El Campillo de Doña Francisca
El Campillo is situated in El Campillo de Doña Francisca, in the heart of one of the most authentic valleys in Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. A landscape of red earth in which traditional agriculture has left many marks: farmhouses, waterwheels, wells, mills,… some are in ruins and others are better conserved. In every one of your walks, you will penetrate the history of the Andalusian countryside, with its simple and beautiful tradition and aesthetics.
The legendary Cortijo del Fraile deserves special mention, as well as the ‘ruta del cine‘ (cinematographic route), taking you to some of the places where the spaghetti westerns were shot, and the old goldmines at Rodalquilar, with galleries that have modelled a nearly lunar landscape in this mountain of great geological interest.
Time stands still at Cortijo El Campillo. All there is to hear is a rooster in the morning, the long-eared owl at night, crickets, cicadas and one or two braying sounds from nearby donkeys. Sunrise and sunset gift us with a light that is less intense and that will allow us to distinguish all the nuances and rediscover beauty.
At night, we will enjoy a sky flled with stars, without street lights, headlights, or any artifcial lighting that will outshine the universe.
Natural Park Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Cortijo El Campillo is situated in the heart of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, a protected space on the coast, with marvellous virgin beaches such as Genoveses and Mónsul. You can visit small villages such as San José, La Isleta, Rodalquilar, Las Negras or Agua Amarga or lose yourself in the semi-desert landscape made of volcanic mountains and spectacular clifs, with exceptional fora and fauna.
This is the area with less rainfall in all of the Iberian peninsula, and with the most hours of sunlight in all of Europe.
In the warm months, this is the perfect place to bathe in natural, heavenly surroundings, or to enjoy the sea diving, snorkelling, kayaking or canoeing, etc. Te sunny and temperate climate makes it the perfect place for hiking all year round, and for any other outdoor activities such as paragliding or horse- riding.
The legendary light found here, and the variation in tones throughout the year have served as inspiration for photographers and artists, and have made it a place to rest and meditate for those in search of inner peace.
It is almost miraculous that a place like Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park still exists. It is one of the Mediterranean Sea’s last bastions of virgin coast. Much has been said to describe it, but words are not enough. You have to see it, feel it, live it…
Province of Almeria and Andalusia
The Province of Almería has many places of interest to discover, such as Níjar and its craftwork workshops and shops, the natural reserve at Sorbas, with its Karst formations, the Desert of Tabernas, the archaeological site of Los Millares, the Almerian Alpujarra, and Sierra Filabres. Also worth a visit is the capital, Almería, with its Arabic fortress, the cathedral and the Cable inglés.
In less than a two-hour drive from Cortijo El Campillo, you can also discover some of the wonders of Andalusia in the province Granada: the Castle of Calahorra, Guadix and its cavehouses, Granada’s Alpujarra with its small villages such as Trévelez or Yégen and the snowtopped peaks of Sierra Nevada, along with the city of Granada, with its arab quarters of el Albaicín, the Cathedral and the extraordinary palaces and gardens of Granada’s Alhambra.
Registro: CR/AL 00084
© fotos: a.jung I o.molina
webdesign: espacio azul