Walks up to La Concha in Marbella

Walks up to La Concha - One cannot help but notice the imposing mountain that is the backdrop to Marbella. This glorious peak, with a height of 1215 metres is a focal point for the coast. You will need a car to get yourselves up to this forested area as there isn’t any direct public transport.

Take the junction A 337 Coin/Ojen road (pronounced Co-een and Ochen!) and travel about 15/20km up this road. (You will see the whitewashed village of Ojen down on your right hand side as you pass along this road – also well worth a visit!) You will be entering the Sierra de las Nieves Biosphere nature reserve, a protected area of outstanding beauty.

You will need to take a left turn signposted, in brown, to ‘Refugio de Juanar’. Carry on up this winding road for 5 km and you will come to the Refugio itself (a charming 3 star hotel) and parking area where you can set off for your walk, hike or explore.

It is possible to scramble up onto the rocks all around, and walk deep into the wooded areas using some well worn tracks, but follow the roadway up and you come to a large pathway, through a set of wrought iron gates, that takes you on the trail that, for those intrepid enough, will actually get you up the mountain itself.

Don’t panic!! There are acres of broad, flat walking through countryside and woodland before any climbing becomes necessary. About 1.5km from the start of the trail is a ‘mirador’ or view point with stunning scenery and views.

The first thing you’ll notice straight away on your walks up to La Concha is the glorious silence. Apart from the buzzing of bees and the chirping of the birds there are no cars, no cranes no nothing in fact, it truly is beautiful and the air is so clean and fresh, you really do feel invigorated here.

Even though there are no specific areas set aside, you can take a picnic up here and just settle yourselves among the olive groves and enjoy the scenery whilst having a leisurely lunch. Many locals come out here for walks with their families on Sundays, and you will encounter experienced walkers, hikers and climbers too as further along the pathways there set routes and paths to follow.

For the extremely adventurous it is possible to scale the dizzy heights of La Concha. You do not have to be a professional mountain climber by any means, but you will have to have a head for heights as some of the pathways to the top are very narrow and sheer. If you do choose to get to the top, do it sensibly. It really will take about 8-10 hours.

If taking walks up to La Concha, leave early in the morning, and avoid climbing in the depths of winter (possible exposure issues) or the height of summer (heat exposure) Make sure you have sufficient clothing and water with you, and a mobile phone. Always tell someone you are going up so an alarm can be raised if you do get into trouble and have to be rescued. The weather can close in pretty fast too, so a good clear day is essential.