Cabo de Gata: two beaches with no buildings and the lighthouse at sunset.

This Sunday does the essentials of the south of the park without hurrying: two beaches without a single building, a fish lunch in the village and the lighthouse in the last light. Everything is under an hour's drive from each other and about 40 minutes from Almería. From Murcia or from Granada it is a little over two hours: leave at eight.

The Day, Hour by Hour

9:15 · Departure. From Almería, the A-7 towards Murcia and the San José exit; the AL-3108 runs down to the village. Go round San José by the ring road and continue along the dirt track towards Mónsul.

10:00 · Los Genoveses. About three hundred metres from the end of the tarmac, next to the windmill, begins the official Genoveses trail: 2.3 km, an hour and a half, low difficulty, among fossil dunes, agaves and the bay. There is a car park of about 20 spaces 150 metres from the start. It ends at the beach: water that stays shallow for many metres and not a single beach bar. In summer, with the track closed to cars without authorisation, leave the car in San José and walk.

12:00 · Mónsul. Continue along the track to the Casa del Mónsul, about 4.5 km from San José, with about 50 parking spaces. The beach is grey sand among lava flows, with the great dune at the back. Climb the dune to see the whole coast and swim beside the rocks, where with goggles you can see fish.

14:00 · Lunch at Casa Miguel. Back in San José, on the main street. Mediterranean cooking with fish bought every morning at the fish market and a seafarer's rice that is the house speciality, among display cases dedicated to the films shot in Almería. On Sundays it is open from 11:00 to 16:30: book on 950 380 329.

17:30 · The lighthouse and the Arrecife de las Sirenas. Head back inland and take the AL-3115 past the salt flats to the lighthouse, where the road ends. From the viewpoint, the volcanic pinnacles of the reef rise out of the water facing the cape, and at sunset the sun drops behind them. At the salt flats, stop if you see flamingos.

19:00 · Return. From the lighthouse to Almería it is about half an hour along the same road.

What to Bring

Water, a parasol, snorkelling goggles and something to eat mid-morning: there are no facilities at Genoveses or Mónsul. Comfortable footwear for the trail, which is earth and loose stone.

With Children and Dogs

It is a plan that works with children: the trail is short and flat, and Genoveses is the quietest beach in the park. With small children, stay at Genoveses all morning and skip Mónsul. With a dog, each beach's rule is not clearly published: ask at the Las Amoladeras Visitor Centre before going and always carry a lead.