ALMERÍA, CABO DE GATA, AND NERJA: ANDALUSIA, SPAIN (JUNE 2022)

After spending sometime with our family/friends in Madrid, Peter and I flew to Almeria to start our road trip in Andalusia's Costa del Sol and the Route through the White Villages (Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos). Almeria is Andalusia’s most eastern capital. Spending only half a day in this city we decided to visit the main attraction here (The Alcazaba) which is the second largest Muslim fortress in Andalusia after the Alhambra in Granada. Almeria is well known for having the only subtropical dessert in Europe : Las Tabernas Dessert (Desierto de Las Tabernas). The Tabernas is largely responsible for making Almeria the driest city in continental Europe, with annual rainfall of just 200mm. It is also the second-warmest city on the continent (first place goes to another Andalusian gem, Seville) with with annual temperatures almost never dipping below 19C (66.2 F). On our second day for the love we have for outdoor activities we booked a Kayak tour (with Cabo de Gata Activo) 40 km east along the coast in the spectacular Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park which is the biggest protected nature reserve on the Mediterranean coast. We really enjoyed kayaking in the reserve. Unfortunately we couldn't get to snorkel as that day the water was infested with jellyfish 😨!!! Finally, we headed west to Route N-340 doing a scenic drive on our way to Malaga with a stop at Nerja to explore the city and its famous caves. The Nerja Caves are one of the main attractions in the area and for good reason: these massive underground caverns were first used by early civilizations and Neanderthals until the Bronze Age housing the largest column in the world, at 32 meters high and leading through different chambers for a visual experience of magnificent rock formations! Hope you enjoy the video. CHEERS! 🍹