Marbella: a healthy city, perfect for enjoying the best air quality in Spain

When it is time to travel, people always consider the destination, the season, the price and facilities the destination offers, among other things. However, should they also consider their health? A fine example of a healthy destination would be, of course, Marbella, which not only offers the best beaches and weather, but it also offers its visitors the luxury and exclusivity of enjoying the best air quality in Spain.

According to the latest report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on concentration of fine particulate matter in the air, Marbella is in third place in air purity, among Spanish cities. And all due to the fact that Marbella is also in the top 10 cities with more green areas per inhabitant, a true urban green lung in the Costa del Sol.

 

Parks and gardens

 

 

Among the parks and gardens in Marbella, we can mention the following:

 

Parque de La Alameda (La Alameda’s Park)

Located in the downtown area, in front of the city’s old town, it is one of the city’s historic green areas and the most ancient pathway. It offers a small botanic garden and traditional meeting areas.

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Avenida del Mar (Avenue of the Sea)

It is located between La Alameda and the Paseo Marítimo de Marbella (Marbella Seafront Promenade). It is an area to take walks or rest in. It offers water fountains, pergolas, small gardens and one of the most complete sculptures by Salvador Dalí.

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Parque de la Constitución (Constitution Park)

It is one of the most pleasant places in Marbella’s old town. It stands out due to its dense vegetation, its perfectly trimmed grass, its playground and its small space observatory. The most relevant element is the auditorium, which can hold up to 600 people and, in summertime, offers all kinds of shows.

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Parque Arroyo de la Represa (Dam Creek Park)

The creek’s course, dammed, provides two artificial lakes in an area with sports fields, playgrounds and the Bonsai Museum, all of which is located in downtown Marbella.

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Jardín El Ángel (El Ángel Garden)

This garden, located in the community called El Ángel, is one of the most beautiful and comprehensive botanic gardens of the Costa del Sol and it stands out because of the richness and antiquity of the tree species it is home to. The garden is divided into three areas: cruiser garden, romantic garden and tropical garden.

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Parque Pinar de Nagüeles (Nagüeles Pine Forest Park)

A natural park located at the foot of Sierra Blanca. It features stone tables and benches, a playground, a youth hostel and barbecue grills.

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Parque Vigil de Quiñones (Vigil de Quiñones Park)

This forestry park reproduces native vegetation from the region. It features barbecue grills, tables and benches, extensive sports

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Parque de las Medranas (Las Medranas’ Park) (San Pedro de Alcántara)

In this park, there is a large lake where visitors can engage in watersports without the need of speedboats.

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Urban trails for discovering Marbella’ rich biodiversity

 

 

The different urban centres in the district of Marbella are areas of interest for environmental tourism. An extensive range of different species of flora and fauna inhabit the squares, gardens, beaches and other sites in the urban sprawl. It’s now possible to discover this rich biodiversity thanks to the marked urban trails, with self-guiding signs providing information along the way.

The green routes network runs through the urban centres of Marbella, San Pedro and Las Chapas. It includes places as emblematic as Paseo de la Alameda, Avenida del Mar, Parque de la Constitución, Fontanilla beach, Arroyo Guadalpín, Plaza Monseñor Bocanegra, the Conference Centre, Plaza de los Naranjos, Pecho de las Cuevas and Parque de la Represa, among others.

A quiet walk along these urban trails gives you the chance to find out about the history of the different plant species that inhabit them. From the yucca, with its beautiful flower that the inhabitants of El Salvador use as an ingredient in several of their traditional recipes; to the queen palm, the American pepper tree, Canary Island pines, fig trees, Mediterranean cypresses and other native species. The jacaranda, olive trees, the Australian oak, date palms and plane trees also form part of Marbella’s urban flora.

There is also an extensive catalogue of birds that flutter through the urban skies of Marbella. Alongside abundant different species of seagulls, other different sea bird species can sometimes be spotted, such as northern gannets, the large cormorant, sandwich terns and razorbills, among others. Many of these species land in the Costa del Sol region during their autumn and winter migrations. Different types of eagles, common moorhens, grey herons and the tiny common firecrest – thought to be the smallest bird in Europe, can be seen in places like Arroyo Guadalpín and Parque de la Represa.

As you can see, the streets, squares and other urban nooks and crannies in the municipality of Marbella are home to an interesting range of animals and plants. We invite you to discover them.

 

 

Routes to enjoy the best air quality in the Peninsula

 

 

Given that Marbella has the best air quality in the whole Peninsula, you should make the best of it and enjoy nature. This city hides many great places to go hiking, among which we can mention Istán, the Refugio de Juanar (Juanar’s Shelter), the Serranía de Ronda (Ronda Mountain Range).

 

La Gran Senda de Málaga (The Great Malaga Path):

It is a pioneering route in Andalucia because it incorporates a taste of different geographies and climates within the same province. It is also a long distance path (Gran Recorrido, GR-249) that connects existing paths in the province and links them to the Camino Mozárabe de Santiago (Mozarabic Path St. James) and connecting, among others, with the European long distance path (GR.92 E-12), which traverses the Mediterranean arch to reach Greece.

La Gran Senda de Malaga

 

Refugio de Juanar /Juanar’s Shelter – La Concha

This is the star route of local hiking. If visitors start the way up from Juanar Shelter, it takes about 6 hours, and around 8 to 9 hours if Marbella is the starting point.

The climb to La Concha, the 1,200-meter-high peak, located behind Marbella, provides extraordinary views of Marbella’s landscape, the coast from Fuengirola to Gibraltar, the African coast and the entire Sierra de las Nieves.

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Senda de los monjes (The Path of the Monks)

Hikers start the journey at Xarblanca and reach the ruins of the Ermita de los Monjes (Chapel of the Monks), to the left of which there is a large and magnificent Aleppo pine tree. The time it takes to traverse the path is 1 hour and 30 minutes. Difficulty is low. It is a 2-Km-long lineal type route.

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Puerto Rico – Mirador de Juanar (Juanar Overlook)

The journey stars in Puerto Rico Bajo and reaches the Juanar Overlook in approximately 5 hours. Length, 8 Km.

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Hike along the Coast of Marbella

Marbella has a seafront promenade of about 7 kilometers, which goes from Puerto Pesquero (Pesquero Port) to Puerto Banús (Banús Port), passing Puerto Deportivo (the marina) in the center of the city.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Respect the peace of the landscapes you traverse in order not to disturb the fauna around you and make it easy to spot the animals along the way.

2. Carry your trash with you until you find a proper container to dispose of it. This way you can even pick up litter along your path and help improve the environment.

3. Find all possible information on the route you decide to take, such as maps, itineraries, etc.

4. Use proper shoes and equipment and bring plenty of water.

5 .Try not to wonder along by yourself and let your family and friends know about your plans, bring a cellphone with enough charge to keep in touch with them.

6. The paths on the south side of Sierra Blanca feature significant slopes; you must have the proper equipment.

7. Marbella is full of unique places. Enjoy them!