The Playa de Mónsul (English: Mónsul Beach), also known as the Ensenada de Mónsul (English: Mónsul Cove), is a

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

located 4 km southwest of the municipality of San José on the coast of the

Province of Almería Almería (, also ; ) is a province of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It was named after the Arab ruler of Taifa, Banu Al-Miri. It is bordered by the provinces of Granada, Murcia, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is the homony ...

in southeast

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is one of the most famous and recognizable beaches in Spain, and is a popular recreation area.

Description

The Playa de Mónsul is 300 m long and 45 m wide with a distinctive rock in the middle of the beach. It is located in the

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Parque natural del Cabo de Gata-Níjar'') is a Natural park (Spain), natural park located in Almería (province), Almería, Spain. It is the largest protected coastal area in Andal ...

, which is the last almost unspoilt area on the Andalusian Mediterranean coast. The beach is surrounded by the Sierra del Cabo de Gata (Cabo de Gata Mountains), which is mostly located in the natural park. The 493 m high Pico de los Frailes, which is the highest peak of the Sierra del Cabo de Gata, is visible from the beach. The beach consists mainly of dark

volcanic rock Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and me ...

and sand, like the rest of the mountain range which is of volcanic origin, that covers most of the natural park. Due to the

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

, the area only has sparse vegetation. Due to its relative remoteness and difficult topography, the area was spared from tourist development. An environmental movement was active at an early stage, which in 1984 successfully prevented a development project on the Playa de Mónsul. With the creation of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park on December 5, 1989, the entire area became protected and all development forbidden.

Film location

A scene from ''

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jone ...

'' (1989) was filmed on this beach, in which

Henry Jones Sr. Professor Henry Walton Jones Sr. is a fictional character in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise. He is the British father of Indiana Jones and is a professor of medieval studies at Princeton University. Alongside his academic teachings, Jones Sr. is ...

(played by

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

) caused a

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

fighter plane Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the a ...

to crash by scaring a flock of seagulls with an umbrella. Other films that were shot on the beach are ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

'' (1972), ''

The NeverEnding Story ''The Neverending Story'' () is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. It was later adapted into a film series and a television series. Plot T ...

'' (1984), ''

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' is a 1988 fantasy adventure film co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, Jonathan Pryce and Valentina Cortese. An international ...

'' (1988) and ''

Talk to Her ''Talk To Her'' () is a 2002 Spanish psychological melodrama film, written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. It stars: Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosário Flores. The film follows two men who f ...

'' (2002).

References

External links

{{Commons cat-inline, Playa de Monsul, Playa de Mónsul Beaches of Andalusia Geography of the Province of Almería Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park

Description

Film location

See also

References

External links