Istán and Benahavís: the Costa del Sol that looks to the mountains
A few kilometres from Marbella, two white villages show another side of the Costa del Sol: rivers, rock pools, walking trails and a national park on the doorstep. They are where coast dwellers go to escape inland.
Benahavís, the Costa del Sol’s dining room
Benahavís lies about 7 kilometres from the sea, on a bend of the Guadalmina river. Its old centre is small enough to explore on foot, yet it has so many restaurants that locals call it the “dining room of the Costa del Sol”. The cooking blends mountain traditions, such as meat and game, with fish from the coast.
Just outside the village, the Guadalmina forms the Charca de las Mozas, a pool almost three metres deep that the Andalusian regional government has declared a natural monument. Downstream begins the Las Angosturas gorge, around 1,100 metres long and one of Málaga’s best-known spots for river walking and beginners’ canyoning. Outside summer, the Acequias trail and the path to the Guadalmina reservoir are good ways to explore the valley on foot.
Altura 160, apartments with communal pool and gardens, Benahavis.
Istán, on the edge of a national park
Istán is one of the municipalities of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park, designated in 2021 as Spain’s sixteenth national park. The range holds most of the country’s Spanish fir (pinsapo) forests, a tree found in only a handful of mountain ranges in southern Spain. Benahavís is part of the park too.
From the village viewpoints you can see La Concepción reservoir on the Río Verde, which supplies water to much of the western Costa del Sol. A walk of around 8 kilometres there and back follows the Río Verde through cork oaks and carob trees to the Charco del Canalón, a waterfall with pools between rock walls. Wear shoes with good grip: the stones are slippery.
Almazara Gardens: New apartments in Istán, Marbella.
When to go
Autumn, winter and spring are the best seasons for walking in the Sierra de las Nieves. In summer, the river pools in both villages are the place to cool off away from the beach.
Living here
Istán and Benahavís offer life with the mountains next door and the coast a short drive away. Taylor Wimpey España has new-build developments in both. Explore our homes on the Costa del Sol.