The Roman city of Ocuri (known as Ocurris) is a site of great archaeological and historical value. It is located in the Salto de la Mora, a limestone hill one kilometer from the town center of Ubrique and within the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, allowing visitors to enjoy the landscape of this area of the Sierra de Cádiz.

Its strategic position, high and fortified by its walls, along with its size, indicate that it must have been a pre-Roman and Roman municipality of great importance. This is further evidenced by the monumentality of the archaeological remains it preserves, such as the mausoleum, unparalleled in Andalusia, and the thermal baths, which are the only ones found in the Sierra de Cádiz to date.

The discovery of this important archaeological site took place in the late 18th century thanks to the intuition of a local resident named Juan Vegazo, who bought the land to investigate if the remains visible on that hill could be compared to those of Pompeii itself.

While recent research has traced its origins back to at least the 6th century BC, the vast majority of the emerged remains belong to the Roman period of the city, with a peak period of splendor in the 2nd century AD.

Today, more than two hundred years after Juan Vegazo decided to uncover what the passage of time had hidden, Ocuri is the most important archaeological site in the Sierra de Cádiz.

Access to the site is only possible through guided tours during established time slots for the protection of the Historical and Natural Heritage. Feel free to check their schedules and rates (https://www.yacimientodeocuri.es/horarios-y-tarifas/).

During the visit, you can see remains of the Wall’s architecture, as well as a monumental building such as the Mausoleum, the layout of the Roman Baths, architectural remains of houses, water cisterns for storage, part of an ancient road, and architectural remains of the Roman Forum.

Characteristics of the remains of the Roman city of Ocuri

Outside the city walls, following Roman sanitary laws, you can find the necropolis and its most important monument: the mausoleum, unparalleled in Andalusia. Inside, a series of niches housed urns containing the ashes of the deceased, as well as offerings from relatives and possibly statues.

Next, the cyclopean wall of Iberian origin stands out, modified several times, with preserved sections made “dry” (without mortar) and others with molded ashlars that could be from the Carthaginian era. In the 1st or 2nd century AD, the entrance was modified to give it a monumental character.

Behind the wall, you can see different architectural remains such as several large capacity cisterns, the forum with some “tabernas,” remains of houses and public buildings, and, above all, in the upper area, impressive «thermae». The Roman City of Ocuri must have been integrated, during the high imperial period, into the “coventus iuridicus gaditanus,” an administrative organization belonging to the imperial province of “Bética.”

The Barbate Cliff or Tajo Cliff (Cádiz) is a splendid example of the forces of nature, in this case the action of geological processes on a large system of dunes and the erosion caused by the sea on the continent.

The cliff, one hundred meters high, reaches its full height near the Tajo Tower, within the Natural Park of La Breña and Marismas del Barbate, to gently descend towards Barbate.

Tajo Tower

After the Reconquest, the Duke of Medina-Sidonia ordered the construction of watchtowers along the coast to warn of the arrival of Moorish corsairs from the coasts of Morocco.

The Tajo Tower was built in the sixteenth century by Philip II and is also known as the Tembladera Tower, and is sometimes hidden by the tops of the pines. It is located in the municipality of Barbate.

At 14 meters high, it is the second tallest in the province of Cadiz, and after its restoration, it is well preserved. It is freely accessible, and the Junta de Andalucía granted it special recognition as a Castle of the Community.

The Barbate Cliffs Route

The natural environment of the Tajo Tower and the cliffs is undoubtedly one of the most impressive on the Andalusian coast.

It is recommended to park the vehicle at the Marina and start the itinerary from Yerbabuena Beach to Los Caños de Meca. The route is about 12 km long.

The itinerary starts along a path very close to the road that ascends to the Tajo Tower in the middle of the route, revealing the impressive cliff sculpted in the rock by water seepage.

The viewpoint of the Tower will surprise us with a spectacular panoramic view of the coast, from where we can see the Bay of Barbate, Cape Gracia, and Africa in front.

On the cliff wall, there is a birdhouse used by cattle egrets, yellow-legged gulls, little egrets, and in smaller numbers, rock doves, jackdaws, and black starlings.

On the way to Los Caños de Meca, we descend through a thick band of vegetation characterized by the presence of holm oaks, mastic trees, blackberry bushes, strawberry trees, and ivy, until we reach the base of the cliff.

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The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is the first marine-terrestrial park in Andalusia, Spain.

It is a park of volcanic origin and the largest protected marine-terrestrial area of ecological relevance in the entire Western European Mediterranean.

With one of the most beautiful and ecologically rich coastal strips in the Western Mediterranean and an area of 38,000 hectares, plus a marine strip one mile wide (12,000 hectares), the Cabo de Gata Natural Park has become one of the natural gems for tourism in Almería, Andalusia, and all of Spain.

An incredible natural environment

It is a marvel to contemplate the union between the Cabo de Gata mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea, where coves are created in almost imperceptible corners along with cliffs with insurmountable slopes.

We are facing a coastal landscape in which abrupt cliffs stand out. This unique panoramic view shows us the reef of the Sirens, formed by volcanic rocks that protrude in a peculiar way, and the volcanic dome of Punta Baja.

This reef, which can be observed from the Sirens viewpoint, next to the Cabo de Gata light house, is one of the most emblematic and photographed views of the park. It is located at the exact geographical point of Cabo de Gata, there fore it is the eastern most part of southern Spain.

From the top of the viewpoint, you can observe the steep cliffs of the area and in the background, the water that surrounds the reef is like a crystal that allows us to observe the mosaic of the seabed coloring the sea with turquoise, green, and all shades of blue.

Curiosities of Cabo de Gata

Surely the place owes its name to the presence of monk seals that in habited this reef and that ancient sailors could confuse with sirens. Currently, there is no longer a presence of the semammals on the Cabo de Gata coast.

The formations of the reef that rise above the water level are ancient volcanic chimneys, and they owe their dark color to the material poured by them.

You can access the reef through a small descent and when you get there you will find a fantastic view. At the entrance, we find a stretch of rusty guides for boats and possibly unused, turning to the right and after over coming some medium-sized rock formations (we must wear appropriate foot wear) we arrive at a tiny cove with space for only 4 or 5 towels when the tide is low, when the tide rises the water practically floods the entire space.

In this small cove, we can enjoy the enveloping sensation of the rocky formations of the cliffs, the vision of the capricious shapes that stand out from the water, and the crystal-clear sea full of life, as we are in one of the favorite areas for divers to explore the seabed.