Calblanque, Golden sand beach in Cartagena, Spain

Calblanque is a golden sand beach in the Calblanque Regional Park near Cartagena, stretching for several hundred meters along the Mediterranean. The beach is backed by low coastal cliffs and fossil dunes, and the water is clear. It remains undeveloped, with no buildings or promenades.

Calblanque was designated a protected natural area within the regional park of Calblanque, Peña del Águila and Monte de las Cenizas, created by the Region of Murcia in 1987 and later included in the Natura 2000 network. The park covers around 2,500 hectares of beaches, salt flats and hills between Cartagena and La Unión. This protection halted the urban development that had already begun along parts of the coast.

The beach draws locals and visitors who come to swim and walk along the coast while enjoying its untouched natural setting. People value this place for its simplicity and the way it remains unchanged by modern development.

The beach has no commercial facilities, so visitors should bring water and food with them. It is wise to arrive early and seek shade, as there are few natural sheltered areas.

The Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Unión rises behind the beach, and the sand at Calblanque contains dark grains washed down from its iron and lead outcrops. Look at the darker streaks on the shore: they trace the erosion of a mining massif worked since Roman times, when Carthago Nova's silver and lead were shipped across the Mediterranean.