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Photo by Víctor Ovies

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park

By Jo Williams

Covering 45,663ha in the south-eastern corner of Spain, Cabo de Gata-Níjar is Andalucia's largest coastal protected area, a wild and isolated landscape with some of Europe's most original geological features. The eponymous mountain range is Spain's largest volcanic rock formation with sharp peaks and crags in ochre-hues. It falls steeply to the sea creating jagged 100m-high cliffs, which are rived by gullies leading to hidden coves with white sandy beaches, some of the most beautiful in Andalucia. Offshore are numerous tiny rocky islands and, underwater, extensive coral reefs teeming with marine life.

High temperatures (an annual average of 18°C) and the lowest rainfall in the Iberian peninsula (200mm annually on average) has created a large semi-desert area, with characteristic shrubby vegetation and dwarf fan palms. But the park also encompasses an outstanding variety of habitats, from coastal dunes, beaches, steep cliffs, saltpans, a substantial marine zone of 12,200ha, salt marshes, inland arid steppe and dry river beds. Designated a Unesco Biosphere reserve in 1997, the park shelters an extraordinary wealth of wildlife, including many rare and endemic plants and endangered fauna.

One of Spain's most important wetland areas for breeding and over-wintering birds is called the Salinas de Cabo de Gata, the saltwater lagoon that runs parallel to the beach and is separated from it by a 400m-wide sand bar. Located between San Miguel and the Cabo de Gata headland, this lagoon is of outstanding ecological interest, particularly for its birdlife. The salinas (saltpans) are the only ones still in operation in eastern Andalucia.

Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs were all attracted by the area's rich mineral deposits like agate, jasper and, most importantly, gold, which was extracted from the mines of Rodalquilar. A jetty at Agua Amarga was used for loading ore onto cargo boats. Other inhabitants were Berber pirates, who sought refuge in this remote corner of Andalucia, but the dozen lookout towers dotted along the coast are evidence of attempts to repel them.

Inland, the landscape is arid and desert-like, making for harsh living conditions, even fifty years ago, a period described in a modern Spanish classic, the Campos de Níjar, by Juan Goytisolo, published in 1959. A similarly bleak view is glimpsed in Federico Lorca's seminal play, Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), which features a crime of passion that took place near the Cortijo El Fraile, a farm close to Albaricoques village.

The pristine waters off the peninsula are ideal for underwater photography, diving, snorkelling, sailing, sea-kayaking, windsurfing and all types of fishing. Mountain biking and 4X4 excursions are popular in the mountains.