After the hustle and bustle of the tourist season, September brings one of our favourite times of year to enjoy our fabulous coastline and all the natural wonders the area has to offer.

We’d like to lead you through some of our favourite places, and hopefully there’ll be some surprises.

Starting in Maro, just to the east of Nerja, a natural park meaning no fishing is allowed,
this is a paradise for snorkelers with its clear water and abundant marine life in a coral reef. You might see sun fish (pez luna in Spanish), dolphins and sting rays (keep your respectful distance). This summer giant jellyfish have been frequently spotted, Rhizostoma luteum, which can grow up to 40kg in size. Their sting may slightly irritate your skin but they’re not dangerous and should be left to go on their way. They form an important part of our marine eco system and are a main food group for the sun fish previously mentioned as well as turtles (sadly not seen in our waters for many years but recently coming back further west along the coast in Fuengirola). For those with good mobility and feeling adventurous we’d recommend a walk down to the hidden cove of Cala Barranco. Accessed via a trail through bamboo groves, it’s well worth the effort if you’re able.

Also for the adventurous and further along the coast just to the east side of Torrox is an underwater wreck known as the “Barco de Arroz”. Whether it was actually carrying rice or not is slightly lost in legend, but it was bringing food to the Republicans during the Spanish civil war in January 1937. The boat’s actual name was “El Delfin” and she was first hit by German bombers from above and then finished off the following day by an Italian submarine. As the boat is sunk only about 400m off the coast and has a depth of just over 5m she can easily be accessed by kayak/paddle board and viewed by snorkelers. The wreck has been taken over by marine life such as octopus and starfish and is a wonderful experience even for young (strong) swimmers.

We leave perhaps the most spectacular to last. You’re probably familiar with the wonderful ancient caves in Nerja and Rincon de la Victoria, but there are caves said to be even more incredible in La Araña which is situated between Málaga city and Rincon. The caves have recently been confirmed to be larger than those of Nerja and one of the caverns even leads to the beach – I was given this information as hot off the press by the president of the Club Montaña Rincon, Jose Carlos Cañas who has also kindly allowed us to use CMR’s photos. The caves have been named Cueva de la Maravilla Blanca (the caves of the white wonder) due to their sparkling brightness. It is made up of different rooms and has its own “cathedral”. Sparkling stalactites and stalagmites abound. The caves have been known about since at least the 1980s, but how deep they go and their incredible beauty has only recently been discovered. They are sadly under threat from explosions from the cement factory above and experts and locals are rallying to save this natural wonder for us and future generations to enjoy.

The summer may be coming to an end, but days of adventure are just starting!