Cabo de Gata is a cape located in the south of the Iberian peninsula, facing the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to the municipality of Níjar, in the province of Almería, Andalusia, Spain.
Ptolemy refers to Cape Gata as Charidemou Acra, which means «carnelian headland.» Later, Aviano, in his Ora maritima refers to him as Iugum Veneris (Cape of Venus), in reference to the goddess of Tartessian origin that the Romans identified with Aphrodite. To venerate it, they built a temple on the Cerro de la Testa.
The current name comes from the name given by the Arabs in the Middle Ages Al-Qabta, which, in turn, is an adaptation of the Latin Capita ‘cape, head’, which would have resulted in a place name whose literal translation would be a pleonasm: « the cape of Cabo ».
The park, one of the few examples of a volcanic geopark in the Mediterranean, is an important heritage and tourist resource for the province of Almería, not only for visitors who are attracted by its natural value, but also for scientists from all over the world who find important biodiversity indicators that help to better understand the evolution of this spectacular enclave.
The situation of special isolation that has characterized this region since the beginning of the 20th century has made it possible to preserve (exceptionally) this natural enclave. During the 1950s, the Spanish government refrained from building main roads that crossed these sites. Some romantic travelers and especially poets, such as Juan Goytisolo (author of Campos de Níjar), allow themselves to be seduced by the exoticism of the park and capture it in some of their works. He was photographed by Vicente Aranda, Jesús de Perceval and Carlos Pérez Siquier, among others.
A similar situation took place with the arrival of Italian filmmakers such as Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone. Both were impressed by the natural spectacular nature of the environment and decided to shoot many of their films there, inaugurating the cinematographic subgenre known as spaguetti western. From that moment, the place begins to make an important niche in the industry, becoming the scene of authentic super-productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones and Exodus (the new film by English director Ridley Scott).
The main attraction that conquers producers and directors is precisely that strange contrast between the blue of the Almería sky and the dazzling light that bathes the arid terrain of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar area. Michel Houellebecq resided at the cape.
Sirens Reef.
This beautiful reef is located next to Cabo de Gata itself, the cape that gives its name to the natural park. This reef is formed by volcanic chimneys that emerge from the bottom of the sea. It owes its name to the ancient presence of monk seals in the area, which were mistaken by some sailors for mermaids. It is characterized by its chillingly clear waters, and by its sunsets (which are among the most photographed in all of Almería).
The legendary Green Ray of Sunset.
It is precisely from this enclave that a special phenomenon can be admired.
Have you heard of the phenomenon that occurs at the precise moment in which the radiant star casts its last ray, if the sky, clean of clouds, of perfect purity? Well, the first time you have the opportunity to make this observation, it will not be, as it could be presumed, a red ray that will hurt the retina of your eyes, but it will be a green ray, but a wonderful green, a green that no painter you can get in your palette. A green whose nature is found neither in the varied greens of the vegetables, nor in the shades of the clearest waters. If there is green in paradise, it cannot be more than this green.
Iberinbound, iberinbound@iberinbound.com incoming travel agency in Andalucia, specialized in Group tours if they are Educational, Students, Leisure , ad-hoc groups, Shorex, MICE, invites you to discover, any day of the year, everything Cabo de Gata in Almeria can offer you and make you addicted with the good weather. You will see how it recharges your batteries and draws you a big smile.
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