Mojácar: great beaches & a white Moorish town

At the southeast corner of Spain, next to the natural park of Cabo de Gata-Níjar, lies Mojácar. A white, Moorish-origin town towers over the best beaches of the Almería province. Go inside its snaking streets and discover its most amazing historical corners. Revel in the bright colours of the flowers against the white of the houses and the blue of the sky. Downtown is a three-kilometres-long promenade surrounded by pubs and restaurants where you can enjoy fresh beer and great food. And if you have hired a car and want to get away, take the pretty road leading to Carboneras, and you will have the best views of the Cabrera Sierra and the Mediterranean sea. You can have all this at Mojácar: great beaches and a white Moorish town!

A bit of history

Mojácar was inhabited already in pre-Roman times, and there are some interesting archaeological sites in the area. However, it became important only after the Moorish arrived in Spain. As a matter of fact, there is an old Mojácar down the mountain, where the land is better. But with the wars, the local Arabian community had to flee to the mountain, to its current location. You can spot the old one from Plaza Nueva, one of the best viewpoints of Mojácar. 

Plaza Nueva of Mojácar

04638 Mojácar, Almería, España

As it happens, Mojácar, like Conil, Jerez de la Frontera and Setenil de las Bodegas, was at the border with the Kingdom of Granada, the last surviving Moorish territory in Spain, so it was very well defended. For instance, its main church, Santa María, has a very unordinary façade, looking more like a defensive wall than a true religious building. Of course, the Santa Maria church was built over the ancient local mosque, as it was a tradition in towns with Islamic origins. 

Santa Maria Church, Mojácar

Plaza Iglesia, 2D, 04638 Mojácar, Almería, España

Also, to protect the area from the pirates, the Moorish and the Spanish built many towers along the coastline. You can visit a few nearby: Macenas Tower and Villaricos Tower. 

Mojácar surrendered peacefully to the Catholic kings via an interview that was held, according to the tradition, on Fuente Mora (the Moorish fountain), a beautiful spring with thirteen faucets, one of the places you cannot miss while visiting Mojácar. The other is the cave underneath Plaza Nueva, one of the many underneath the town. It has a very interesting tradition concerning a beautiful local woman and an evil sorcerer. During the Black Death epidemy, the wizard claimed to have a magic potion to cure it. He would only use it if she married him, which she did to save Mojácar. But then he kept procrastinating the affair, and therefore one night, while he was asleep, she took the jar and opened it to save the village. She also spilt the liquid in his mouth, and some fell on her hand. Because of this, they both have been enchanted and roam this cave. 

What to do

You are in Mojácar, the place with the best beaches in Almería! Seventeen kilometres of sandy beaches await you, and when you are done, you still have the beautiful Playa de los Muertos and Playazo very close to enjoy as well. La Rumina is one of the best local ones. It has good access, is very close to Mojácar, and belongs to the Aguas River protected area, making it very popular. If you are looking for a nice place to stay, Hostal Rincón de Diego is only 65 m away, and all the rooms have a balcony to enjoy the gorgeous view of the surrounding landscape. 

Playa de los Muertos, along Ameria coast

Playa de los Muertos, Almería, Spain

However, if you would rather spend the night at Mojácar, you can enjoy yourself at Hostal El Olivar. Set in the historic town and only a 5 minutes drive from the beach, you can revel in the views of the Sierra Cabrera Mountains on their sun terrace with a hammock. They even have a Finnish sauna!

Back to activities you cannot miss while being here, I would definitely recommend a drive to Carboneras, a place where many classic films were shot (like Lawrence of Arabia). That coast road was one of the most stunning rides I have ever done. Snaking up through the mountains, with the sea on one side and Sierra Cabrera on the other, it was just an unforgettable experience. I tried to look up a video to share with you, but I could not find any that did justice to it!

And last but not least, you are next to one of the greatest natural parks of Spain: Cabo de Gata-Níjar, one of the last European unspoiled areas. Hop on this tour to enjoy its sheer nature, including coral reefs, hidden coves, and turquoise water beaches… See? There are so many reasons to visit this area, but the main one, no doubt, is Mojácar: great beaches and a white Moorish town!