Costa Tropical region – Lentegí, Vélez de Benaudalla and Lanjarón

At the beginning of November I took a flight from Mallorca to Málaga, I rent a car and went to Almuñécar for short holidays. I didn’t spend all days there, since I had a car, I went to visit different places. Today I would like to present you three villages from the Costa Tropical region – Lentegí, Vélez de Benaudalla, Lanjarón.

Marbesol – Rent a car

I rent a car with the company Marbesol, because they had the best price comparing to other companies. I chose the all inclusive option (with full insurance) of economy group (Fiat 500 or Fiat Panda or similar). In the price there was also included a free GPS (with refundable deposit of 50€). The pick up and drop off was at the Málaga airport. There is actually a shuttle bus of Marbesol that takes you to their office for free. I rented the car for 5 days and it costed me 57€. I would definitely rent a car again with this company, everything was without a problem so I can recommend it. Anyway, I went on a trip to different places in the Costa Tropical region and that’s what I want to tell you about.

Lentegí

Lentegí is a small village situated in the middle of mountains in the valley of Río Verde (Green River), around 18km from Almuñécar. In the village there are two viewpoints – “Era del Peñón” and “Balcón de Lentegí”. You can just sit there, relax and just enjoy the stunning panoramic views. There is also a church that you can visit as well as a bar where you can have a drink.

Anyway, if you don’t have a car, you can also take a school bus from Almuñécar to Lentegí. It goes there around 14:00 and comes back around 17:00. It’s worth coming here for a short visit. You wouldn’t want to spend many hours there as it’s just a small village but it’s definitely worth going up to the viewpoints.

Vélez de Benaudalla

Vélez de Benaudalla is another village of the Costa Tropical region. I visited it twice with my friend Margaret. First we went to the Nasrid gardens and caves and the second time we went up to the castle of Ulloa, walked along the “Paseo del Nacimiento” and then we had a lunch in the restaurant Los Cármenes. I definitely recommend the restaurant, the food was very tasty and cheap. In the village you can also visit a church or a museum of olive oil.

The Nasrid gardens and caves

It’s one of the highlights of a trip to Vélez de Benaudalla. The gardens were created in the 15th century by the Moors and modeled after the well-known “Jardín Generalife” at the King’s Palace in Granada (La Alhambra). It may also be called as “Little Generalife”. One of the most important features of this garden is the flow of the water. You can see and hear the water all around you. It wasn’t meant just to nourish the garden but athe human senses as well.

Part of the gardens are also the “Palatial Home” restored in 18th century, a small exhibit explaning the history of the gardens, fountains, waterfalls, water canals, ponds and also caves to explore. The entrance fee to the gardens is 3€. Since the gardens are relatively small, it will take you about an hour to walk through. I suppose that the best time to visit it will be in spring because everything will be blooming but basically you can come anytime, just always check the opening hours here.

The Castle of Ulloa

The Castle of Ulloa was built in the period around 1500’s and was named after the town’s ruler. It’s a unique building with irregular hexagonal shape. The castle is located at the highest point in town. There are also two viewpoints – Mirador del Rabiblanco and Mirador del Castillo. The views of surrounding valley are worth seeing.

Paseo del Nacimiento

On the way down from the castle, we were heading to the Paseo del Nacimiento. It’s a pathway with water canals. The central point is a pond with small waterfall. In some of the rural zones the original point/the source of a stream is called “Nacimiento” (Birth) because it’s where the stream starts (get born). That’s why the pathway is called as “Paseo del Nacimiento” (Pathway of Birth).

Lanjarón

Lanjarón is a spa town and that’s why you can find there many fountains distributed through the streets. Most of them are accompanied by a short phrase or poem, usually by Federico García Lorca. The town is famous for its bottled water company. Lanjarón has a ruined castle and chalybeate baths.

The Castle of Lanjarón

It’s a small medieval fortress located about 400 metres from the town. It’s at 619 metres above the sea level. You can easily reach the castle by walking, on the way you’ll also get to a viewpoint. At the castle there is also a small parking where you can leave your car. There is a free entrance and when you reach the top of the castle ruins, you’ll get an amazing view of Lanjarón.

The Costa Tropical region is full of interesting places. I really enjoyed the visit of these three villages. I think that each village has its own magic. All of them offer you beautiful views of the village and surrounding mountains.