What drives us to choose a territory to walk through? In other words, what are the values we prioritize over others during the selection process? Obviously, there is no single answer, nor a hiker’s checklist ready at hand to make things easier for us.
Currently, it is becoming difficult to find relevant walking destinations that haven’t reached high levels of overcrowding. Hiking in Spain, then, is a matter of dates and of aligning with the most appropriate calendar our choice. I know that every reader already has their own experience and the necessary confidence in advertising slogans, hiking wikis, and so on. But what if you don’t? What if it is our first experience as a walker? Let me offer you a portrait of one of these destinations and what it will be like to become a traveler along its paths. Cabo de Gata, a walking tour through Mediterranean Spain, helps as our showcase.
These are my basic tips for making a decision if you are a hiker, a flâneur, and a romantic of landscapes:
The basics
Fifty years ago, when a family stopped in front of the shoreline, a child could jump out of the car, ignore their mother’s cautious voice, and run toward the sea—unknown, drawn by the sound and the scent of the salty air. It was a sprint toward a postcard image, a picture from a book made suddenly real: the sight of the sand, the sea, and an infinite horizon. Like many boys and girls of the 60s, I was fortunate enough to live that first-hand experience -reaching nearly empty beaches and running along trails that hadn’t even been “invented” yet.
This deep, rich personal feeling of being the first no longer is possible—at least not in that way. The good news is that you can stay one step ahead of time and find the right moment to make it happen. This is where the journey begins. Where it ends is up to you; and above all, reader, remember that this is an act of advocacy and exaltation, and as such, it requires a feeling born from YOUR own needs as a WALKER.
The basics mean types of accommodation and price ranges; the kilometers we will walk daily, including difficulty levels and elevation gains; and exit options (points where you can cut the route short). Possibly even a reference to personal commitment regarding our age, minimum required physical condition, and experience. Do not forget that a lack of experience is not a limitation, and that in guided programs, you will always have advice and solutions within reach.
Another basic factor is the inclemency of the weather, including unforeseen meteorological conditions during the walk. These could certainly alter our plans, but they also add character to the journey and ensure it remains in our memory—whether they are experienced with tension at times or with enthusiastic excitement at others. A scorching sun, a sudden downpour, the crack of nearby thunder, but also an unplanned swim or even its refreshing perception from a distance —all of these disrupt the walker’s routine.
In the 21st century, finding answers to all of the above is very simple, and locating proposals that satisfy the most basic needs is no longer even essential. So far, there is nothing here that you won’t find on hundreds of websites about how to choose, which are generally very well-documented.
Sea and Land: My Journey to Cabo de Gata
Once all the utilitarian demands of our program have been met, we approach less rational decisions—tastes—although the discussion about what is rational and what is not, and the limits of said rationality, could be endless. Let’s look then at those preferences.
We like THIS. THIS is beautiful.
The matrix landscape of the journey is a volcanic desert with the sea as its horizon. Its path—that physical and mental itinerary through which we narrate the trip along the coast—is not spontaneous. It tackles hills and disappears into depressions in the terrain, always in search of scenarios. It is a path of the sea, a winding stitch that unites the most interesting spots, determining the order and sequence of the different perspectives to be contemplated.
We walk from village to village. In March, the white buildings are manifestations of silence, just days before the arrival of the bustle and crowds of the spring season. Agua Amarga, Las Negras, Rodalquilar, Isleta del Moro, San José, and Cabo de Gata are the names of the milestones that will offer rest to the traveler. Their architecture is common to other Mediterranean coastal settlements; its origin, brought by seafaring cultures from the Near East, shows few openings, flat roofs, and whitewashed facades. These all are common traits for environments where excessive light, high temperatures, and sparse rainfall dictate construction strategies. The rectangular floor plan is the building pattern, with structures rarely exceeding two stories in height.
The current oversight imposed by its status as a Natural Park sets limits on future and disrespectful urban expansion, keeping the coast free from any evidence of speculation. In other times, it was the mining setbacks, extreme aridity, and poor communications that unintentionally preserved the area in isolation, with low population densities and far from tourist pressure.
Although the physical itinerary of the Park’s towns is limited, the mental narrative about their history is extraordinarily extensive. This other route connects Neolithic cultures with Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans, who alternated in the occupation and exploitation of the territory. The current place names (toponymy) bear good witness to their passage. We should pay special attention to the Islam period, corsair activities, the Reconquista, and subsequent efforts to maintain control over Mediterranean trade. Numerous military constructions—watchtowers and castles—dot the coastal path between towns, which defended them from Berber looting.
From town to town, the coastal landscape always appears in a pair: sea and land. And in the relationship between the two, stories of effort find their space, in which locals tried to wrest a wealth from the desert that it could barely provide. Agricultural activity and the aridity of the environment have generated complementary constructions of relevance in the desert landscape that might perhaps go unnoticed in another setting. This is vernacular architecture, of the common people—architecture without pedigree and without architects. These are agricultural terraces, cisterns for storing rainwater, wells, waterwheels (norias), and windmills, all with organic forms. One can learn and understand much from this architecture, from masters without formal training but with an admirable talent for accommodating buildings by accepting the challenges of the climate and topography. Though now arguments for silence, they are another vision of adaptation.
Scenic backdrop: Trails of the Sea.
The continuous journey along the coast constantly exposes the view of the marine horizon as its main attraction. The sound of the waves, their rhythmic movement, their repeated impact against the rocks, even the smell—although not properly the horizon itself—compose the most prominent part of that persistence. We admire the whole ensemble as a scenic backdrop. But beyond the panoramic vision that provides our personal idea of beauty, a complete understanding of the Mediterranean desert requires traversing it, not just staying at the threshold. The experience lies largely in the walker’s effort, measuring themselves against nature and appreciating the essence of each corner. Every corner of the landscape offers a series of motifs for the spirit. This sentimental geography is something you will hardly find on websites or in brochures.
Day by day, we add our own walking to this scenic backdrop. We add the coves where we pause, the dunes to ascend and descend, their sectors of fine sands and whispering pebbles. Cala del Plomo, Enmedio, Mónsul, and Cala Chica are just a few of the many remarkable corners. We add high vantage points—geodesic vertices that crown the coast and offer excellent views over the landscape we have traversed. It is a roller coaster of appearing and disappearing above and below cliffs, right by the water, treading upon extinct volcanic episodes of lava, basalt, and pyroclastic ash. Torre los Lobos, Los Frailes, Cerro Genoveses, and Arrecife del Dedo give names to the coastal orography. The nearly 70 kilometers of the Natural Park’s coastline, irregular and labyrinthine, are the continuation of a stage that emerged from the sea amidst volcanic convulsions, forming part of an underwater region—Alborán—that extends to North Africa, where it emerges once again.
Fortunately, all of this exposure—free from urban interruptions—can be enjoyed in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park. Landscapes chosen and valued in this way produce such an abundance of geographical essence that we can consider them excellent; it is precisely within this essence where their power and strength reside.
Jules Verne did not travel here, nor did he likely find inspiring texts that would lead him to imagine adventures in this territory filled with volcanic blisters. Fifteen million years have passed—give or take a million—and this clash of giants between the African and Iberian plates has left another stage ready for one of Verne’s novels. However, I don’t imagine Mr. Verne amidst sulfurous cracks and infernal lavas. Rather, I see a wanderer of empty coves and March Mediterranean sun. He already knows of the times of Barbary pirates, lootings, and the fortifications of past centuries. Now, he wonders about the remains of trousers and sneakers stranded on the shoreline pebbles, without their pair or owner. They too are landscape: a landscape of water canisters, of abandoned clothes saturated with cold and salt breeze, discarded for dry ones; of plastic bags for mobile phones—the only connection between desperation and hope—and jugs of fresh water, the first sip of hope. Africa is right there, straight ahead, so very close.
The protected area of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Maritime-Terrestrial Natural Park, with its 37,500 terrestrial hectares and 12,126 marine hectares, was declared in 1987…
Key data.
- Distance/Duration: 77 km / 5 days of walking
- Difficulty: Easy (approx. 5 hours walking per day)
- Terrain/Scenery:
- Mid-mountain areas
- Coastal landscape
- Beaches
- Cliffs
- Steppe/desert environment
- Volcanic terrain
- Evidence of water erosion and geological past
- Route Style: Walking from village to village
- More Information Senderos del Mar. Cabo de Gata