Cabo de Gata
Natural parkYou can walk from one end of Cabo de Gata village to the other in under fifteen minutes — yet the salt flats just outside it are the last surviving industrial saltworks in all of western Andalusia, and simultaneously one of the region's most important bird habitats. The same stretch of shallow water does both jobs at once.
A royal monopoly, still working today
Salt has been harvested at Las Salinas de Cabo de Gata for centuries, and historians trace its regulation back to the medieval Crown of Castile's salt monopoly, when production rights were periodically leased out, including to Moorish and Arab operators. That industrial history hasn't ended — the salt flats remain the only marine saltworks still operating at industrial scale anywhere in western Andalusia, producing roughly 40,000 tonnes of salt annually. What keeps the operation genuinely remarkable is what it does alongside the salt: the same canals and shallow lagoons that concentrate brine also support one of eastern Andalusia's largest wetlands, drawing more than 100 recorded bird species, a majority of them migratory, using the flats as a resting point on longer journeys.
A tiny village with an outsized landscape around it
The village itself is genuinely small — around a thousand residents depending on the season, walkable end to end in a matter of minutes, built originally around fishing and salt rather than tourism. Its real drawing power lies just outside town: the 1863 lighthouse at the cape's tip overlooks the jagged Arrecife de las Sirenas rock formations, while the salt flats' 1907 church, raised on an elevated platform specifically to avoid flooding, has become one of the park's most photographed landmarks, especially with flamingos wading in the foreground at sunset.
Greater flamingos, year-round and migratory
Colonies can swell to thousands of individuals during summer migration, with hundreds remaining resident through the year.
Faro de Cabo de Gata
Built in 1863, this clifftop lighthouse looks out over dramatic sea-carved rock formations at the cape's southern tip.
Las Salinas church, 1907
A white church raised on a platform above the salt flats, framed against pink water and flamingos in classic sunset shots.
Three signposted salt-flat lookouts
Marked viewpoints along the coastal road give closer views of the wetland's birdlife without disturbing the flats themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Are the salt flats still actively used?
Yes — they remain the only marine saltworks still operating at industrial scale in western Andalusia, producing around 40,000 tonnes of salt each year.
Why are the salt flats important for birds?
Their shallow lagoons and canals form one of eastern Andalusia's largest wetlands, hosting over 100 recorded bird species, most of them migratory.
How big is Cabo de Gata village?
Small — around 1,000 residents depending on the season, and walkable end to end in about fifteen minutes.
When is the best time to see flamingos?
Late July and early August, coinciding with peak migratory passage, though a resident population remains at the salt flats year-round.
Explore more of the Costa de Almería
Cabo de Gata is one of many destinations on the CostaMap interactive map — browse beaches, villages, castles and viewpoints across the whole coast.