A covatica is a little cave, and the diminutive is charming, because the shelters of Las Covaticas are small, shallow hollows in the rock rather than great vaulted caverns. They lie in the high, dry country of north Almería, far into the hills beyond Vélez-Blanco, where the land climbs toward the Sierra de María and the horizon is made of bare ridges and pale fields of cereal. It is a very different Spain from the beach resorts of the south coast, and the people who live here are used to long winters and big skies.
The paintings in the Covaticas are part of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, the group UNESCO inscribed in 1998. In this part of Spain Levantine and schematic styles sit close together: slim human figures and animals, and also simpler signs and stick-like men that came later. The Almería shelters are among the southernmost in the whole group, and for archaeologists that gives them a special interest.
This is a place to feel the scale of the country. The landscape is open, with scattered almond trees, scrub of thyme and esparto grass, and long views over the valley. The Sierra de María-Los Vélez natural park is just to the north, and its high ridges, which rise to over two thousand metres, can hold snow in winter. Golden eagles and griffon vultures use the thermals, and in spring the slopes are covered with small wild flowers.
The roads that thread through this part of Almería are narrow and quiet. Corners are mostly open, gradients are gentle, and the surface is serviceable, though there are rough patches where rain has washed away the edge. There are almost no other vehicles apart from the odd farm truck. In winter, take care, because ice can form in the shade, and in summer the heat is dry and strong. Late April and October are ideal.
Vélez-Blanco, thirteen kilometres away, is the closest village, with a handful of bars, and Vélez-Rubio, a little further, is the place for fuel and supplies. Do not trust the tank to take you far in this country. Carry water and a little food, and enjoy the silence.