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The Coast of AlmeríaWhere the desert meets the sea
Nights: 6
Starting point: Las Calas (2*), Agua Amarga. This comfortable, family-run hotel has the perfect location right by the beach. For most of the season, you dine in the hotel's open air restaurant, and can be lulled to sleep by the sound of waves lapping on the beach. Day 1: you start by walking to a small oasis dotted with palm trees, from which you head to the Cala del Plomo cove, a good spot for swimming as the density of salt provides good buoyancy. After a well-earned rest - this day involves a long, steady ascent - you follow a path that rises above the sea and follows the cliff-top. Enjoy fine views over the sea as you walk to the lovely cove at San Pedro, once a pirate stronghold, and guarded by a fortress. The final part of the walk follows a dry riverbed before leading along the beach to Las Negras. For those who do not have a head for heights, an alternative, longer route (14km) leads inland along a series of ramblas, or dry riverbeds. (10km, 4hrs) Day 2: a short and much easier walk that takes you along the coast past the castles at Playazo and Rodalquilar, leaving you the afternoon free to visit Rodalquilar's abandoned gold mine and miners' settlement - now something of a ghost town - or to relax by the pool. (6km, 2.5hrs) Day 3: Today you have the choice of two circular walks. The first walk rises gradually to an 18th-century watchtower for magnificent views along almost all of the coastline you explore on the holiday, then descends to a secluded pebbly cove, ideal for a swim before retracing your steps back to Rodalquilar (12km, 4hrs). The other heads through Arizona-like landscapes dotted with cactus-like Agaves Americanas, taking in Cortijo el Fraile, scene of the tragic real-life events that inspired Lorca's Blood Wedding (17km, 6.5hrs). Day 4: a relatively long but easy day. The route stays close to the coast, passing some fine viewpoints, the picturesque Cala de los Toros cove and the 18th-century fort of San Felipe. For the last part of the walk you follow a wide track that passes beneath El Fraile, at 493 metres the highest peak in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park. (16km, 5.5hrs) Day 5: you are collected from the hotel for the short journey westwards through the salt pans of Las Salinas (which attract numerous seabirds and flamingos) to the Cape Gata lighthouse. After admiring the fantastic views from the lighthouse, you walk back to San José along the cliffs via the beautiful beaches of Mónsul and Los Genoveses. With its strange volcanic rock formations and massive, wind-rippled sand-dunes, the former was the setting of the film Lawrence of Arabia. (12km, 4.5hrs) Recommendations for extra nights: Las Calas (Agua Amarga) or Cortijo el Sotillo (San José) for a day of relaxation on the beach. Alternatively, you could add on a stay in Granada – home to the exquisite Alhambra, a supreme example of Moorish architecture – staying at the elegant 3* Casa Morisca in the heart of the city. Walking chart: the chart gives the distance and an approximation of the ascents and descents involved each day. If comparing holidays, please note the scale of each chart as this can differ.
Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system for the summer and spring/autumn/winter editions of our Walking and More programme. You can also read our special feature about the holiday. Similar holidays: Secret Algarve (grade 2), Cyprus' Scented Slopes (grade 2) Prices & travel 2008:
Room upgrade: Las Negras, large room £13pppn
Extra night prices:
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One of the Mediterranean's final unspoiled regions, the Andalucian province of Almería basks in the hot sun, its coastline dotted with white fishing villages that sparkle in the sunlight. Its landscapes reminiscent more of North Africa than of Europe, the Cabo de Gata (Cape Gata) Natural Park is an area of bare, desert-like hills descending to a spectacular coastline of cliffs, sand dunes, salt flats, wild bays and virgin beaches. Over much of the area vegetation is sparse, consisting mainly of clumps of sisal, esparto grass, dwarf fan palms and the cactus-like Agave Americana, making the small oases appear all the more striking. The Park, much of which is only accessible on foot, shelters numerous species of bird, among them Bonelli's eagles, storks, crested hoopoes, avocets and many other types of wader. Along the coast, gannets, puffins and razorbills are common, while the salt flats attract large numbers of flamingos. The walking is leisurely, allowing lots of opportunities to cool off with a swim in the clear blue waters. 
Las Negras 
