ROUTE · 2 days

Cabo de Gata road trip

Two days around the volcanic coast of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park: San José, the dirt-track beaches of Genoveses and Mónsul, Los Escullos, Rodalquilar's gold-mine valley and Las Negras. Roughly 180 km — fill up before you enter the park.

2 days 180 km Mar–Nov

Day-by-day

DAY 1

Almería → San José and the beach track

Pick up your car at Almería airport and take the AL-12 towards Retamar, then follow the N-340/N-344 east before turning onto the AL-3115, which drops south past Los Albaricoques into San José. It is barely an hour of easy driving, but the landscape changes fast: greenhouses and irrigated plains give way to the ochre volcanic hills of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park. One thing matters before you cross that boundary — there are no fuel stations inside the park, so fill the tank in Almería or at Retamar on the way out. From San José a signposted track leads southwest towards Playa de los Genoveses and Playa de Mónsul, the two most famous beaches on this coast; Mónsul's wind-carved dune and black lava rocks have appeared in more than one film. The track is unpaved, dusty and washboarded in places: drive slowly, keep your distance from the car ahead, and note that the beach car parks are unpaved too. In high summer access is restricted once the lots fill and a shuttle bus runs from San José instead, so in July and August either start very early or leave the car in the village. Carry more water than you think you need — there is no shade on either beach — and be back in San José for sunset over the harbour. A family SUV's extra clearance takes the washboard in its stride, while a compact automatic is easier to park in San José's narrow lanes; either works if you drive gently.

Driving note: No fuel stations inside the natural park — fill up in Almería or Retamar. The Genoveses/Mónsul track is unpaved and closed to cars at peak times in high summer, when a shuttle runs from San José.

DAY 2

San José → Los Escullos → Rodalquilar → Las Negras → Almería

Start with coffee by the harbour, then leave San José inland on the AL-3108 and follow the signs back to the coast at Los Escullos, where a fossil dune of pale petrified sand spills into the sea beside the squat 18th-century San Felipe battery. Five minutes further on, La Isleta del Moro is a fishing hamlet of a few white houses gathered in front of a twin-humped rock just offshore; the signed viewpoint on the road above gives you the classic photograph of the bay. The coast road then climbs past the Mirador de la Amatista before dropping into the Rodalquilar valley, where gold was mined until the 1960s. Park at the edge of the village and walk up to the terraced ruins of the old ore treatment plant, then wander the botanical garden devoted to the park's semi-arid flora — an easy, mostly shaded hour. Continue to Las Negras for a swim and a late lunch on the pebble beach, looking across at the dark volcanic cliff that gives the village its name. When you are ready, head inland via the AL-3106 and the N-341 through Campohermoso and pick up the motorway back to Almería, about an hour away. Park etiquette applies all day: stay on marked roads and tracks, never park on verges or in dry riverbeds, and carry your rubbish out. In summer, do the walking early in the day and keep drinking water in the car at all times.

Driving note: Coastal viewpoints have small unpaved pull-offs — indicate early and park fully clear of the road. Summer temperatures regularly pass 35 °C: carry water and never leave children or pets in the car.