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Set in southern Europe in Spain's Almería province is one of the weirdest anomalies in nature—a desert! Known as the Tabernas Desert, this hot and arid environment is the only one of its kind on the continent. It's a world away from the tourist resorts more typically associated with this corner of the continent. And yet the Tabernas Desert is a visitor attraction in its own right, noted for its extraordinary geology and a variety of flora and fauna specially adapted to a seemingly inhospitable climate. Oh, and it's also on the map for a series of influential movies called "Spaghetti Westerns." Intrigued?
Click through for some hot tips on where to go and what to do in the Tabernas Desert.
The Tabernas Desert is located in the province of Almería in Andalusia, Spain.
Covering an area of 280 sq. km (110 sq. m), this is Europe's only true desert, a parched environment where annual rainfall reaches levels as low as 160 mm (6 in), and maximum temperature regularly surpasses 40°C (104°F).
When it does rain, it's often as torrential downpours. Over the centuries, flooding has eroded the ground to lend the desert its characteristic badlands landscape.
Erosion has shaped and sculpted this land into a region of outstanding and unusual beauty, a place unlike anywhere else on the continent.
At first glance, the territory looks inhospitable and lifeless. How can anything call Tabernas home? Well, look again.
Despite its harsh and arid outlook, the Tabernas Desert is home to a variety of flora and fauna. Birdlife is particularly abundant. The pin-tailed sandgrouse, for example, is perfectly adapted to the dry conditions.
The blue rock thrush, a member of the flycatcher family, chooses to breed among the sandstone rock formations and pockets of vegetation.
Leggy and big-eyed, the Eurasian stone-curlew has a preference for arid and semi-arid habitats, and Tabernas fits the bill perfectly.
A desert species found in North Africa and Spain through to southern Asia, the trumpeter finch is so named because its song is a buzzing nasal trill, rather like that produced by a tin trumpet.
Taberna's favorite songbird is the crested lark, whose vocalization is described as a liquid warbling. You'll most likely be regaled by this tiny songbird from high up in the sky.
King of the skies, however, is the majestic Bonelli's eagle. This handsome raptor is another bird perfectly adapted to the Spanish badlands.
Tabernas is surprisingly well endowed with vegetation for a desert. Unusually, sea lavender, more commonly found near coasts, thrives in the semi-arid environment.
Embellishing the desert fringes is the European fan palm, the only palm species native to continental Europe.
You'll need to step carefully when following a hiking trail through the Tabernas Desert. The common yellow scorpion has a habit of hiding under stones, but for the most part will remain hidden unless disturbed. Its sting is painful, but fortunately with only mild toxic effects.
They look quite menacing don't they, especially with a name like tarantula wolf spider. But these fist-sized arachnids deliver a bite no more painful than a bee sting that is low in toxicity. Tarantula wolf spiders are a mostly nocturnal species, so, unless you venture out into the desert at night, the chances of meeting one are slim.
This sinewy Tabernas Desert resident is non-venomous, but beware: when it feels threatened, the ladder snake can still deliver a nasty bite. Step away if you see one!
A species endemic to southwestern Europe, the ocellated lizard can sometimes be observed basking on rocks under a hot Tabernas sun. But only occasionally. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified this creature as Near Threatened on the Red List, its numbers inexplicably in decline.
This spiky little guy is native to North Africa but has found its way over to southern Spain, probably introduced by humans. Unusually for hedgehogs, this species is able to survive in dry desert regions such as Tabernas.
The obvious place in which to ensconce yourself before exploring the region is Almería. Founded in 955 CE, this ancient city melds a Moorish heritage with a Flamenco vibe.
Sights to see include the 10th-century Alcazaba of Almería, a defensive citadel that looms large over the modern city.
Another cultural diversion is the city's cathedral. Built in the 16th century, the building is a fine example of Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles.
Also known as Oasys, Mini Hollywood is located near the town of Tabernas. It's a Spanish Western-styled theme park originally created as a movie set for one of the most influential Westerns ever made. Can you guess the name of the film?
The set was built in 1964 for 'A Fistful of Dollars,' the famous "Spaghetti Western" starring Clint Eastwood.
Designed by Carlo Simi for Sergio Leone's groundbreaking "dollar" series, the authentic-looking American desert town was also used for the sequel, 'For a Few Dollars More.'
In 1966, Sergio Leone returned to Tabernas to shoot the epic 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.'
And the Tabernas film set featured once again, this time in the Italian film director's masterpiece, 'Once Upon a Time in the West.'
Much of the original sets still exist, and visitors can wander through the hotels and saloons that once served as a stage not only for Eastwood but Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, and other American and European stars.
In fact, some of those movies were also filmed in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. This is one of Europe's wildest and most isolated nature reserves, and is all the better for it.
The park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is where to seek solace from the fierce heat of the desert, idling perhaps at the wonderfully named Arrecife de las Sirenas (Reef of the Mermaids).
The park features a coastline far removed from the Spanish Costas glamorized in travel brochures. Instead, villages like Las Negras (pictured) dot the shoreline.
But a short hop inland and you're back in the wilds of the Tabernas Desert and an environment little changed in thousands of years.
Sources: (IUCN) (UNESCO)
See also: Famous movies set in the desert
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Visiting Spain's very own badlands
TRAVEL Spain
Set in southern Europe in Spain's Almería province is one of the weirdest anomalies in nature—a desert! Known as the Tabernas Desert, this hot and arid environment is the only one of its kind on the continent. It's a world away from the tourist resorts more typically associated with this corner of the continent. And yet the Tabernas Desert is a visitor attraction in its own right, noted for its extraordinary geology and a variety of flora and fauna specially adapted to a seemingly inhospitable climate. Oh, and it's also on the map for a series of influential movies called "Spaghetti Westerns." Intrigued?
Click through for some hot tips on where to go and what to do in the Tabernas Desert.