Magical Maro Cliffs

Located ca. 65 km from Malaga Airport and about half way between the Costa del Sol and Costa Tropical, the area surrounding Nerja offers fantastic days out for Marbella's permanent and temporary residents. The Sierra de Tejedo and Almijara mountain ranges lining the coast are an often overlooked day trip destination but are well worth a visit, especially the spectacular cliffs at Acantilados de Maro.

Activity-based Holidays at the Costa del Sol

If you enjoy sea kayaking and canoeing, climbing and hiking, this is the area for you, for the unspoiled beauty of this coast and the nature reserves along this stretch of shoreline offer unrivalled enjoyment for nature lovers and fans of active holidays.

Boasting a rugged coastline with natural cliff formations that provide breath-taking views, Maro has been spared the excesses of mass tourism and presents unique landscapes, flora and fauna that have hardly changed through millennia of human occupation.

The area enjoys one of the mildest climates in Europe, protected from northern weather fronts by the Sierra Nevada, which is just a 90 minute drive away, and facing south towards the Mediterranean Sea. The ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada, which boasts the second highest mountains in Europe, are one of the main attractions for property buyers along this stretch of coast.

Maro's Natural Wonders
Acantilados de Maro's cliffs boast a wonderful waterfall, the Cascada Grande de Maro, and it is possible to manoeuvre the canoe or kayak almost level with it, where it hits the sea. Mysterious caves line the shores and an abundance of maritime wildlife is revealed to divers in this part of the Costa Tropical.
Hire a canoe or kayak at nearby Burriana Beach in Nerja, a favourite resort with British expats living at the Costa del Sol. During the summer tourists can join several guided tours and enjoy canoeing tuition at the same time, while seeing the wonders of the cliff formations and caves along the Playa del Cañuelo Beach.

Most of the caves and deserted coves are inaccessible on foot and swimmers usually don't come this far out either, because the sharp rocks and currents are too treacherous to tackle without an experienced guide.

Bring along a pair of goggles, for it's easier to observe the underwater denizens that way. They often come up to just below the surface, presenting themselves as an easy target for a quick photo opportunity.

Several dive schools also offer lessons and guided scuba dive tours along the stretch of coast between Nerja at the Costa del Sol and La Herradura, a resort at the Costa Tropical in the Granada Province.
Ask canoe and dive schools for trips to the Los Genoveses caves, Las Palomas and
Cantarriján grottoes, three of the most spectacular natural phenomena in Maro. Since none of the caves and grottoes are deeper than 500 metres, it's easy to explore them without a guide and caving equipment, just a pair of sturdy shoes will do.

The local tourism office in Nerja also provides maps on self-guided walks in the area, several of which are suitable for families with children. The selected routes are not very long and lead either into the mountains or from the mountains back to the coast. Along the way nature lovers of all ages will see an abundance of bird species, such as Lesser Black-headed Gulls, hawks, falcons and plants like the Balearic boxwood, carob trees, juniper, fan palms and wild olives.

Getting there

Take the old N340 highway after passing through Nerja and follow it, for it covers parts of the nature reserve and Maro's own protected area of outstanding beauty, which includes the gorgeous El Cañuelo cove and the ancient watchtowers that mark caves at the Torre de la Miel, Torre del Rio and Torre del Maro itself.