Playa de Mónsul and the San José coves

Mónsul is the beach people picture when they think of Cabo de Gata: a curve of coarse pale sand with a single enormous lava dome sitting on it, worn smooth and undercut by the wind until it looks sculpted. Dunes climb the slope behind, and there is nothing built anywhere in the bay.

The dome is the whole composition. Place a couple at its base and the scale reads immediately; shoot from the dune behind and you get sand, rock and sea in three clean bands. Late afternoon light comes in from the west across the bay and models the rock properly — at midday it goes flat and the sand blows out.

Two kilometres north, Los Genoveses is the other half of the pair: a much wider bay backed by dunes and agave, with a low headland at each end. It is a longer beach with fewer landmarks, which makes it better for wide, minimal frames.

Both are reached by an unpaved park road from San José. In high season access is managed — parking is capped and a shuttle runs instead, with the barrier closing when the car parks fill. Out of season you can usually drive in. Check the current arrangement for your dates; it changes year to year.