Activities
- Paragliding
- Horse riding
- Diving and water sports (sea canoes, jet ski’s and sail boards can all be hired readily); there is a dive shop at Marina del Este and one at La Herradura, both only a few minutes drive from the centre of Almuñécar. See www.costatropicaldivers.com
- Walking in the hills behind the town
- 9-hole golf course (Los Moriscos) only 15 minutes’ drive from the town
- Skiing & snowboarding in the Sierra Nevada 1½ hours’ drive away; equipment hire available by the day or week at the ski resort or in Almuñécar
Golf
Andalucía is a very popular destination with golfers. There are about 100 golf courses in the region catering for all levels and with a great variety of courses to play - accounting for a third of all courses in Spain. With an average of 320 days´ sunshine every year and courses often close to the coast with stunning views, it is not difficult to see the attraction of Southern Spain for both the serious and occasional golfer.
Although a few courses (particularly in the Marbella area) are very exclusive with expensive green fees, many courses now offer excellent facilities at very reasonable prices.
Nearby Courses
Club Los Moriscos (9 Holes) Urbanización Playa Granada, Motril. Tel/Fax: 958 825527
- designed by Ibergolf & Manuel Pinero
- flat
- close to sea
- well established, being opened in 1974
Club Almorimar (18 Holes) Urbanización Almerimar, El Ejido. Tel: 950 497454/950 497438; Fax: 950 497233
- flat, with a number of greens
- designed by Gary Player
- par 72
Club Añoreta (18 Holes) Urbanización Añoreta Golf, Rincón de la Victoria. Tel: 952 299340/ 952 299341
- ideal for all levels
- designed by José M Cañizares
- par 72
- opened in 1990
Sierra Nevada - Winter Sports
The Sierra Nevada is the most southerly ski centre in mainland Europe and also one of the highest – which means a long season (that can extend until late May) and long hours of sunshine. The purpose-built resort (Solynieve, meaning sun and snow) has excellent skiing facilities, with very good access from Granada and the coastal resorts.
There is 2,500 hectares of ski-able area with 19 lifts (cabins, chairlifts and t-bars), plus 6 off-piste itineries and a ski-able vertical drop of 1,300m. There is also 3½km of floodlit slopes for night-time skiing at weekends. Cross-country skiing is catered for and there is a separate circuit for snow boarding.
Daily/weekly equipment hire is available and there are many ski schools at the resort, including one for infants.
For further information, see www.sierranevadaski.com and also www.ski-rental-spain.com for the hire of ski equipment from a shop in the centre of Almuñécar.
Sierra Nevada - Other Activities
Apart from winter sports, the Sierra Nevada is a National Park that covers nearly 170,000 hectares, where one finds 2,000 species of plants including many unique to the area. Wildlife abounds, in particular birds, mammals including the relatively rare Ibex and various different species of butterflies.
Summer activities in the National Park include mountain walking and scrambling, hand gliding and horse riding.