Visitors to Ronda in Southern Spain often enjoy short walks in the countryside surrounding the city, the nature of the Serrania de Ronda is spectacular with many of Europe's most impressive birds wintering here, as well as the area being home to several important species of flower such as orchids, lilies, or pinsapa pine.
Most of the better walks in Ronda begin near the Almocabar gate, which is the starting point to see the Virgen de la Cabeza cave church, or the ancient Roman aqueduct, or the even more ancient rive gorge, the Tajo del Abanico, all of which are gentle and very peaceful walks with a lot of opportunity to see native flowers, butterflies, birds, and even lizards.
Ronda's natural history and human presence are everywhere, and a short walk from the city centre allows visitors who make the effort to see laces the average tourist and resident never see. The Virgen de la Cabeza cave church dates back 1000 years to a time when Ronda was a Muslim city and Christians could not worship within the city walls, and having no money to build lavish churches, they built small chapel inside a cave.
Even earlier still the Romans ruled Iberia, and whilst the ruined city of Acinipo (15km north of Ronda) was their main stonghold, the Imperial garrison was located in Ronda so an aqueduct was built to provide water, and another walk out of the city will allow visitors to see the last remaining section.
In the Tajo del Abanico, walkers are able to really enjoy a secluded river valley known for the breathtaking range of wild flowers and birds that make their homes in the trees, on cliff tops, or small cracks in the rock walls. With a decent lens on their camera, photos of Griffon Vultures soaring overhead are possible.
Longer walks from Ronda could see you explore nearby villages such as Arriate, Benaojan, or Cartajima, but be prepared to be walking all day if you intend doing the round trip, though walking to Benaojan and the Cueva de la Pileta with its paleolithic cave paintings, and then catching the train back to Ronda makes for a great day out.
