The Gebas Ravine: a lunar landscape you can reach from your La Manga Club apartment

Half a century after Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon, you can have a lunar experience too, if you’re willing to leave your La Manga Club apartment for just a day. An hour and 15 minutes by car from our golf resort lies the Gebas Ravine, an impressive semi-arid landscape that will have you feeling like you’ve entered outer space. Declared one of the 8 Protected Landscapes of the Region of Murcia, this enclave consists not only of multiple canyons and ravines, but also the turquoise waters of the Algeciras reservoir. It has all the ingredients you need to be swept away by the magic of nature right here on Earth, even with your feet planted firmly on the ground.

Though regular trips to the Moon might be a dream of the future, the Gebes Ravine can make you an astronaut for a day. If you’re lucky enough to have bought a La Manga Club apartment, just head in the direction of the western part of the Sierra Espuña and at the edge of the Sierra del Cura, you’ll begin to note the changes. Abutting the towns of Gebas and Fuente Librilla, the numerous canyons and ravines come together in a type of labyrinth whose arid landscape is in stark contrast to the freshness of its reservoir, built at the end of the 20th century. There’s not a whisper of vegetation, but it is an area rich in fauna: a perfect place to see birds like sea gulls, herons, grebes, storks, and mallards.

And here’s another reason to delve into this expedition…the many easy walking routes, apt for all ages, that will lead you to discover the wonderful secrets this landscape hides. The most popular route begins at the Gebas hermitage and will leave you in the very heart of this capricious geomorphological landscape, also known as the “Badlands”. It’s 8 kilometers in total that can be extended a further 5 kilometers if you’d like to reach the jetty of the reservoir. You’ll come upon numerous lookout points along the way as well, inviting you to stop and take it all in. There’s the cemetery that marks the highest elevation of the landscape, and the Gebas Lookout Point, a natural lookout that also provides shelter for its visitors. And one other place you won’t want to miss is the Agua Ravine, one of the deepest parts of the area, and which serves the fauna.

If you plan to spend the entire day in this lunar landscape, you would do well to enjoy its delights with a packed picnic lunch. You can eat anywhere along the route, though just next to the hermitage there is an area specially fitted out as a picnicking area. If you prefer to throw yourself into the adventure in full, there’s also a restaurant at the Gebas Ravine, with a wide variety of culinary offers including rice dishes, migas, and grilled meat.

Did you know that this fantasy landscape of the Gebas Ravine was so close to your La Manga Club apartment? Find a date in your calendar and set it aside to make your own trip to the Moon. It’s closer than you could have ever imagined.