HISTORY, ART AND NATURE ALL WITHIN EASY REACH

Apart from the many different beaches of La Manga and the bays at Cabo de Palos, there are a multitude of other ways in which visitors with different tastes can indulge themselves. There are many areas of interest to nature lovers, many "protected" areas with different species of birds plus places of historical interest and natural beauty.

Nearer home, the remains of walls built by the Greeks can be seen around the area known as "Cala del Pino" (The Bay of Pines). Well known landmarks in the area include the two lighthouses - the one at Cabo de Palos having been built in 1865 and the smaller one called the "Faro del Estacio" which guards the only navigable entrance to the Mar Menor. In the near future, the Autonomous Community of Murcia plans to build a cultural park on the ground which was home to the first settlers here. This will be located at the beginning of La Manga, in the area known as Las Amoladeras, and among many things will reproduce the typical "cabañas" (cabins) which used to exist there and which were made from wattle and reeds.

At the northern end of La Manga, overlooking the Salt Flats of Arenales and San Pedro del Pinatar and to the south, the Salt Flats of Marchamalo offer the opportunity to see a great variety of migrating bird-life on it's way to Africa, including flamingos, storks, herons, ducks and "avocetas".

This is where the road ends and is known as "Veneciola" (Little Venice) due to it's network of inland waterways. The beaches are deserted and it is here that the old fashioned fishing techniques known as "la encañizada" can be seen in use. To sit and watch the sun go down over the Mar Menor at these places, or for that matter, anywhere on La Manga, is an experience which surpasses many of the better known and more celebrated sunsets.

In the other direction, it is also possible to either walk, or take a bicycle and explore the route along the Mediterranean coast from Cabo de Palos to the beaches of Calblanque. The views from such places as the "Punta de los Saleros" and the "Punta Espada" are exceptional and the route is full of vegetation and aromatic plants such as lavender, thyme and rosemary. The original "breather holes" from the mines which run underneath the mountains abound in these mountains, but they are adequately sign-posted and protected by walls due to avoid accidents. At the end of the journey the visitor will be rewarded with vast expanses of unspoilt beach, surrounded and protected by the mountains which overlook the Mediterranean.

With easy motorway access, day trips to other parts of the province, such as Lorca and Caravaca to the south of Murcia, including the natural park of "Sierra Espuña". Heading north from Murcia are the famous heated baths of Archena and Fortuna, renowned for the therapeutic values of their natural spring waters. Mula, Bullas and Cehegin are also within travelling distance and renowned for the wine grown in the region. All of these visits can be planned without the need for an overnight stay.