Monte Paraiso - Attractions


	ATTRACTIONS
	The Highest Ride On The Costa

The Benalmádena cable car continues to offer tourists a different and rather unusual perspective of the Costa del Sol. The ride to the top of Mount Calamorro provides an impressive view of the beaches of the western Malaga coastline and beautiful inland scenery. The trip takes 12 minutes and once at the top there is a range of activities such as walking and even paragliding.

The tiniest of jolts and we're off. The climb, smooth at all times, has begun. After all, the average speed of the Benalmádena cable car is four metres per second and the gentle movement of the cars sliding along the cable means that the landscape can be taken in without hurry. The view changes as the journey proceeds. The first stage is taken up by the attractions at Tivoli World in the middle of which stands the highest of the cable car's towers, which makes even the roller coaster look tiny.

After the white construction sites on the Benalmádena hillsides above Tivoli have gone by the next thing that comes into view is the Malaga - Fuengirola motorway. This important artery of the Costa del Sol circuits the first rocky foothills of Mount Calamorro like a subtle black band.

The climb up the mountain, with these imposing stone masses and the rock faces that get ever steeper, is the most impressive part of the journey, and what makes the trip worthwhile. The cable car travels quite close to the mountainside at some stages and when it is almost at the top the route steepens in such a way that never fails to surprise passengers. In fact at times it almost seems as though the car is heading straight for the rock face. However, just as it approaches the rocky surface, the cable car smoothly starts an even steeper climb until it reaches the reception at the top. It is at this moment when passengers become aware of the tremendous height they have reached.

Almost without realising it they have reached a point 769 metres above sea level. Looking down at the cable car gives the impression that it is unreal. The temperature is totally different at the top, and even the air seems to have changed. In the summer months a trip on the cable car is a pleasant way to escape the suffocating heat and hustle and bustle of the coast. And even more gratifying is the wide range of views that can be admired from the three look-out points at the top of Mount Calamorro.

Undoubtedly the most spectacular views are from the South lookout point. Protected from the sun's rays by an overhanging rock, visitors can take in an incredibly wide view of the Costa del Sol. Three municipalities, Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola can be seen at the same time and a series of emblematic landmarks, such as the Torrequebrada Casino and Torremolinos congress centre, can be studied from a different angle.

However the sparkling, intense blue of the Mediterranean is what impresses the eye the most. On days when visibility is good even North Africa and the Rock of Gibraltar can be seen, as well as the Sierra Nevada.

Parques Reunidos, the company that runs the cable car, offers a wide range of activities as a perfect complement to the ride itself. A network of paths gives visitors the chance to explore on foot, by bicycle or even by donkey. Many people, of course perfectly prepared for the occasion, decide to go up by bicycle and then enjoy an adrenaline-packed ride down the rugged tracks. The most daring visitors can paraglide back down to civilisation, enhancing even further the beauty of the views. For the less energetic at the top of Calamorro there is a bar and an exhibition of souvenir photographs.