Carmen Hernández
03/03/2026
4 min You enjoy the sun for a while at the peaceful Mar Menor, or Lesser Sea, in Murcia. But if you want to play in the waves, you only need to run a few tens or hundreds of meters to the Mediterranean Sea, depending on which part of the narrow strip of land on which the resort of La Manga del Mar Menor was built, you are at the moment.
The Mar Menor is a sea lagoon with an area of 170 km2, which in the distant past was the open bay of its present-day large neighbor. The cliffs on the sides retained sand and other sediments that were brought here by sea currents, until that curious strip of land was formed, 24 kilometers long, which is less than a kilometer and a half at its widest point.
The convenient location between two seas attracts thousands of visitors, and it is especially crowded in summer. If you like peace and quiet, choose an off-season stay. The Mar Menor, with its maximum depth of seven meters, warms up very quickly and is already very pleasant here from May.
Families with small children will enjoy it. The entry into the water here is gradual and there is no danger of large crashing waves, although further from the shore it is sometimes quite windy, which in turn suits yachting and windsurfing lovers. Sometimes it is sometimes quite tight there, so swimmers who like waves prefer to run over to the Mediterranean Sea.
Healing mud
“Apply mud to the affected areas and let it dry. Then you wash them off.” This is the simple advice of experts who go to the Mar Menor every year and claim that they can feel the healing effects of the local mud and water on themselves after only two days. They help in the treatment of various skin diseases as well as chronic rheumatic diseases, arthrosis and after injuries.
In the La Manga area you will find the best conditions, in the immediate vicinity of the Isla del Ciervo. However, the largest and most famous natural spa with healing mud – small lakes – called Charcas de las Salinas can be found in Lo Pagán near San Pedro del Pinatar from the inland side of the lagoon. If you don’t want to rely only on yourself, you can use the services of one of the local balneological centers. The fishing village of Cabo de Palos is within sight of bustling La Manga. It is very lively here only on Sunday mornings, when the traditional market is held, to which locals and tourists from the wider area gather.
A diver’s paradise
When you climb up to the lighthouse above the village, you will see a small rocky beach below you between the rocks, which is the usual starting point for divers. Behind the hill stretch the beautiful beaches of the Calblanque Natural Park, and in the distance the cliffs of the Ant Islands (Islas Hormigas), which have become fatal for many a ship, whose wreck now rests on the seabed, rise out of the sea. The underwater reserve around the Ant Islands with rich fauna and flora is considered a paradise for divers. In order to go to the local underwater world, you need to obtain a special permit, or take such an expedition with an experienced local instructor who will take you to the most beautiful places.
Otherwise, you dive deeper and deeper, where the silence is only disturbed by the sound of released bubbles, you observe sea animals of the most bizarre shapes and colors chasing around the sea cliffs that look more like blooming colorful meadows, you may even come across a shipwreck, which will multiply your diving experience even more.
