Cabo de Palos - Murcia Province
A working fishing village
Enjoy eating "al fresco" alongside the Mediterranean sea
El Faro lighthouse - Salt flats - Calblanque Regional Park - La Manga strip - Beaches Cabo de Palos to Cartagena
Located at the start of the La Manga Strip, Cabo de Palos is a working fishing village with some of the best fish restaurants in the region. It is also famous as the start point for divers who would like to dive on the Islas Hormigas underwater preserve. The Islas Hormigas reserve has many wrecks and is host to an amazing array of undersea life – one of the best dive areas in the Mediterranean.
Cabo de Palos regional 'salt' park
One of the most amazing and famous sights to be seen are the salt flats of Cabo de Palos. Imagination plays an important role in your visit to the regional park, of what used to be a thick forest. Now laden with salt, it is difficult to ever imagine that these shores were ever a forest with thick oak and ilex. Alfonso XI described the area in his Libro de Monteria: "This forest is by the sea and located nearby is an island which juts out in to the sea for a good league (Goras Island), and the deer are plentiful." The salt flats became a regional park in 1985 and is one of two areas home to most of the Mar Menor wild life. Thousands of birds on their travels from Africa to Europe stop off causing an array of colour from the different breeds. The most popular bird to use the salt as a 'hotel' is the Flamingo casting a pink colour over the white salts as they cover the Mar Menor pools.
Between Cabo de Palos and Cartagena is the Calblanque Regional Park which is a protected area of rugged coastline and hills. Only accessed via dirt tracks, there are the best golden sandy beaches in the Region of Murcia here. Protected Natural Area since 1987 and Nature Reserve since 1992, Calblanque is an amalgamation of wonderful sand beaches, sandbanks, arid hills, cliff tops and salt flats all of great ecological value.
This Nature Reserve represents one of the last untouched areas along the Mediterranean coastline. To reach Calblanque, take the motorway from Cartagena towards La Manga, once past Los Belones, take the next sing posted exit. There is a car parking area, an information booth, a camping area and a list of recommended routes.
A rugged coastline with some superb beaches and scenery
Cabo de Palos to Cartagena Beaches
The beaches from Cabo de Palos to Cartagena are some of the best in Spain and are located in the Calblanque Natural Park. This area located between the La Manga Strip and Cartagena is very different from the Mar Menor and La Manga areas. Here the landscape is much more rugged with hills falling into the Mediterranean Sea, creating beautiful golden sand coves. This area is only accessible by unmade roads.