Rodalquilar: Volcanic Landscape, Coast and Mining History

Rodalquilar combines mining history with volcanic formations and the surrounding coast. The history is particularly vividly presented at the La Casa de los Volcanes Ecomuseum: it is housed in a former building called Casa PAF, which was used to extract gold ore in Rodalquilar until mining operations closed in 1966.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Rodalquilar, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the respective accommodation pages. The different route lengths, landscapes and activity types can be considered separately and fitted into your own travel itinerary.

Local pages

More local pages: La Isleta, El Pozo De Los Frailes, Los Albaricoques, Las Negras, San Jose-Nijar.

Culture

A visit to the La Casa de los Volcanes Ecomuseum provides a geological introduction to the landscapes of the Cabo de Gata Geopark and their interpretation. One room presents the history of mining, from the historical extraction of alum in the 16th century and lead and silver mining in the 19th century to the modern gold-extraction process at the DENVER facility.

The Poblado Minero de Rodalquilar is a complex of buildings associated with the lives of mining families. The basic structures of the complex illustrate the scale of the mining project in Rodalquilar. In the surrounding area, a fortress was built in 1510 to defend the alum mines.

Nature

The El Albardinal Botanical Garden is located in the former Guardia Civil barracks in the mining settlement of Rodalquilar. Its route leads through stands of jujube, dwarf palm and artineras, followed by rosemary and esparto grass; further on, thyme stands and grassland give way to fruit and cereal crops.

El Playazo lies nearby at the foot of the volcanic caldera of Rodalquilar and has fine, light-coloured sand. Its seabed is rich in natural life, and El Playazo is one of the most frequently visited diving sites in the surrounding area.

Trails

The S10 Cerro del Cinto Largo trail combines volcanic formations with mine entrances and abandoned mining settlements. The circular route on Cerro del Cinto has two variants: a long route of 10.7 km and a short route of just over 4 km.

The starting point for the trail to Cerro del Cinto is in Rodalquilar, next to the administrative office of Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. There is a large car park there; the trailhead sign is approximately 25 m from the exhibition hall.

The S12 La Molata trail begins nearby, close to Castillo de San Ramón at El Playazo. From the AL-4200 road, approximately 1 km from Rodalquilar in the direction of Las Negras, a roughly 2 km-long paved track leads to El Playazo; from there, continue towards the castle area, near which the trail begins. Castillo de San Ramón was built during the reign of Charles III; construction was completed in 1768.

S12 La Molata runs along a rugged coast with cliffs and small coves and offers panoramic views of El Playazo Bay in the surrounding area.

The S16 trail can be started near Los Albaricoques, the Cortijo del Fraile or Rodalquilar. The section between the Cortijo del Fraile and Rodalquilar has been developed as a cycle and walking path and prioritises non-motorised travel. The new S16 cycle and walking circuit is included as a proposal in Níjar's Sustainable Tourism Plan (2022–2024) and connects Los Albaricoques, the Cortijo del Fraile and Rodalquilar.

For the higher-level travel overview: Nijar.