What to do in Almería

Almería is the capital of a province with two radically different landscapes that generate a wide range of outdoor activities. Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, a Biosphere Reserve, concentrates the finest volcanic seabeds on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, making diving and snorkelling outstanding with posidonia meadows and volcanic reef formations. Sea kayaking along the basalt cliffs and coves of the cape completes the nautical offering of the area. At the opposite extreme, the Tabernas Desert — the only continental desert in Western Europe — offers hiking and mountain biking routes through an arid landscape of gorges and clay hills with distinctive xerophytic flora. Kitesurfing on the windy beaches near the cape and mountain biking through the interior make Almería a destination for both sea lovers and those who prefer arid terrain.