We do this route when the east wind (levante) is blowing, because this stretch of coast is sheltered by the mountains and the sea stays calm. When the levante is very strong we may not be able to go out, or we only go as far as the Arrecife de las Sirenas or Vela Blanca.
We set off from the beach at La Fabriquilla, a small village at the foot of the mountains. Its name comes from the little factory (fábrica) that processed lead from the nearby mines. We sail past “los motores”, the pumps that bring seawater to Las Salinas, and past El Corralete beach, with a spectacular seabed where a strictly protected marine reserve begins. Rounding the lighthouse, built on the ruins of an old castle, we reach the Arrecife de las Sirenas, an ancient volcanic chimney full of mythological stories. We continue to Punta Baja, the geographic cape, formed by lava columns that were once used as cobblestones. Then come El Dedo reef, Cala Rajá and the breathtaking Vela Blanca. Here we stop to explain what happened: why is this rock white? What is that tower doing up there? Many questions come up, and as we find the answers the landscape takes on a whole new dimension.
Rounding Punta Negra we pass several beaches, including Cala Carbón and Mónsul, where scenes from several films were shot, among them the legendary Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This is where the route ends.
