Cycling
Cycling in Spain is superb, for numerous reasons, great climate, great scenery, loads of space, great uncrowded Cycling from Marbella to Istan roads with miles and miles of scenic on and off road routes.
Here in Marbella, the Istan road is a superb spot for road cycling. The road from Marbella to Istan is hugely popular with road cyclists, who climb around 400 m on the 14 km route from Marbella up to the small whitewashed village of Istan, before heading back down.
Apart from two fairly severe climbs, unfortunately one immediately after the other, about 3 km into the ride as the road goes under the A7 Toll Road, the rest of the road is a long and gentle winding climb with the odd gentle down hill thrown in. The last 1 km is downhill into the village.
The pretty village of Istan itself has a few bars and restaurants to enjoy a pit stop once there!
But the highlight of the ride has to be the stunning views over the La Conception reservoir, the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and the north coast of Africa as you make your way up the road, and the superb tight turns for the speed freaks as you make your way down the hill!
A note of caution though, in humid conditions the road can get wet even if there has been no rain. Make sure of the condition on your way up, at a slower pace!
Golf
Think of your perfect golfing conditions and then compare them with those in Marbella: warm, dry and sunny climate; gentle, rolling landscapes with large areas open to the sea and mountains, a wide range of fully equipped courses. About the same, don’t you think?
This is why Marbella, located at the heart of the Costa del Sol, is considered by many to be the golfing capital. If this is your sport, then can you think of a better place to play?
The area offers an outstanding array of options for golf enthusiasts. Here you will find more than a dozen top-class golf courses to suit all levels of play.
Mountain hiking
La Concha – the best mountain hike in all of Spain!
Just behind the villa lies La Concha, Marbella’s most famous mountain, can be started from Juanar just 30 minutes away. This experience is a must for those that enjoy nature and experiencing a unique perspective of Marbella that few get to see. You will not find better views of the Costa del Sol, Sierra de las Nieves and on a clear day, all the way across to Gibraltar/North Africa.
For the more adventurous, it is also a fantastic spot to watch the sunset. Standing at 1200m, La Concha is the highest mountain in and around the Marbella area.
La Concha means “shell” in Spanish – the mountain has been named La Concha because of its distinct “shell shape”. The mountain sits within the southernmost part of the Sierra Blanca mountain range – which is an extension of the beautiful Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park.
We recommend you coordinate your first summit with an experienced guide, because there are numerous paths and some parts of the climb are treacherous. This hike is not recommended for children under the age of 12. We ourselves have however done the hike without a guide and enjoyed it very much as well. You can see olive groves, pine trees, berry bushes and walnut trees along the trek as well as Spanish goats, eagles and owls.
If you visit La Concha take this advice from the Citizens Security delegation: “Anyone who wishes to visit this beautiful mountain zone needs to take the necessary precautions: wearing adequate clothing, taking enough water and a mobile phone with charged batteries. In case of emergency, you should contact emergency services by calling 112 and stay in one place until you are found.
