Nature and (some) culture
Sierra de los Filabres
At 63 kilometres long and 28 kilometres wide, the Sierra de los Filabres stands out as the main mountain massif in Almeria. In fact, this important natural scenery runs from east to west throughout the central zone of the province, being an extension of the Sierra de Baza.
It has an area of 151,000 hectares and is one of the most iconic spaces in Almeria. In addition, its beautiful landscapes have delighted many filmmakers, both from Spain and from the rest of the world.
Although it has an average altitude close to 1,500 metres, there are areas with heights above 2,000 metres. Outstanding among them are the Calar Alto (2,168 m.), Calar Gallinero (2,049 m.) and Tetica de Bacares (2,080 m.). Bacares is a nice and quiet mountain village, by the way, with a lovely hotel / restaurant.
Cabo de Gata
The ‘Cat’s Cape’ is Andalusía's largest protected area, situated at the southeast coast. It is a wild and isolated landscape with some of Europe's oldest geological features. It is also the only region in mainland Europe with a genuine hot desert climate – officially!
The eponymous mountain range of the Sierra del Cabo de Gata, with its highest peak El Fraile, form Spain's largest volcanic rock formation with sharp peaks and crags in red and ochre hues. It falls steeply to the Mediterranean Sea, creating jagged 100-metre high cliffs riven by gullies, creating hidden coves and white, sandy beaches.
Offshore are numerous tiny rocky islands and extensive coral reefs teeming with marine life. Its climate is the driest in Europe, with rainfall below 160 mm a year and average yearly temperatures above 19 °C. In 1997 it was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Cabo de Gata offers a wildly diverse landscape with salt flats, coral reefs, abandoned farms and villages, flamingos, beaches and thriving towns such as Carboneras and Níjar.
Summarising the plethora of interesting things to see in Cabo de Gata is near-to impossible. Diverse and captivating are the key words here. If you plan to visit the area (you are advised to please consider), it is definitely worthwhile taking some time to read up in advance, carefully pick and choose what to see and then reserve ample time for the actual visit.
There's a description of a 7-day tour in the Cabo de Gata region available on the page where the link on the right will take you. The trips mentioned there can all be done with Villaricos as your base camp, leaving in the morning and returning home to sleep in your own bed.
Almanzora river
With its 90 kilometres in length that are born at more than 1,900 meters of altitude, the Almanzora river has been the foundation of many civilizations that were founded around it. It has also been used since ancient times as a means of transport and passage between different areas of the province.
The Almanzora valley (on both banks of the river) covers an area of 1,400 km2 and holds 27 municipalities. It is enclosed by the Sierra de las Estancias and Sierra de los Filabres. In this region dozens of civilisations have coexisted, each leaving their marks on architecture, culture, cuisine.
Don’t let the photos fool you, usually the river (except the basin near the mouth) is void of water. It fills up during heavy, long lasting rain falls though, like in 2012. While it is empty, it is definitely the most impressive ‘rambla’ of the entire region with many dirt roads and crossings and even soccer fields on the river bed.
Los Velez
Located in the northernmost part of the province of Almería, the Comarca (region) de los Vélez borders the province of Murcia to the north and east and Granada to the west. Three cities are worth mentioning.
Chirivel
The Roman era is present in the archaeological remains found on the site of El Villar. A past that shows that it was the transit point of the old Via Augusta, between Cartago Nova and Cástulo. The archaeological zone covers an area of 12,620 square meters, is divided into living and storage areas and has interesting sidewalks with geometric decoration.
Vélez Rubio
Archaeological material and ethnological pieces illustrate the popular culture and life of Velez Rubio. You can see them in the regional museum of Velez, built from 1765 in what was the old royal hospital, which is also one of the most important buildings in the historical-artistic district of this city.
The Indalo
One of the most important cave paintings in the south of Spain is to be found in the Cueva de los Letreros, discovered in 1861. To visit it, it is necessary to go with a guide to a meeting point and from here continue with your own vehicle until the beginning of the path that gives access to it (about 1.5 kilometres). It contains a series of cave paintings considered to be one of the most important in the Iberian Peninsula, in good condition and dating back over 7,500 years, amongst with the iconic figure of the Indalo, adopted as the official symbol of Almería.
Vélez Blanco
If Vélez Rubio is impressive, Vélez Blanco (our favourite) is of an engrossing beauty.
As a monumental enclave of great importance, there’s the castle of Los Vélez. An example of Spanish Renaissance architecture that combines the defensive aspect with the palatial, in a monumental building covering the entire region and space where an essential event for music lovers takes place every summer.
Sierra María – Los Vélez Natural Park
The north of the Almería province is a meeting point between two of the most beautiful geological and scenic areas. At María-Los Vélez we find large and abrupt masses, almost sheer cliffs that reach over two thousand metres in height at the mountains of María, Las Muelas, El Maimón, El Gabar or Sierra Larga. Composed of limestone materials, only erodible by water that flows into its innermost heart, they conceal a stunning, natural cistern that gives shape to caves and caverns - La Gitana Cave, los Rincones Summit- and offers magnificent springs like Los Molinos in Vélez Blanco.
Tabernas desert
The only real desert in Europe lies in the barren interior of the Costa de Almería and is a real surprise. Temperatures top at 48 °C during July and August.
If you’re a nature lover, hiker or someone looking for an exotic American-type scenery, you’re prone to fall in love with this wild landscape. The dusty badlands between Tabernas and Gador bring to mind dark tales from Arizona, California, and the Wild West.
The desert, of approximately 280 square kilometres, is a protected natural park and has attracted film crews since the 1950s.
The unique landscape has brought wealth and fame and made the area known worldwide.
The film village of Fort Bravo is situated by a canyon and is only accessible by an adventurous ride through a dry valley, where you pass the border post, pay the entrance and park at the gates of the Fort.
You really have to rub your eyes a little to believe that you are here in Europe. The cacti, the vastness of the terrain, the dazzling light that bathes the scene and the ghostly tense atmosphere of the film village makes the trip a memorable one.
Fort Bravo is the oldest of the 14 Western villages that were built for filming here and it is still used to this day. The two other Western towns are Oasys and Western Leone, just a few miles from Fort Bravo. They are pure tourist attractions.
Many great directors have filmed here because production costs were often cheaper than in the US and the desert is close to all the amenities a film crew needs. Easily accessible via highway A-7 and A-92, close to the airport and the port city of Almeria.
The famous spaghetti westerns of the 60s and 70s are almost invariably originated in Tabernas.
Some of the greatest legends of the silver screen have been here, such as Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Brigitte Bardot, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner, Faye Dunaway, Sean Connery, Bud Spencer, Terence Hill, Gregory Peck and Harrison Ford, they have all re-enacted their stories in the Andalusian dust. Under the direction of the Italian director Sergio Leone, spaghetti westerns emerged as the Dollars Trilogy starring Clint Eastwood: A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More (1965) and the all-time classic: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).
The most important films from the Tabernas:
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- A Fistful of Dollars (1965)
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
- Trinity Is Still My Name (1971)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Winnetou Return (1998)
- Dance of the Vampires (2001)
- Lucky Luke and the Daltons (2004)
- Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
The wild country that is located just 30 minutes from the fantastic natural beaches of Cabo de Gata has created a new income for the locals, who have readily taken to the film industry. Every year hundreds of Andalusians from the surrounding villages work as extras, earning a little pocket money.
If you visit the fort, you should inquire at the entrance as to the timings of the Western shows. They are really funny, directed by drama students or even the likes of Rafael, who have dedicated their lives to the local film industry.
Enactments take place in the dark saloon among the old wooden tables, or at the bar ordering a whiskey. They have become an integral part of a spectacle in which we cannot distinguish between reality and show.