We did a little hiking and rock climbing while in Marbella which was only a short 20 minute drive out of town for both.   

Hiking  

While in Marbella, the surrounding mountain range, called Sierra Blanca, appears to have only one peak, named La Concha (since it is shaped like an upside down seashell), which rises over the city and is the most pronounced point on the interior landscape.   However, as you drive up into the mountains, you begin to see numerous peaks and valleys and a much more interesting panorama.  Our friends took us to a hike near Puerto De Los Charcos and we did a loop that ran across several beautiful peaks.  The views were stunning and we had a wonderful time hiking and chatting together.  

Rock Climbing – Puerto Rico Crag

The rock climbing near Marbella is also quite good.  The crag we went to is only about 15 minutes from town and is called Puerto Rico.   According to The Crag, there are 76 routes but we saw many more that are not yet listed on the website.  Puerto Rico is a curved pock marked face that overlooks a beautiful valley and from the crag you can see the town of Marbella and the sparkling ocean just beyond.  The approach starts with a hike up a gravel/dirt road and just to the left of a small concrete pump house.  Then the path becomes very narrow and cuts along the base of the crag and up a fixed rope.  The access is a bit slippery on the gravel/dirt road where it rises up to the crag and the narrow path near the base of the crag is overgrown but it was not too hard to find the right sector since the views of the face are fairly clear.  We climbed in a sector named Butthole Surfer which has a nice set of routes in the 5+ to 6c range.  

The face in this sector looks like a literal face with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth which made for some interesting climbing.  I thought the routes were fun and challenging and the views were amazing.   There are a lot of little caves and tufas on the wall which makes it a bit unique.  We lead climbed two 5+’s, one 6a, and the 6b called Abril Aguas Mil. 

Below is a photo of Sydney coming down from the crag after a nice afternoon of climbing.