa del Mónsul, following the track.
San José is at the end of the AL-3108 road, which descends from the A-7 motorway. From Almería it is about 40 minutes.
- **Hotel de Naturaleza Rodalquilar** (Spa hotel): The Hotel de Naturaleza Rodalquilar is a four-star hotel at the entrance to the former mining village of Rodalquilar, in the Los Albacetes locality, in the centre of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park. It is a modern building with white walls, a courtyard, gardens, a pool with Balinese beds and an art room, the Carmen de Burgos, which holds exhibitions throughout the year. It opens all year and presents itself as a pioneer in alternative energy and sustainable operation; it is a collaborating entity of the UNESCO Global Geopark.
Rooms that look onto the volcanoes
The hotel was designed so that the park comes in through the windows: from the terrace-corridors of access and from the large windows of the rooms you see the volcanic landforms that surround the valley. There are single rooms, doubles for two adults, triples for families and junior suites. On the headboards are ceramic murals by Antonio Flores, and each room has a work by a different artist. The hotel insists on silence: in the morning, what you hear is birds. The website does not publish fixed prices; they are checked in its search engine for each date, along with current offers.
The La Amatista circuit
The hotel spa, La Amatista, has a 50-minute circuit with hydromassage, foot bath, contrast and sensation showers, hammam, sauna and heated beds, as well as a menu of massages and treatments. Ask when booking whether the circuit is included in your rate or paid separately.
A table at home
The hotel restaurant, Alacena Azul, is also open to the public. Its dining room looks onto El Playazo de Rodalquilar and the 2025 menu has a set menu of starter, main course and dessert for €25, with fish of the day, grill and Almería vegetables. Breakfast is served in the hotel itself.
With a dog
The hotel declares itself pet-friendly. You must notify them before arriving and accept their admission policy and prices, which are communicated when you book.
Rodalquilar as a base
Rodalquilar is halfway between San José and Las Negras, so from here you can explore the park by car without sleeping in the coastal villages, which are fuller in summer. On foot, from the hotel you climb to the ruins of the gold mines and the Denver plant, and El Playazo, with the castle of San Ramón, is down towards the sea. Las Negras, the starting point for San Pedro cove, is a short drive away, and San José a little over a quarter of an hour.

## As a family: Shallow-Water Beaches and Short Walks

With children, the park works if you organise it by mornings: beach or walk early, lunch in the shade and something short in the afternoon. The beaches have no facilities, so you go loaded up.

### What works best
Genoveses: water that stays shallow for many metres and a 2.3 km trail

From Los Escullos to La Isleta del Moro: 1.6 km, 40 minutes

The lighthouse and the Sirenas reef, at sunset

Guided kayak from age 4, recommended from 7, in 2+2 kayaks

### Where to sleep
Camping Cabo de Gata: bungalows for 3 to 5, pool with slides

Hotel de Naturaleza Rodalquilar: triple rooms

### Where to eat
Casa Miguel, in San José: rice dishes and film decor

Picnic on the beach: buy supplies in San José before setting out

### Bear in mind
On the beaches there is no shade or beach bars

In summer, go to the beaches before ten

Stony trails: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair

### Qué hacer as a family
- Los Genoveses Beach and Its Trail
- Mónsul Beach
- From Los Escullos to La Isleta del Moro
- Rodalquilar and the Ruins of Its Gold Mines
- Cabo de Gata Lighthouse and the Sirenas Reef
- Guided Kayak and Snorkel along the Volcanic Cliffs
- Horse Ride to Cala de Enmedio from Agua Amarga

## With teenagers: Sea, Caves and a First Dive

For teenagers, Cabo de Gata is a water place: kayaking among caves, mask and snorkel on the rocks and, if they feel like it, their first scuba dive. On land, a couple of trails with coves at the end.

### What works best
Introductory scuba dive with Isub San José: dive at less than 12 m

Guided kayak and snorkel along the cliffs

San Pedro cove on foot from Las Negras

Vela Blanca trail, from Mónsul

The ruins of the Rodalquilar gold mines

### Where to sleep
Camping Cabo de Gata, with bungalows

Hotel Don Ignacio, on San José's promenade

### Where to eat
Casa Miguel, in San José

Sandwiches for the cove, bought in the village

### Bear in mind
To dive you must fill in a medical questionnaire

Trails with no shade: always water and a hat

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Mónsul Beach
- Vela Blanca Trail, from Mónsul to the Tower
- San Pedro Cove on Foot from Las Negras
- Rodalquilar and the Ruins of Its Gold Mines
- Guided Kayak and Snorkel along the Volcanic Cliffs
- Introductory Scuba Dive in the Marine Reserve, from San José
- Horse Ride to Cala de Enmedio from Agua Amarga

## With young children: Sand, Still Water and Half-Hour Walks

With children up to six, stay in the south of the park and don't chain together more than two things a day. Los Genoveses beach is the best: they can wade in without it getting deep.

### What works best
Los Genoveses beach, in the morning

The walk from Los Escullos to La Isleta del Moro, 40 minutes

The lighthouse viewpoint and the Sirenas reef

### Where to sleep
Camping Cabo de Gata: bungalows, playground and pool with slides

### Where to eat
Casa Miguel, in San José, at midday

### Bear in mind
Parasol, water and food: there is nothing on the beaches

Baby carrier for the paths

In July and August, nothing in the sun between 12:00 and 17:00

### Qué hacer with young children
- Los Genoveses Beach and Its Trail
- From Los Escullos to La Isleta del Moro
- Cabo de Gata Lighthouse and the Sirenas Reef

## Consejos

### Get up early in summer
By ten o'clock there is already a queue at the access to the western beaches.

### Walk to the beaches from San José
The track is flat and you save on parking.

### Check the wind
With levante, look for the western coves; with poniente, those in the north, towards Las Negras.

### Bring everything
Water, food and shade: there are no services on the park's beaches.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Which is the best beach for children?
Los Genoveses: water that stays shallow for many metres and a short, flat trail.

### Can you drive to Mónsul in summer?
Only with an authorised space. In 2025 access was regulated from 21 June to 28 September; the alternative is the bus from San José or going on foot.

### Do you have to pay to enter the park?
No. You only pay for activities with companies and, in summer, the regulated access to the western beaches.

### Can you kayak without experience?
Yes, on a guided route. Cabo de Gata Activo runs from late April to mid-October, from €39 per adult.

### How many days do you need?
One for the south, two to see Rodalquilar and Las Negras too, three if you want a morning at sea.

### Where can you get information about the trails?
At the Las Amoladeras Visitor Centre, on the road from Almería to Cabo de Gata, km 7.