A 5 hour trek in the Tabernas desert badlands of Almeria

Spectacular desert trekking in the badlands of Almeria with a group of 15 dutch students on a hot April spring day.

We had set off pre-dawn from Lanjaron, but the early start was well rewarded by the sight of the sun coming up over the Sierra de Baza beyond the town of Guadix.

We met our group at the entrance to mini Hollywood. It was their first visit to Almeria and a trek round the spectacular badlands in Almeria was a priority. Even though this was April, no water (well, drinkable sources anyway) is available so you should carry sufficient for the day. Also necessary is head and sun protection as temperatures on that day in April reached nearly 30 C during the day.

Maps are virtually useless. Best aid is Google Earth as you can pick out the ramblas/valleys. Ive done it in the past by “trial and error” techniques and have developed some fine 2,3 or 5 hour treks. But its taken a few trips (years in fact!) to start to get the place organised in the head. Its like a maze. Difficult to exit the ramblas too in places.

Where did we go? We initially headed north, then went in a long loop west and back south along the main ramblas before heading inland into narrow gullies and ravines before escaping over some small peaks back to the start point. We took in some spectacular film/movie locations along the route (the Good, Bad and Ugly, Indiana Jones and Lawrence of Arabia). It’s difficult to describe exactly the route of the trek. Best bet is for you to have a look at the video below shot by Pepe Badaje,  who accompanied us on the trip and also study the photos in our album below.

Thanks to our Dutch friends who provided great company during the trek.

Some info here that may help if you are planning your own trek.

Tours near the movie sites
Desert Walking trip reports

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