In our post of today, we would like to highlight a kind of tourism in Malaga that is not so well known: rural tourism. The breath-taking Malaga’s mountain areas give a chance to experience nature from top to bottom as for example in the village of Benahavís.

Nature lovers will notice that Benahavís offers so many possibilities for their rural getaways, from Canyoning on the Río Guadalmina to enchanting bicycle routes. Anyhow, Benahavís also has beautiful historical monuments from the Arab era for all those who prefer a more relaxed journey through one of the typical Andalusian villages.

Benahavís is only 8 kilometres away from the Coast, situated between Ronda, Estepona and Marbella. If you are on holiday in this area, we recommend you to go and visit a day or a weekend and enjoy and stroll through this marvellous village.

What is there to see in Benahavís? A village to enjoy rural tourism in the area of Malaga

Situated in a stunning enclave in the mountain ranges of Ronda, Benahavís is a perfect mix of traditional Andalusian villages with small, white houses and narrow streets where it is lovely to be carried away and get lost and modern state-of-the-art tourist facilities and numerous splendid hotels and rural houses to stay.

If you love the Costa del Sol’s gastronomy, for sure Benahavís will fulfil your expectations as the village is known in the area as “the dining room of the Costa del Sol” due to its generous gastronomy offer, going from traditional dishes to enjoying delicious meat dishes such as rabbit, suckling pig or deer, or to other more “marine” dishes such as fish and shellfish “zarzuelas”.

Nevertheless, they also have room for a more innovative and avant-garde kitchen with for example the exquisite Fondee Bourguignonne.

But before enjoying that banquet feast, let’s first build up an appetite. What better way than walking up to the castle of Montemayor and enjoy one of the most stunning views you can have over the Costa del Sol.

After our walk up to the castle and having enjoyed that delicious meal to recharge our batteries, we can continue our route. Don’t forget to pass by the Church Virgen del Rosario, the old palace of the 16th century or by the Torre de la Reina. Finish the afternoon with a well-deserved rest in the park of Benahavís.

If you are a golf lover, for sure Benahavís will offer you the opportunity to enjoy an incredible journey on one of its numerous exclusive golf courses.

Tourism in Benahavís for adventurers

As we have said at the beginning of our post, Benahavís is an ideal place for practicing outdoor sports.

If you have the makings of an adventurer, you can practice the descent of the river of Guadalmina at only 500 meters away from the village.

The descent starts by sliding down some freshwater plunge-pools where you can stay a while to refresh and relax before starting the true adventure.

After commencing the descent, you will get to one of the most incredible places nature can offer us, “Las Angosturas” where you will see how the walls of the river start to get smaller even to the point where you can touch both sides. Enjoy the breath-taking scenery of indescribable views.

You can continue until reaching a dam, which is not too big, where you can enjoy a lovely abseil.

Follow the gorge until you finish in the calm natural plunge-pools where you can splash around and relax after this challenging adventure.

Foto: Rural tourism in Malaga, descent from the river Guadalmina in Benahavís

Bicycle routes are another favourite sport of those that fancy outdoor journeys to enjoy nature to the most. We strongly recommend following the bicycle track that goes from Benahavís to Guadalmina. You will get hypnotized by the overwhelming views and find a true paradise unfolding before your eyes.

After an entire day full of adventure, it’s time for dinner. As mentioned before, Benahavís is an excellent place to enjoy typical Spanish meals or Mediterranean dishes. But maybe you fancy trying one of the village’s most popular dishes: seasoned beef tenderloin.

The Costa del Sol in general offers so many ways to enjoy sightseeing and today we wanted to show another more rural side of Malaga. Benahavís is one of the most charming villages that you cannot miss out the opportunity to go up and visit the village. You will see, after some relaxing days, you will come back with your batteries fully charged!

Is blog is provided by a well known Spanish journalist providing services to our law firm in Marbella, Málaga. Welex, your accountant and lawyer in Benahavís, Málaga, Costa del sol.