If you’ve always dreamed of travelling to the US and exploring the American Old West (also known as the Wild West), but can’t afford the trip, we might have a solution for you.
It turns out there’s a location closer to home that will give you all the cowboy vibes, and you don’t even have to leave Europe.
The province of Almería in Spain is home to Europe’s only desert, the Tabernas Desert, and while you might not have heard of it, you’ve likely seen it before.
That’s because the dry, lunar landscape has been used as a location in a number of iconic films and television shows over the years, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Game of Thrones.
A Natural Beauty Spot, Tabernas, which is north of the city of Almería, is a strip of 11,625 hectares of land, located between the Filabres and Alhamilla mountain ranges.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the area, which TikTokers have hailed as ‘unique’ and ‘magnificent’…
How to get to Almería and the Tabernas Desert
You’ll want to plan your trip to Almería, and from the UK several cities offer direct flights to the Spanish city, including Manchester, London and Birmingham.
The flight from London takes approximately two hours and 40 minutes.
Once you arrive, you’ll then need to take either a bus to Tabernas (this takes around 40 minutes), or you can take a taxi or hire a car which will take around 25 minutes to drive from the airport.
The best things to do in Tabernas
If you’re heading out to Tabernas, you might want to consider booking a tour. There are a number of different options, including tours by jeep, foot, or you could go on horseback through the desert to get the full cowboy experience.
You can also visit the ‘Mini Hollywood’, as there are several spaghetti western film studios set up in the desert — if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be on a film set, this is your chance.
There’s Fort Bravo, Oasys, and Western Leone, which are considered ‘theme parks’ these days, as the tourist hotspots are open for visitors and entertain families with shows and other attractions.
Here you can walk in the footsteps of Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, and more as you explore the actual locations from some of your favourite movies.
If this isn’t for you, there’s always Castillo de Tabernas, or Tabernas Castle, which are ruins of an Islamic fortress that date back to the 11th century.
And once you’re done exploring the desert, there’s plenty more to do in and around the city of Almería, including a visit to the Catherdal of Almería, or a trip to Cabo de Gata which is a national park hailed the ‘jewel of the province’ with coastal cliffs and crystal clear water.
There’s plenty of history, with the remains of an impressive 15th century castle in the centre of the city. And crystal lovers can’t miss the Pulpi Geode, an underground crystal cave, which is home to the largest accessible geode in the world.
What’s the weather like in Tabernas
There’s hardly any rain here, and temperatures rise over 30C during the hot summer months, so you can really expect a dry, dusty wild west feel during a visit.
In the winter months it can be much cooler, with average temperatures around 4C, but rarely going below 1C.
The best time to visit for warm weather is between late June and late August.
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