Peñónes de San Cristóbal Natural Monument
In the foothills of the Sierra Almijara on Granada's Costa Tropical is the seaside resort of Almuñécar, with a dramatic coastline of plunging cliff faces, secluded coves with beaches tucked away between steep cliffs and a smattering of jagged Peñónes (rocky outcrops) just off Almuñécar beach.
The first rock, the Peñón del Santo, juts from the mainland out to sea and has a mirador (viewpoint) on it, from where there are magnificent views of the other two rocks - the Peñón de Enmedio and the Peñón de Fuera - as well as Almuñécar and the coast. Either side of the rocks are the town's beaches: Playa de San Cristóbal to the west and Playa de la Puerta del Mar to the east.
The Peñónes de San Cristóbal play centre stage in Almuñécar's fiestas. On August 15, the annual celebration of the town's patron saint, the Virgen de la Antigua, features a night time procession by the sea, ending in a spectacular firework display that takes place on the Peñón del Santo. For the fiesta of San Juan (St John) on June 24, the beaches either side of the rocks are the scene of the town's ritualistic baptism, when people come to wash their faces in the sea.
