Welcome
Welcome to the Virtual Tour of the Las Amoladeras Visitor Centre, located in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Reserve, in the province of Almeria. Here you’ll be able to discover the treasures of this Nature Reserve, which is part of the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA).
At the centre you’ll find a reception area where visitors are welcomed, a gift shop where you have the opportunity to purchase products connected with the surrounding area, and a zone with information about the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA), all together in a central space. The building also has a room for meetings, exhibitions and events, which is also where a video on the treasures of the Natural Area is screened.
In the same space you’ll find the Cabo de Gata Global Geopark area, where visitors can learn about and explore other places within the European Network of Global Geoparks. Cabo de Gata belongs to the European Geoparks Network, which is supported by UNESCO, and includes areas with a rich geological heritage that have developed sustainable development strategies.
In these links you can find more information about this Protected Natural Area with downloadable material such as trails, opening hours, how to get there, map with all the facilities for public use, etc.
Las Amoladeras Visitor Center: lajunta.es/3p0gx
Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park: lajunta.es/3sq8m
Complete your visit with ecotourism experiences with local companies. You can consult the offer in the following link: ecoturismoandaluz.com
For activities aimed at the educational community, associations of people with functional diversity and local population, you can access through the link: reservatuvisita.ecoturismoandaluz.com
The Nature Reserve
The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Reserve extends over 37,000 hectares on land, and also includes 12,012 hectares of protected marine environment, spread over the municipalities of Almeria, Carboneras and Níjar. It’s a land of stunning landscapes unique in Europe, teeming with rich and varied forms of life. As a Global Geopark, Cabo de Gata represents one of the best examples of Neogene fossil volcanism in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula; an open-air museum, with calderas and volcanic domes, columnar jointing, lava flows, beaches and fossil coral reefs, waiting to be visited.
Human societies
A succession of different cultures have settled here over the millennia, and each has left its mark: circular tombs and dolmens from the Neolithic period, the remains of Roman villas, waterwheels and cisterns, observation towers and watchtowers.
The main economic activities have always been livestock farming, agriculture, fishing, crafts, the exploitation of salt flats and mining. Today, the area has also become a tourist destination, and a privileged setting used in the making of many films.
The landscape
The Cabo de Gata mountain range is one of the most singular volcanic fossil complexes in Europe, and the largest volcanic range in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the current landscape is also the result of erosion by the sea, torrential rain, wind, etc., all of which have left have left their mark.
The exhibition includes an extensive collection of minerals, of both volcanic and sedimentary rocks, illustrating this geological history. An interactive map allows the visitor to locate some of the most unusual landscapes of this natural area.
"Volcanic rocks that have risen from the depths of the Earth, eroded by the violence of rain and strong winds, battered by the relentless waves that undermine the coast and form impressive cliffs".
The climate
The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Reserve is the driest area in Europe. Rainfall is scarce and irregular: half the rainfall of a whole year can fall in a single day. Added to this are high temperatures and extremely strong sunshine, together with very dry prevailing winds. The result is a semi-arid climate.
The plants that colonise the area have adapted to these climatic conditions in different ways, represented in this exhibition. In addition, two interactive exhibits show the two key features of the Reserve's water systems: the effect of the Baetic System, which acts as a barrier to clouds coming in from the Atlantic, and the hidden precipitation, a kind of sea mist that makes coastal areas more humid.
"Clear skies, high temperatures, and no rain: this is what we call "good weather". But for the creatures that live here, good weather might mean a spot of rain, some moisture on the ground, and lower temperatures".
The volcanic mountains
Thorny shrubs and annual grasses form scattered clumps in the mountains, creating small islands that offer more favourable conditions for life, which are home to other more demanding plants and animals. An interactive exhibit shows how the different species are distributed across the mountain range depending on altitude and aspect.
Many of the plant species present are endemic species of different types, and this is reflected in an interactive map showing the distribution of some of them worldwide. All this vegetation supports an important food chain, at the top of which are the fox and Bonelli's eagle. A final interactive exhibit explains the different links within this network as they are formed.
“Rugged, arid mountains, an inhospitable land where life thrives in a multitude of forms adapted to the harsh conditions. The impression of poverty that these vast semi-arid spaces at first glance suggest is simply a mirage".
The coastal fringe
The coastal steppe, the dunes and the old saltwater lagoons, now transformed into salt flats and surrounded by a belt of tamarisks and reeds, are the most important natural environments in this area of the Nature Reserve. They are home to various species of plants called halophytes that have adapted to the excess salt in the soil. The wild jujube is particularly important in these environments; it's a large bush that provides refuge for a significant community of animals and plants. An interactive exhibit allows visitors to discover the biodiversity hidden beneath the jujube.
The presence of steppe birds in this environment is also extremely important. A sound system in the exhibition allows visitors to listen to their different songs, and differentiate between them.
"The coastal fringe, with its dunes, steppe and salt flats, is a mosaic of varied and important ecosystems. It is an inhospitable environment, due to the sandy and stony soil, the salinity and the strong and dry south-westerly winds as well as the dry climate".
The salt flats
This is one of the few examples of harmony between human activity and the preservation of ecological balance. Already exploited by the Romans, their location at sea level facilitates the direct inflow of water with the prevailing westerly winds.
The key to the biological wealth of the salt flats is the water level that remains relatively stable throughout the year, a contrast to the majority of natural lagoons in Andalusia, which dry up in summer. The diversity and abundance of living things in such a distinctive environment varies from season to season, and depends on the characteristics of the different pools.
"There are places where fire birds are reborn each day amid mountains of salt, while strange beings swim in a dense salty soup; places where it seems that nothing can live, and yet are overflowing with life all year round. These are the salt flats, fashioned from sun and water".
The sea
This was the first maritime-terrestrial Nature Reserve established on the Iberian Peninsula, and is the largest designated protected marine areas on the coast of mainland Europe. There are six Marine Reserve zones within this area, where human activity is regulated in favour of conservation. In the year 2001, it was declared a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI).
To illustrate this vast natural wealth, in addition to numerous photographs and a large mural showing the different natural communities, there are several interactive exhibits. Each one offers something different: how to tell the difference between animals and plants, something that isn't always easy, the reconstruction of the different underwater food webs, and more about the different types of marine life.
"Underwater, the semi-desert of the earth gives way to tropical exuberance: vast meadows, home to numerous living organisms and rocks where no crevice is left unoccupied. An explosion of life, in every conceivable shape and colour".