Marbella’s unexpected urban Habitats

It’s not unusual... as the famous song by Tom Jones goes and no doubt the Welsh wonder-lungs song will have been belted out by many Marbella tourists over the years. What is also not unusual is to be a nature lover and still live in a Marbella urbanisation. Tourist guide books and package holiday brochures may have created the impression that the area has little room for wildlife, but some surprising habitats still exist within a short drive of the resort that will appeal to natural history buffs of all ages.

Marbella’s new neighbours

What is certainly unusual is that Marbella’s holiday homes market is now attracting homemakers from much further afield than emerging markets like India, Russia and China. Marbella’s latest neighbours arrived from the Galapagos Islands and already they are happy to call the Costa del Sol their new home.

They are, of course, Komodo dragons who have just moved into the latest habitat to be created at Bioparc Fuengirola, one of the many attractions a new life at the Costa del Sol can offer families. Bioparc Fuengirola is located a short drive from Marbella.

The zoo’s new Indo-Pacific habitat will be open to the general public from next month onwards and these giant lizards are just one of 15 species to arrive from the Galapagos Islands. As the world’s most dangerous and grumpy lizards the Komodo dragons will undoubtedly become a crowd-pleaser as far as children are concerned, but there are cuddlier new neighbours to be greeted, too. Among the new arrivals are also the equally endangered giant Galapagos turtles, a species that can live twice as long as man and move a lot faster than anyone gives them credit for.

Fuengirola’s bioparc is just one of many family attractions that make the purchase of a holiday home in Marbella worthwhile. One can visit the bioparc again and again, discovering a new habitat and several new species every time. Your little explorers can become jungle adventurers for a day and explore the Jungle Clearing, which zoo staff has lovingly recreated in the park. Here tropical forest birds and small mammals flit through the lush vegetation of a miniature forest; a pioneering project as far as Spain is concerned, for it is unusual to have such a habitat in a zoo being inhabited by mammals and birds at the same time.

From Tropical Forests to Mountain Retreats

If the urbanisations of Fuengirola or central Marbella are not to your liking, try forest areas in the hills of El Madronal or La Zagaleta, where villas and apartments are more expensive but the additional asking price is entirely excusable when faced with the natural beauty of pine and cork oak forests. Overlooking Marbella town centre and just a ten minute drive from shopping and other amenities, both areas offer home buyers fantastic choice of property styles and plot sizes.
 
Next year, when the Caminito del Rey or “death walk” in El Chorro near Alora will be inaugurated, another amazing habitat will be accessible to families with older children. Aiming to attract eco-tourism, the Malaga provincial government is dedicating a budget of EUR 3.12 million to the project and hopes a member of the Royal Spanish Household will be present for the inauguration of this stunning new trail.

Passing at a height of 100 metres above the river and spanning across the Gaitaines Gorge that lies between Alora, Ardales and Antequerra, the Camino del Rey was originally created between 1901 and 1905 but fell into disrepair. The new Camino del Rey, a wooden walkway consisting of panels on metal supports that have been drilled into the rock face, will be four km long and just one metre wide - leaving not a lot of room to pass oncoming traffic. At some parts of the walkway visitors with a head for heights will be able to view the gorge below through re-enforced glass panels.

This latest venture should appeal to adrenalin junkies like climbers and mountaineers, or bird watchers, who use their Marbella holiday home as a base from which they explore habitats like the Sierra Blanca mountain range and the Ronda hills.