Towns straight out of old Westerns, lots of galloping, gunfire from real cowboys and endless film scenes await you in this report, for which we travelled to Fort Bravo and Mini Hollywoord in Tabernas, the "Andalusian Wild West”.
I'm sure many of you have heard of big Hollywood filmssuch as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lawrence of Arabia or The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, haven't you? But what would you answer if we asked you where all of these films were shot? We bet lots of you are sure to situate them far from Andalusia, in places such as the deserts of the USA or the Mexican border. That wouldn't be unusual.
Well, although it will surprise you, most scenes in these films and many other Westerns were shot in Andalusia, specifically in the desert of Tabernas (Almería), where these scenes and film sets where outlaws, sheriffs and inhabitants of the Wild West galloped around to their hearts' content, are completely open for visits, offering you and your family or friends an entertaining option for a fabulous day out.
Below are two of the most fun and authentic film sets in Tabernas, the desert we have come to in order to write this report, in which we would like to suggest a fabulous day out, where you will not only be amazed by strolling through the streets of a real Wild West town, but by its cabaret shows, shoot-outs on horseback and fun moments like dressing up in period costumes and even taking a ride on a horse-driven wagon. Come with us!
Living the adventure in… Fort Bravo!
The first of the places we went to was Bravo Fort. A real Wild West town 2 kilometres from Tabernas, which was built when the famous director Sergio Leone was looking for sets for his spaghetti western and he came across these spectacular desert plains where he decided to build the town that is still standing today, and which was subsequently reused for many other films and TV advertisem*nts.
The first thing you feel when you begin to stroll through it is that you have been transported to another place. You feel as if — by magic — you have gone through a door in time to the Texas of America in olden times. Incredible!
You only need to go for a stroll and, at every corner, wow! You turn to stone when you suddenly bump into characters like this one: the town's Sheriff, no more and no less.
You automatically ask yourself: But… where am I? Where have these guys come from?
Real outlaws , either on horseback or swaggering in that typical Wild West way, appear out of every alley and wooden shack.
Numerous films, series and TV advertisem*nts have been shot at Fort Bravo, and we must remember that, besides the Wild West town, there is also a Mexican area, including the church and square…
A typical Indian village with its tents made of skins…
Or a spectacular fort built from trunks of wood where we assure you that riding in on a horse-driven wagon is a real experience.
But if you are already amazed and having fun just with the place… the best is yet to come! Twice a day, action scenes are played out in the town streets that will leave you awestruck.
Specialists will do their thing on the backs of beautiful horses, falling from balconies amidst gunshots and grappling among bolting horses in the middle of a fight.
An afternoon in the Wild West town of Mini-Hollywood
After an intense start to the day at Fort Bravo, we headed towards the next town, called Oasys Mini Hollywood, where we charged our batteries at its restaurant and strolled through its streets as actors such as Clint Eastwood, Brigitte Bardot, Anthony Quinn, Claudia Cardinale, Sean Connery and Orson Welles did in their day in films such as Cleopatra, Indiana Jones and For a Few Dollars More.
One of main attractions of this Wild West town is its cancan dancing!
Several girls, completely in character, will give a fun performance at the famous Yellow Rose Saloon, a real Wild West saloon with wooden floors and ceilings that will transport you back to the time to the rhythm of the music.
Within the Wild West town, there are different entertainment areas, such as the Film Museum, located in the Bank building, several exhibition rooms such as the one for wagons, where actors such as Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood, Lee van Cleef rode on them, or an Indian cemetery that will make your hair stand on end…
Meanwhile, like at Fort Bravo, another of the main attractions in the town of Mini Hollywood is its show.
At it, we will again be amazed by a Wild West show performed by film specialists while we watch the famous bank hold-up, duels or falls from a height amongst other action during 20 vibrant minutes full of action, shots and galloping right out of real Western scenes.
Characters from the Wild West for a day!
Strolling through the streets of Wild West towns like these is like strolling through a film — it is. And to witness a cabaret show or a bank hold-up is to actually relive these films, isn't it? Then… How would you like to take part in these scenes, dressed as real characters from the time?
We couldn't resist, so we got all dressed up and we posed like this, with this look, around the most authentic scenes in the town of Mini Hollywood.
As you can see, turning into a real cowboy for a day is also possible! Lots of clothes, boots, pistols and belts await you on the same set where some of the best actors in Hollywood have acted, and today… it's your turn!
The magic of the desert, unique surroundings
Film directors from all over the world, advertising producers and top-class actors didn't hesitate to come and film here due to imagery such as this that occurs every day at sunset here in Tabernas, the only desert in Europe.
Wild West scenes like Fort Bravo or Mini Hollywood could have been built in any other part of the world without any kind of problem but you will agree that, if there is anything that you could never reconstruct, that is the marvellous scenery such as exists in the Tabernas desert.
