Almeria, is the Southeastern part of Andalucia, with less rainfall a year and long sunny days. The climate is semi-arid but still can sustain the province vegetation. Often tourist visits Almeria for its famous nudist-beaches and Moorish architectural structures. Aside form that there is yet to discover about Almeria.

Due to Almeria’s climate, mostly there are barren lands and dried up rivers in the inland, hard for the villagers to cultivate the land and grow crops. The first plastic greenhouse was built in Roquetas de Mar. For the last 20 years Almeria’s inland had been the haven for agricultural farms, producing variety of vegetables and fruits, flowers. Greenhouse farming is integral to Almeria’s economy and now one of Europe’s exporters of agricultural products. Greenhous farming is the one who paved way to tourism to Almeria. It is the reminder of how they utilized their resources for the province economic progress.

Almeria, opened its doors to tourist not only for its fascinating beaches but also for their cultural heritage and ecological tourism. In Santa Fe de Mondujar and Bario de Chanca you can see some of the interesting cave-houses villages. The sun-burning climate made villagers built their homes in sand-colored cliffs, often called casas-cuevas translates to cave-houses, provides insulation from the climate’s humidity, and chimneys to provide illumination of their house’s interior.

Natural parks, reserves and monuments are a must see place. East of Almeria is where you can find the natural park, Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park, with exceptional volcanic formations of the rocks and the cliffs, secluded beaches and narrow pathways. Cabo de Gata-Nijar Park is sanctuary to different kinds of birds, flamingos, herons, larks and so on. There is a reptilian life in the park where the Italian wall lizards are only found here. You can use the footpath linking the park to the nearby village, San Jose, the largest village in the coastal area and with three beach resorts. Natural reserve, Albuferas de Adra Natural Reserve near the greenhouse farms, still attracts aquatic birds. Arrecife Barrera de Posidonia, a marine plant that is a habitat and a breeding place for variety of fishes, it is one of the national monuments of Almeria.

More of the inland in you can marvel at the solar energy plant, Solar Platform of Almeria in Gergal, though it is a restricted area but you can see through the wired-fence the solar panels which transforms the heat of the sun into electricity. Not only you on that, be awed by the view of the constellations of the night sky in the Calar Alto Astronomical Obervatory.

Nature at its best, there is the Sierra Nevada Mountain Ranges, which stretches through Granada. The only desert that could be found in Europe is in,Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada.

This was once an economic-depressed province of Andalusia. Who knew that this will the one of the most visited places in Spain now? There is more to discover in Almeria, not just the beaches but also what their ecological parks and reserves and cultural heritage.