Almería Spanish Properties
Regional Information
Now we will give you some information about the region where we sell our properties. As you can see from the map below, the area consists, more or less, of the Southern part of the Almeria Province and the Southwestern part of the Granada Province.
This part of Spain is famous for the coastline and the beaches, there is a lot of watersports, swimming, snorkeling, diving, windsurfing and more. But, if you are interested in what else there is to explore, then you will find many wonderful places and a vast diversity of landscapes ranging from the desert of Tabernas to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the green valleys of the Alpujarras with its beautiful whitewashed villages. You can go for short or long walks, a variety of climbing and also skiing in winter.A short overview over the region follows. There will be more information and pictures to come after extended trips to get first hand impressions and images.
Of course the coastal parts of this region attract the majority of tourists from all over Europe, especially the tourist centres such as the Urbanisations of Roquetas de Mar, Almerimar and Aguadulce on the southern coast. Here, there are also many residents from all over Europe, some spending up to six months and some permanent.
Apart from these major towns, this part of the Southern coast is where the fruits and vegetables for all over Europe are grown. These are grown under huge plastic greenhouses and cover such a vast area they can be seen by sattelites in space. The epicenter of the plastic greenhouse agriculture is the municipality of El Ejido. It is a most impressive sight when you look out of the airplane on the way to Almeria Airport.
The towns on the eastern coast like San Jose, Agua Amarga and Carboneras have now also more tourists than they had some years ago but are still more a spanish coastal town than a tourist center. You even can find lonely beaches on the coast between San Jose and Agua Amarga. This part of Andalusia belongs to the Region of Gabo de Gata/Nijar part of which has been declared Natural Park in 1987. It is a terrestric and marine Natural Park which streches around the volcanic mountain range of the Sierra del Cabo de Gata. The park has a long rugged coastline with the volcanic mountains plunging directly into the sea creating a spectacular coastline with secluded bays and remote beaches in between.
The most prominent mountain range extending over the provinces of Granada and Almeria is of course the Sierra Nevada, which comprises the highest mountains of Spain of which the Mulhacén is the highest with 3482 m. You can go skiing in wintertime and walking in summer. In 1999 the Sierras Nevada were declared National Park and is today the largest in Spain.
Between the Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean Sea lies the Alpujarras, here you can find the picturesque white villages set in beautiful valleys and terraced fields. Rural tourism is more and more popular in this region as it is also a delightful area for short and long distance walks.
East of the Alpujarras and just north of Roquetas de Mar lies the Sierra de Gador. The mountains appear more arid, but have occasional springs for example in the villages of Enix and Felix. Olives and almond trees are planted on the south facing slopes.
Only 15 km northeast of Almeria is the mountain range of the Sierra Alhamilla with its highest peak at 1387m. It is a barren and sparsely inhabitated area with the city of Nijar, famous for locally made pottery and rugs, lying at its southern slopes. The Baños de Alhamilla in the west of the mountain range are naturally hot springs and worth a visit.
Sandwiched between the Sierra Alhamilla and the Sierra de los Filabres lies the Desert of Tabernas, an arid and very impressive landscape of strange beauty and considered the only desert in Europe. It seems that life just dosen`t exist here. It has been the scene of many wild west and other films. There are still some wild west towns that are now tourist attractions. More than 3000 hours sunshine per year led to the installation of the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), a solar energy research center. The Karst en Yesos de Sorbas in the east of Tabernas is the most outstanding gypsum landscape in Spain.
The Sierra de los Filabres is a lovely mountain range forming the northern boundary of the desert of Tabernas, passing over to the Sierra de Baza on its western side. You find here reforrested mountains with its highest over 2100 m and wonderful valleys with the typical Andalusian hillside white villages with narrow streets and untouched by the tourist industry. Since Almeria province lays claim to one of the sunniest spots in Europe, the Calar Alto Observatory is taking advantage of the clear skies and houses the most powerful telescope in Europe. From Gérgal you can ascend to the observatory from where you also have panoramic views of the desert.
The principal industrial activity is in the Macael marble quarrying area on the nothwestern slopes of the Filabres between the towns of Cantoria and Purchena.
The Sierra de Baza is actually the continuation of the Sierra de los Filabres in the Granada province. It is a mountain range with mountain tops reaching from 1200m to 2271m. The central part of it was declared Natural Park in 1989. The region is sparsely populated with the cities of Baza and Caniles lying at its northern slopes.