Cabo de Gata

You've probably heard of Cabo de Gata in Almería. Have you thought that travelling by campervan might be the perfect way to discover (or re-discover) it?

You've surely heard about Cabo de Gata in Almería — maybe you've already been there or you still haven't had the chance to discover it. Have you considered that travelling in a campervan can be the way to discover or rediscover it?

Cabo de Gata is a Natural Park of volcanic origin, one of the few places on the Spanish Mediterranean coast that has escaped the suffocating urban development affecting the whole area. Here you can scuba dive, kayak, sunbathe on the beach, go on bike routes, relax, read, disconnect. So there's no better plan than grabbing a Vanyou campervan and making a getaway to this wonderful and unique place.

We recommend discovering it outside the summer season — you'll find many advantages by avoiding crowded beaches and the parking restrictions at some spots. A quintessential campervan destination, you'll find more than one van around. As for sleeping overnight in the park, we recommend being respectful with the environment and discreet — there is a fair amount of tolerance in the area, and wherever it's allowed to park, you can spend the night.

At this link you can see two maps of the whole park to get an idea of the area: http://goo.gl/aPhOoo The towns we find from north to south are: Carboneras, Agua Amarga, Las Negras, Rodalquilar, San José, Cabo de Gata.

Some of the best-known beaches: Playa de los Genoveses, Playa de Mónsul, Las Negras, Playa de los Muertos, El Playazo, Playa El Barronal, Playa de Agua Amarga, Playa de las Salinas, Playa de San José, Playa de la Isleta, Playa de los Escullos, Cala de En Medio, Cala del Plomo, Cala San Pedro, Cala Rajá and Cala Arena. The high inflow in the summer season prompted authorities to consider limiting the number of vehicles accessing certain beaches.

For this reason, every summer since 2010, a barrier is installed at the entrance to the road preventing private vehicles from passing when the beach car parks are already full. Once the barrier is down, the only way to access the beaches is on foot, by bike or by public transport. The bus service costs €1. The five euros for parking go partly to pay the private owner of the land and partly to cleaning tasks on the beaches. Which beaches are affected? Access is restricted to the beaches west of San José, from Playa de los Genoveses to Cala Carbó.

The main beaches are Genoveses, Mónsul and Barronal, plus the small coves between them: Cala Grande, Cala del Príncipe, Cala del Lance, Cala de la Media Luna and Cala Carbón. The bus schedule to Genoveses runs from 9 am to 8 pm. Níjar town hall, which manages the service, uses the ticket revenue to fund road maintenance. Access to Genoveses and Mónsul beaches is via a dirt track from San José. The parking restriction runs from 14 June to 14 September. So what are you waiting for? Rent your campervan from Vanyou Valencia, and in four and a half hours, about 450 kilometres away, you'll find paradise.

As always, we ask you to be respectful with the environment you visit — leave no trace, take all the waste you generate with you.