The coast does not stay for long. After San José, the route leaves Cabo de Gata through dry plains, volcanic rock and bare hills. Around Almería, the scenery briefly turns urban: harbour, old streets and the Alcazaba above the rooftops. Then the real shape of the day begins. The Andarax Valley pulls the route inland, with terraces, white villages, almond trees and long climbs. Abla sits much higher at the finish, on the edge of the Sierra Nevada foothills.
