Costa del Sol Senda Litoral. Sea-Nature-Gastronomy

21st June 2024 · 5 min. read

One of the most ambitious and beautiful projects of the Costa del Sol is, without a doubt, the Senda Litoral or Coastal Path. Many still don’t know it, others have been walking on it but didn’t know it and others are already unconditional fans.

This successful project will cover 180 kilometres of walkable route on the Costa del Sol. It will make it possible to link the entire coastal strip (east and west) from Manilva to Maro. In this way, either on foot or by bicycle, it will be possible to fully enjoy the sea and nature along the coastline, choosing the kilometres you want. At the same time, at many points along the route, you will be able to sample the delicious Mediterranean gastronomy.

The Coastal Path has been underway for several years and there are still sections to be completed. Those already completed, which make up around 80% of the project, are spectacular and refreshing. This coastal path aims to connect 14 municipalities in the province of Malaga. This involves a great effort on the part of numerous local and provincial institutions. Now that the results can be seen, the residents of the beneficiary towns recognise that it has been well worth the effort.

The Coastal Path has been joined by many existing promenades. This is the case in Marbella, Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Malaga. But, in most cases, they have been extended. Even so, many of them needed a strong economic investment to improve their infrastructure. For example, they have been remodelled to allow the safe circulation of pedestrians and bicycles. This has been the case in Estepona.

On the new stretches, some have allowed for the installation of stunning wooden walkways. This has further embellished the walks. To understand this, just look at the route in the Guadalhorce Natural Park in Malaga. This part has become the largest wooden footbridge in Europe. Other sections, in a unique way, are crossed by tunnels, as is the case of the one in Rincón de la Victoria. The rest run along beaches, cliffs, promenades and landscapes of incredible nature. They are usually easy to do for all members of the family and some are even adapted for people with reduced mobility.

Senda Litoral will make an even greater contribution to conceiving the Costa del Sol as a single product. It will cover the entire coastline, giving it geographical unity. But this path is not an isolated project. It is twinned with the Gran Senda de Málaga, which are great internal hiking routes through the province. At the same time, these two are subsets of an even more ambitious project: the E-12 International Route. The latter aims to link the entire Mediterranean arc, from Spain to Greece.

These stretches to be walked are not only relaxing, great for sport or an added bonus to the beach environment. Along many of the paths there are areas of great natural value. Among the most important are the moving dunes of Artola in Marbella East, the cliffs and tunnels of Cantal de La Araña in Malaga East, the mouth of the Guadalhorce River in Malaga West, Punta Chullera in Manilva or the rocky sections of Calahonda and Calaburras in the part of Mijas.

The path can also be conceived as a journey into the past, a rediscovery of the marine history of the coast.  If you look for them, on the Coastal Path you can see more than forty watchtowers. Most of them were installed by the Arabs of the old kingdom of Granada and later continued by the Catholic Monarchs. From these towers, light was given to the ships to reach the coast safely and also to warn them of the arrival of enemies, especially pirates.

If you want to organise a plan on any of the stretches of the Senda Litoral-Coastal Path it is important to take water to drink and to visualise beforehand where you can stop for lunch.  If the chosen stretch corresponds to a promenade, the options are easy. There will be many restaurants. If the route passes through more unspoilt beach areas, it is better to have selected a place to have a snack beforehand.

Of the sections to walk, we suggest two.

• Walking or running along the coast of Marbella in the area of the path that starts at the entrance arch is very pleasant. There, at the beginning of the route, is the family-run Dolce Vita beach bar; further on, on the Rio Real side, is the unique Trocadero Arena. This would be about half an hour’s walk.
• Another suggestion, lasting fifty minutes, is to start at Torre de Calahonda in Mijas, at the beginning of which is the Merendero La Lucera, to continue to Playa la Cala and make a stop at Olivia’s La Cala.

But, of course, you can choose longer routes and the options are very diverse. We hope you have understood the importance of the Coastal Path and that you will include it in your enjoyment of the Costa del Sol.

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