Almería

It is one of the least densely populated provinces in Spain, and has not suffered the ravages of development seen elsewhere on the Spanish costas. Unfortunately, this is changing, and even nature reserves like the Cabo de Gata, places Greenpeace calls the "last unspoilt corners of the (Spanish) Mediterranean," are under threat.

Its main centre of population is the city of Almería itself (2002 population, a little over 173,000). Other sizable places are El Ejido, centre of Almería's remarkable but not wholly welcome market gardening industry and the resort, Roquestas de Mar.

The city of Almería itself was founded by Abd-ar-Rahman III, Caliph of Cordoba, in 955, for defence from the Fatimid caliphate in Tunisia. The city's name comes from the Arabic al-Meraya, the watchtower, in reference to its fortress or alcazaba, the second largest in Andalusia after Granada's Alhambra. Moorish influence is strong here, perhaps because their occupation lasted almost as long here as in Granada, perhaps because the reconquering Christians did not really know what to do with the place when they had got it. Many of Almería's place names, particularly, are Arabic in origin — eleven municipalities have names beginning with "al" — and towns like Mojácar are laid out more or less as they were in the times of Moorish rule.

Historically one of Spain's poorest provinces, mainly because of its lack of rainfall, Almería is today experiencing a real boom, powered, not by tourism as elsewhere in Andalusia, but by intensive market gardening, often watered from underground aquifers and carried out under huge sheets of plastic. To the eye and at a slight distance, these run into one another, creating an ugly but sea-like effect, and when the light is bright white as it often is, it is often impossible to tell where land, sea and sky join each other.

As well as being eyesores on a huge scale, Almería's market gardens have created a social problem rare in Spain, as unscrupulous owners have exploited illegal immigrants, particularly from Morocco or further south in Africa. The working conditions of these labourers are precarious in the extreme, their living conditions are often inhuman and they are resented by locals, who are, as fascists are wont, quick to point the finger of blame when a robbery or assault occurs. In the last three or four years, El Ejido has seen more racist violence than the rest of Spain put together.

Almeria Travel

This does not mean the province lacks appeal for visitors, on the contrary, in many ways it is one of Spain's most attractive and unknown corners. In the south-west lies the characterful though admittedly less than beautiful fishing port of Adra, from where Boabdil finally sailed to his exile in Morocco after the fall of Granada. Adra is called the "gateway to Las Alpujarras," the lovely mountain region north of the Sierra de Gador, south of the Sierra Nevada and straddling the provinces of Granada and Almería.

The city of Almería feels more like a market town than a provincial capital, but is worth taking a morning to explore. Inland from it lies Tabernas, Europe's only true desert, and much used as a film location, especially at the time of the so-called "spaghetti" westerns. These old film sets have now been recovered as tourist attractions.

North of Tabernas lies the "white town" of Bedar, and further into the hills, at the start of the Sierra Filabres, is another, Lubrin. Vélez Rubio, almost in Murcia, has a historical town centre, and its neighbour, Vélez Blanco ,has a splendid castle.

The resorts of Almería's costa include Roquetas del Mar, west of the city of Almería. To the east, the Cabo de Gata Natural Park is one of Spain's least spoilt corners - visit it before it gets concreted over. On the coast, its populations include San Jose, Las Negras, and Agua Amarga, while inland lies the town of Nijar. Round the cape, the coast heads north, and Carboneras, the fishing town of Garrucha, the naturist resort of Vera Playa, and the small fishing village of Villaricos. The hill town of Mojácar is Almería's most international community, many of the houses along its mediaeval Arab streets having long been occupied by artists, retired intellectuals and other Bohemians of one sort or another. The fishing village of Palomares achieved international fame in 1966 when a B-52 accidentally dropped four hydrogen bombs on it - fortunately, none exploded, but their TNT detonators did and plutonium and uranium were strewn around the area. One had fallen in the sea, and the then Tourism Minister Manuel Fraga had to take a swim to reassure people.

The Indalo. This symbol, shown at the top of the page, has been found in cave paintings from over 5,000 years ago. Seventeenth-century travellers noted how the locals painted it on their houses "to ward off the evil eye," and it is still widely respected, though taken less seriously.

Practical Almería Travel

Food and Drink. Develop a taste for fish before visiting Almería, that is the basis of its gastronomy, generally fried or grilled, but also as the basis for soups or chowders: sopa de Almería, sopa colorao, or sopa de pescado. Other kinds of soup like sopa de ajo, garlic soup, are also found. Gurullos are fried flour balls, served with bits of things, garlic, pork belly, chorizo... You can find interesting tapas in the city of Almería: loin, sausages, stews, potatoes "a lo pobre", migas (breadcrumbs), etc. In terms of wine, in Las Alpujarras, Laujar, Ohanes, Fondón, Alboloduy and Berja produce small amounts of high quality wine.

When to Go. Almería is a year-round destination. Fiestas. The city of Almería holds its feria towards the end of August. July 16 is the day of the Virgen del Carmen (patron saint of fishermen) and celebrated in most fishing ports.

Getting Around. Almería is not well served by either railways or buses, so having your own wheels is definitely a good idea if you plan on exploring at all.

Getting There. Easyjet has flights to Almería from Gatwick and Stansted, or from Bristol to Murcia, or to Malaga from dozens of places. Ryanair also flies to Granada, and has far more departure airports for Murcia.