Almeria and particular the region around the Cabo de Gata-Nijar National Park has a rich mining history. In many of the surrounding mountain ranges iron ore and gold has been extracted. This includes the Sierra de Cabrera and the Sierra de Almagro. One of the possibly most interesting sites to visit, giving testimony of this heritage, is the Los Tres Pacos Mine close to Cuevas del Almanzora. The remains of the facility, which was active until the forties of the last century, lie in the Sierra de Almagro on the road that leads up to the Puerto del Cucharón. Formerly, the complex was linked with the embark point at the Cala de Mal Paso through a 13.35 km long Bleichert monocable system that was capable of transporting 30 t/h. For more information on the mine you may like to consult the corresponding blog of A.G. Jódar.
There are hardly any remains of the cable way, and only little is left of the embark point. The mining complex is better conserved and largely open and even the galleries can be entered. However, it must be remarked that there is a certain risk to it, as there are no security measures taken so far. To my great surprise, I just read in the Diario de Almeria that the Town hall of Cuevas del Almanzora decided to promote the scientific tourism and fostered the geological exploration of the mine by students from the University of Lorraine, France (cf. article from 25 Junio, 2021).
