We hiked the most dangerous hike in the world, Caminito del Rey! Just kidding, mostly. At one point…read morein time, this hike near Málaga was actually known as the world's most dangerous due to its crumbling walkways along the Gaitanes Gorge, with sheer drops of over 300 feet. There were several fatalities, leading to its closer in the early 2000s, but after a major reconstruction, the hike reopened in 2015. We got unlucky with the weather today - it was the first rain of the trip, but honestly gave the hike very mystic and ethereal vibes.The hike itself was super easy - minimal elevation gain and point-to-point took about 2-3 hours with a guide (not required but included in price of admission and nice to hear the history of the hike, and flora/fauna of the area). The name in English means "The King's Little Pathway", and was given when the Spanish King Alfonso XIII came to inaugurate the path in 1921, and appeared visibly scared as he crossed the pathway straddling the gorge, hundreds of feet above the river below. About halfway through our hike, we pulled out some homemade #scenicsammies we made for the hike - we got a baguette from a bakery in Ronda, some Iberian ham from a deli shop, and some nice hard cheese from another gourmet deli - it hit the spot! Back to the hike - our guide, Lucia, was super enthusiastic and kept us thoroughly entertained on our hike, which culminated by crossing the infamous suspension bridge before a short walk to the town of El Chorro, where we caught the shuttle bus back to the visitor center parking lot.

Super easy walk, no effort at all so any ability can do this…read more A bit UNDERwhelming as way way too many people. We started at 8:50 and it was very crowded even then. Large tour groups with the headsets listening to a guide. Ohhhh why?? Why would you want to experience nature like this? Of course all is very beautiful. Just wish they would sell HALF the alloted tickets per time schedules.

At the time of this review, Sierra de las Nieves ("range of the snows") is about to become a…read moreNational Park (it became a Natural Park in 1989). In 1995, it became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. We drove along the western border of the park, on our way from Marbella to Ronda. The views are breathtaking, and I got to see a lot of what my research on the park described of its terrain. Here is a summary about the park, from my research of various sources: The park surrounds the Sierra de las Nieves mountain range in the Málaga province, in Andalucia. La Torrecilla (1,919 m) is the highest point in the range. It also hosts one of the deepest shafts in Europe (named "GESM"). Lots of limestone in this region gives the park white cliffs, spotted with reddish iron deposits. Sierra de las Nieves has numerous caves, the most well-known are Hoyos del Pilar, Hoyos de Lifa, and Cuevas del Moro. Apparently, the name of the Park came from its snowy peaks, which used to be more plentiful than in our current (warmer) global climate. Back when, the locals stored the snow in "snowfields" and carted it down to the local towns for water. The park harbors Spanish fir forests, and the Mediterranean spruce, that dates to the glacial period in Iberia. One is 500yo, named the Escalereta, a Natural Monument. The forests also contain oaks, cork trees, wild olive trees, ash trees, junipers, carob trees and chestnut trees. **Local black pigs survive on acorns from these trees, and their cured ham (pata negra) is a local delicacy. Fauna here are typical of southern Spain, and include mountain goats, muflons, meloncillo (a kind of mongoose), roe deer, and otters. This is a destination for bird watching tours, with Griffin vultures, golden eagles, eagle owls, royal owls, goshawks and hawks. This pristine park has never been inhabited except for a smattering of villages, hence it is very unspoiled terrain. Camping is no longer permitted in the park. Park activities include, hiking, bird watching, mountain biking (with tours such as Monda-Istán), mountain climbing, and horseback-riding.

Nice place for an evening walk. We walked the 5km loop. Parking lot at trail head was closed. We…read moreparked further down the hill near a small church.

Sierra Nevada is a surprisingly superb skiing destination for a 2-3 day skiing trip in Southern…read moreEurope. The atmosphere and food is a bit different than the Alps (it's more relaxed and playful rather than posh) and despite how close you are to the beach (2 hours) the snow conditions can be great and the season is long. A few things to remember: - book hotel in advance - buy ski passes the evening before or very early in the morning (anyone over 59 gets a discount and are you 70 or over, your ski pass is for free :) but please note these passes needs to be bought in the ticket booth, not in the ticket / ATM machines) - skis are cheap to rent (and you can rent them at the top of the cabin lift of you don't like to carry) - weekends can get very busy

I originally wanted my son to get his first ski lesson here but the friends we were traveling with…read moredid not want to ski, so we settled on sledding, and I was able to find that the Hoya de la Mora area, super high up, at 2500 meters altitude, offers free sledding. I researched where to get sleds and there is supposedly a sled rental guy right near the hill, and from my research his sleds are €15/hr, though you can rent them in Granada for €19/day. However, there are also vendors walking the roadside along the mountain selling toboggan style sleds for €30, or very low quality butt-saucer "sleds" for €5. Because we were there on Easter, the Granada rental place was closed, as was the road to Hoya de la Mora, and because Amazon was a week late and failed to get my snow tubes to me before my flight, we ended up with the €5 butt-saucer that broke after 5 slides down the hill. Luckily our friends had one of the toboggan sleds borrowed from their Spanish neighbors. Despite all the glitches, we made it to 2300 meters altitude, above the tree line, at the same height as the slopes. It was hot from sun, cold from snow, and there was the usual blinding reflection of sun off white surface that required sunglasses. The day was beautiful and comfortable despite the sun/snow contrast. A lot of Spanish families were out enjoying the mountain, and no religiosity was to be seen on Easter Sunday. We walked into the resort town area and I was surprised at all the litter along the paths and streets. There was also a lot of dirty snow just pushed here or there, not very attractively or thoughtfully managed. It was odd next to 5-star hotels. Any stay I've had at 5-star hotels, they didn't look like that outside. That said, I do like the Spanish lack of pomp and circumstance and unwillingness to pander to attracting certain people with a curated image. It's free to drive up the mountain. Parking is free in certain spots and paid in others. Despite all my research, their random road closure was completely unannounced and there were even signs along the road saying Hoya de la Mora was abierto. The random closure forced everyone to stop at 2300m at a parking lot with broken meters. I was phobic about the altitude. I'd been to Denver, CO as a kid (the "mile high city" is a mere 1609m), and hiked the Alps, visited Chamonix (only 1035m) etc. but nothing nearly as high as the 2500m Sierra Nevadas. Just this trip we visited El Torcal (1200m) and stayed at Parador de Cazorla (1400m) where I definitely had altitude sickness. Still, we didn't get to the tree line any of those other places until we hit the caps of Sierra Nevada which are bald! It may be that in our 4h visit we didn't stay long enough on the mountain for altitude to affect us. It may be that after all our recent mountain experiences we were acclimated. Luckily, we didn't have any altitude effects whatsoever and neither did our friends. We only made it to 2300m, but high enough to have had an effect! The drive is simple and straightforward. Signage is clear though not accurate with Hoya de la Mora in our experience. There are a number of snow activity options even into May. You can spend as much or as little as you want with offerings of free hiking, sled hills, and jogging/cycling the roads. I was interested in trying to take the kids to nearby Fuente del Mirlo Blanco activity park in Pradollano, but there were conflicting reports of it being closed for maintenance or closed for the season, etc. so it's on my list for the future. For those unaware, Mirlo Blanco is a winter amusement park with various rides including a toboggan rollercoaster.

If you want to take a break from the sights, smells, sounds, and crowds of Málaga, walking around…read morethe botanical garden is nearby and inexpensive. To get there, take the No. 2 Bus across the street from Mercado Atarazanas and in front of Carrefour Express. The driver accepts 1.40€ via touchless credit card (but NOT American Express) or cash (the driver gives change for small bills under 10€). By the way, masks are REQUIRED on the bus. Once you arrive at the last stop, there is a 15 minute walk to the entrance of the garden. Download Google Maps prior to leaving. If you happen to visit the garden on a Sunday, you're in luck because there is no entrance fee. Otherwise, regular admission is 5.20€ or 3.10€ for youngsters and seniors. During the walk, you'll find plants/trees that are well marked, plenty of picnic areas, food vendor, and gift store. Taking the forest route offers a more challenging walk while staying in the lowlands offers a more leisurely walk. Surprisingly, there's a Barbie exhibit that's well done and worth visiting. While visiting the gardens is not an "epic" experience, I appreciate that the original vision of conservation and green space (next to the freeway) is being supported by organizations who share the same vision. Returning back to your hotel requires backtracking the same way you arrived.

Really wonderful historical place to visit and if you're planning a wedding even better. The…read moresetting is so romantic and whilst we were there we saw two happy couples, lots of guests and a ceremony about to happen. Really beautiful old house with big big palm trees and lovely waterfalls and pools and streams. Had lunch at the cafe which had interesting salads and hot sandwiches at good prices. Great day out with lovely views of Malaga and the mountains.