Carboneras: 

The town is located next to the sea and has a very large beach.  Beach side the promenade parades past restaurants, cafes and bars.  The town has a lovely town centre, dominated by the Castle of Roldán which is surrounded by well tended gardens.  The town celebrates many fiestas and in June the streets are taken back to the conflict between the Moors and Christians.  Which is a battle for control of the castle.  Probably the best fiesta is the Virgen del Carmen, this is a marine vessel procession, the fisherman decorate the boats.

Fiestas and Ferias:

July 16th - Fiesta of the Virgen del Carmen, this fiesta has it's origins buried deep in the 13th century and is the patron saint of sailors and predominantly fisherman.  The tradition is for fisherman to decorate their boats and take a statue of Carmen to sea.

Beaches:

Carboneras - El Lancon

This typically Spanish town, hardly touched by foreign tourism has a lovely beach and promenade, which makes for lovely evening walking.  The beach is sandy/small gravel, the waters edge is smooth rock and quite slippery, therefore a little dangerous for children and the elderly.  Although the surf is great and the area is great for diving.  There is an island approx 500m from the shore and it is prohibited to swim to it, as it is a bird sanctuary, although there are no signs telling you this.  But take it from me when you get back to shore after a long swim you will be accosted by a burly gentleman telling you are not allowed over there.  There are plenty of facilities here, bars, restaurants, showers on the beach, play areas for children and even a funky outdoor gymnasium for fitness fanatics.

El Algarrobico

Situated between Carboneras and Mojacar Playa, this beach is now being spoilt by a monstrosity of a part illegal and part legal hotel being built directly behind the beach.  This was a very remote untouched and tranquil beach, which is soon to become very busy.

Los Muertos - Carboneras

This beach was recently voted the best beach in Spain, the beach is sandy and absolutely beautiful the waters are crystal clear and the location - south of Carboneras is absolutely stunning. Worth a visit at any time of year.  Although I would imagine that it will get busy in summer due to being ranked the best.

Agua Amarga: 

The village of Agua Amarga is a coastal village set in the beautiful Cabo de Gata, it is a traditional Andalucian white washed fishing village.  It has a fantastic 800m long sandy beach with gorgeous blue waters.  Architecturally, Agua Amarga has a strong Moorish influence.

The village is an all year round popular resort with the Spanish and is an ideal place for a relaxing holiday.  There is plenty to do here, from walking, cycling and climbing in the Cabo de Gata natural park, to a myriad of water sports including diving, water skiing, fishing, jet ski’s etc.

Agua Amarga has some really nice restaurants and bars for some great dining, all in all it is great place to visit for a day trip or for a longer holiday.

Beaches:

Agua Amarga is a sheltered bay flanked by cliffs, its 800m long beach has beautiful turquoise waters which are excellent for diving, swimming and many other water sports.  The area has undergone some sympathetic regeneration, now giving amenities close to the beach.

Cabo de Gata: 

National Park:

Cabo de Gata-Níjar

Area: 45,663 hectares.

Geological Features: Volcanic Mountain Range, made up of 3 volcanoes and is the largest volcanic rock formation in Spain.

Information points: The Visitors centre at Los Amoladeras has a great exhibition for the Cabo de Gata and information about walks and activities.  It is open daily from June to September, 10am - 2pm and 6pm - 8pm.  From October to May, Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 2pm and 4pm - 6pm (6pm-8pm April - May)

The Cabo de Gata is a jewel of the Almeria coastline, here can be found gorgeous hidden coves with white sandy beaches, surrounded by up to 100m high craggy cliffs.  From these beaches you can experience a very special shoreline, dotted with small rocky islands and for the divers among you extensive coral reefs teeming with marine life.  There many things to do here - snorkelling, diving, sailing, sea kayaking, windsurfing and fishing in abundance.

On land you can go horse trekking, mountain biking and 4x4 guided trips through the fantastic, semi desert, salt pans, salt marshes and dry river beds.  There are many rare and endangered plants and fauna inhabiting this arid landscape.  The Salinas of the Cabo de Gata also serves as on of the most important wetland bird breeding areas in Spain.

This is a must see for all visitors to Costa de Almeria

Beaches:

This is one of the most tranquil beaches in Almeria, situated at the most southerly point of this fantastic Nature reserve, here you will find an absolute massive expanse of beaches and probably hardly anyone around.  There is bird sanctuary near by, which makes for great bird watching.  Beware there are scant resources here - no toilets etc.  Although it is a short drive from towns nearby for you lunch and necessary ablutions.

Los Esculos - Cabo de Gata

The beaches here are quite remote and the facilities offered are sparse.  The diving is good and the water is crystal clear.  In summer this beach is fairly busy, but you will always find room to set up your pitch.

Playa del Penon Blanco - Cabo de Gata

This beach like so many in the Cabo de Gata is quite often deserted and you can almost feel like you are the people around for miles.  Until summer comes, when there will be a few more tourists about.  There are no facilities here.

Retamar - extremity of the Cabo de Gato

The beach is long and not very busy at any time of the year, there are showers on the beach but very little else around.

San José - Cabo de Gata

Glorious beaches here with showers and toilets nearby, these beaches very get busy until mid summer.  yet another place on the Cabo de Gata that is untouched.  San José is small coastal village with a few restaurants and bars.

Natural Areas:

Alborán Natural Area.

Nijar: 

Town Facts:

356 metres above sea level

Municipality covers 601 square kilometres.

This town is renowned for it's Natural Park - The Cabo de Gata, which was created in 1987 and is the jewel of Almeria's crown.

The town has a mixture of furniture shops, traditional pottery and local craft shops along it's main street, these are unusually open on Sundays offering a nice day out on a day that traditionally everywhere except restaurants are closed.

The town is overlooked by the watch tower (Atalaya), which is a reminder that the Barbery Pirates used to regularly raid Almeria's coastline.

In the Plaza Mayor the 16th century church - Santa María de la Encarnación stands on the original place of the Moorish Mosque, this church is very well looked after and well worth a visit.