The Cathedral of Canyons in Andalusia

Buitreras canyon is one of the most incredible canyoning activity of Malaga province. Situated in the Natural Park of “Los Alcornocales” (The Cork Oaks), the gorge of ‘Las Buitreras’ constitutes one of the most spectacular natural locations of our region.

Due to its special geological formation, the descent of the gorge of Las Buitreras is considered by all, The Cathedral of the gorges of Andalucía. There you will enjoy a visual show without precedent in a location situated between rock walls of more than 100 meters.

Before we touch on the water, and as an aperitif, you will visit ‘El Puente de los Alemanes’ (The German´s Bridge) squeezed between the walls of the ravine at a height of 60 meters above the river, from which you will be able to make out part of the route and start to feel the excitement for the adventure that awaits you.

The Perfect Canyon for Adventurous

This is the ideal canyoning for adventurers who want to discover incredible places in the world. We think this is one of these magical places and one of the great adventures you will experience. If you are staying on the coast, you have to drive to one of the most hidden white mountain towns in Malaga located in the Guadiaro valley. From there, we cross part of the Natural Park and its great cork oak forest, we cross a goat farm where they made goat cheese and we climb down a mountainous terrain to the head of the canyon.

More about Buitreras canyon

After about 50 minutes of walking approach and putting on wetsuits and equipment, we started the activity, 4 hours of canyoning. The canyon starts more open to the sky, but just 60 meters beyond the start the walls are already more than 100 meters above our heads. This is the first section, narrower than the two others, with high walls and very aquatic. In it we find these gigantic vaults, high tubes sculpted in the stone by the turbulent water, beams of light that seep through the upper gap of the rock and sections in the semi-darkness where you can touch both walls with your hands. In this section we will find two or three rappels, two mandatory and one that you can choose to jump, and about three jumps, the highest of 9 meters.

The second section is also a section between high walls of about 90 meters, but here it is much more open and direct sunlight appears. It is a dry stretch of chaos of huge blocks of stones that we will have to avoid as we would in a labyrinth; up, down, sliding into an unexpected gap between two rocks (…). And also here, there is the “Gran Pepita”, a gigantic rock suspended and trapped between the two cliffs. A magical and implausible visual spectacle. This section is drier and is where we stop to eat the sandwiches that we have placed in the watertight tanks.

The last section is more aquatic and with walls of 20 to 30 meters. Another beautiful section in which it offers us a space to swim calmly and savor the experience. Here, we have the latest jumps of up to 9 meters for those who like adrenaline. We ended up in “La Playa”, near the source, where clean and cold water gushes 30 meters below the surface.

From there, the return to the cars, the village of El Colmenar de la Frontera and the bar-restaurant, where you can have a drink and some tapas, is 45 minutes away.

The Best Time to make this Canyon

It is only possible to do this canyon from June 15th to November 30th. Outside these dates it is prohibited for environmental reasons and also for security. In seasons of continuous rains, it is impractical.

We especially like from June 15th to July 15th when it has the perfect flow and also in autumn after the first rains fall, but any date between those mentioned is a good time.