Guided day walks in the Tabernas desert badlands of Almeria

Our day walks in the Tabernas Desert

The remarkable, barren badlands of Tabernas in Almeria provide rich walking and hiking opportunities in a truly unique European environment, especially during the colder winter months. We have been walking in these desert regions for many years now. They never fail to provide excitment and interest and our enthusiasm never wanes for this spectacular walking terrain.

Walking in the footsteps of the "Spaghetti Westerns"!

Believe it or not.....the desert area of Tabernas in Almeria offers some fascinating and enjoyable year round walking of the type normally found in North Africa. We can take you on either long multi-day traverses or on simple half day or day walks. The scenery is dramatic and spectacular.

This area is also famous for the shooting of the "Spaghetti Westerns" and a walking trip to the desert can be combined (for the kids, of course!) with a visit to the film studios and sets.Due to the nature of the terrain we can "tailor" our day walks to the abilities and requirements of our guests. Long multi-day traverses require a certain amount of endurance as the going can be rough and trackless.

We run these walks throughout the year but in our experience the summer months of July and August become almost unbearably hot.

Gallery - Tabernas Desert

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Tabernas Desert Loop

Famous Movie locations and those "Spaghetti Westerns!

A circular tour organised to take advantage of some of the best original locations for such movies as "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", "A Fistful of Dollars" and "For a Few Dollars More". Starts and ends at Mini Hollywood theme park. The route also passes locations for "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark". The start is made from the car park opposite the entrance to Mini Hollywood. A trail heads north and gives no real impression of the impressive landscapes to follow. After 1km the path drops into the Rambla de Tabernas on a good signed trail.

Turn left and follow the rambla westwards and then south through a surprisingly wet section, where the water table nears the surface. Cross under the N-340A and continue down the rambla. The scenery here is dramatic and it's easy to visualise Clint Eastwood riding off into the sunset!

The route goes under the A92 Motorway and makes a side visit to visit scenes from "The Good, Bad & Ugly". Then its back into the Rambla Lanujar as it winds its way NW through incredible western scenery. A side visit is made to see the dinosaur-backed rocks where the sea met the land in ancient times. A little further on a side valley is taken to the right which brings us out to an area known as "Salinas", huge salt flats.

A short descent is made before reaching the Petrol Station alongside the A92. A short road section follows before cutting down and across the Rambla Tabernas again and into a small valley that leads to some wooden steps which lead back up to Mini Hollywood and the car park.

A very helpful site for more information is the Unique Almeria website. The Paisaje de Cine site also offers a great guide to the movies shot here.

The Peak of Cerro Alfaro

Majestic peak overlooking the Tabernas badlands

Cerro Alfaro stands alone and isolated in the middle of the broken, twisted badlands. It rises nearly 600m to it's 744m high summit. The ascent is steep and rocky but the views are amazing. A real "birds eye" view of the surrounding desert landscape. The route starts by an old bridge where convenient roadside parking is available. Drop into the "rambla" (valley) east of the bridge and pick up a faint path which leads up the hillside opposite. This leads to the west ridge proper of Cerro Alfaro. This is a delightful path that winds in and out of the broad ridge with the views getting better as altitude is gained.

The path is rough but straight forward although towards the top it narrows a bit and gets steeper.

The large summit obelisk gives stunning views to the mediterranean sea to the south and across the desert landscapes to the snowhotos and trails. It covers barren rough terrain and some of the descent is on steep loose paths.

The return journey joins the road running alongsside the main A92 motorway and is about 1km from the start point.

Good walking shoes/boots are essential and a walking pole is helpful for the descent (we can supply).

Multi-day Holidays in Almeria

At first glance, once outside of the popular coastal resorts of Roquetas de Mar and Aguadulce, much of the province of Almeria appears to be an inhospitable landscape of stark and arid mesetas. But on closer inspection this is in fact a land of great geographical diversity, offering a surprising range of tourist attractions and activities.

To the West of Almeria, the year-round snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada National Park form the highest mountain range on the Iberian peninsula. The summits of Mulhacen and the Veleta prove a challenging climb for avid mountaineers, while this is also Europe`s southernmost ski resort where the views from some runs stretch as far as the Atlas Mountains in North Africa.

The less adventurous may prefer to enjoy the delights of the mountain foothills of the Alpujarra to the south. The constant supply of water seeping from the mountains above has created a fertile oasis here, where the resulting landscape of surging streams, lush valleys and forests of chestnut and pine provide a peaceful haven for horse-riding and rambling.

Smart Insider Travel Guide to Almeria (Spain), a Top holiday paradise in Southern Spain..

East of here, the mountainous terrain melts quickly away into the epic semi-desert wilderness surrounding the village of Tabernas. This haunting landscape bears more than a passing resemblance to the stereotypical images of the wild west. Not surprisingly, many classic westerns have been filmed here, and the tourist industry has taken advantage, turning the area into a mini-Hollywood of movie nostalgia. The desert and the city of Almeria are divided by the mountains of the Sierra de Gador.

The salt lagoons and sand dunes that extend from the foothills are a magnet for birdwatchers, and the village of Gador, as well as Alhabia and Benahadux, are of interest for their traditional cave dwellings, like cosy cottages carved into the mountainside. To the extreme south-east, where Spain meets the Mediterranean at its most South Easterly point, the Cabo de Gata-Nijar national park offers a true sense of escape. Its sparsely inhabited desert landscape reveals the most unexploited coastal gems of the Costa Almeria, its east coast being a haven of deserted volcanic coves with excellent opportunities for diving.

There are plenty of villas and apartments to rent in Costa Almeria, both in the popular tourist hotspots and off the beaten track, and getting there could not be more straightforward. Low-cost budget flights to Almeria, now available from several UK airports, has put this fascinating province firmly on the list of desireable getaway destinations.

When?

Prices

Group size (per booking): (prices are per person per day)

• 1 person - cost €130
• 2 persons - cost €85
• 3 persons - cost €75
• 4 persons - cost €65

Definition of "Group" - if you are booking a trip for 2 persons the 2 person rate applies, 3 persons - 3 person rate etc (not dependent on eventual total group size!).

Price includes:

• Guiding
• We have a limited number of trekking poles for the use of guests if required

Larger groups - discounts apply. Enquire via email or contact form