After spending some weeks with fantastic climbing in Costa Blanca, we were psyched to see what Costa del Sol had to offer. The only thing we knew was that El Chorro is in this region, the crag almost everyone we’ve met has talked about.
Finding a guidebook for the climbing though seemed almost impossible. The few climbing shops or gyms to find in Malaga and El Chorro was sold out. Our climbing friends Chris and Dick ended up ordering one from Amazon. We got to borrow it from them and took pictures. We also used 27 crags a little bit.
The most famous climbing in Costa del Sol is El Chorro, just 1-hour drive from Malaga. Almost everyone we have met on our trip was talking about El Chorro, and we felt that everyone was heading there. It’s understandable, as we too want to go back there, but there are also other beautiful crags in the area of Andalucía, definitely worth a visit.
El Chorro
As mentioned, El Chorro is the most famous crag in the area, and it’s huge with so much climbing. The nature surrounding the crag is beautiful with eagles hunting just above you on the top of the route. A lot of tourists come here to hike or do the famous via ferrata, Caminito del Rey. We had only one day trip to El Chorro this time. Next time we´ll check in at one of the guesthouses or with a van. A little bit easier than with the Airstream.
Got a new friend on our way to the crag.
Found Dick and Chris.
Chris on the wall.
To the right you can see the via ferrata Caminito del Rey.
Puerto Rico
We loved this crag, even though the access was a bit tricky and Christoffer had to do an easy climb with Smula in his arms to get to the cave we were climbing in. Most of the time we spent here we were more or less alone at the crag, and the view is just amazing. It´s also something peaceful and calm about climbing at this crag. The crag offers climbing for everyone, from easier 3-starred routes vertical/slab to harder powerful routes in the caves. There are plenty of hiking possibilities in the area of the crag, well-marked and accessible.
Maren.
Smula is of course with us, even on steep approaches.
Mijas
One of the White Villages in Malaga. The crag, situated on a hill, has a spectacular view of the sea and has lots of routes in a range of grades –slab, vertical and overhanging. Some of the routes are in the sun, which is a bit hot on sunny days, also during winter. If you like pigeons and want to climb quality routes, the Ravine of Mijas is the place to be. We didn’t climb here, but it would be fun to try, but then without Smula. Be prepared for pigeons droppings everywhere, hence also the smell.
Mijas, one of the White Villages
Vanessa (Chris and Dick’s van) on the crag.
We loved the small, charming streets of Mijas. Definitely worth a visit after climbing.
Thank you Maren & Markus for some of the nice climbing pics.
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