RIO GUADALMINA (Benahavis) - everything you need to know BEFORE you go (2023)

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Great experience! A must-do!
BUT 2 of our phones were stolen in our car in the parking lot of a small church, probably a known place for thieves, so be careful!
Just one man trying to warn another

Amazing experience. BEST DAY. Nature at its best. Also completely free! Rock boots, trainers and a waterproof key/phone bag are essential. Park in the church car park before entering Benahavis. Then it's a 20 minute walk uphill to get to the river. In the first stage, you can jump into the pool or walk down to the river. Be careful, there are places that are very deep and this is the only way. If you are not a good swimmer, consider getting a float or something similar. You also need to be in good shape as the descent will take several hours and the rocks can be slippery. The last place where the dam is is an 8 foot/very steep canyon and no stairs. We met it, we just have to be careful on the way down. The only other way out is the ladder up to the rocks (not recommended). A real adventure and I highly recommend it. Lots of wildlife on the way down. UK health and safety would fit the bill!

What an amazing day. The best day.
Very difficult and dangerous in some places. Not very suitable for small children.
Our youngest was 9 but was a strong swimmer.
It was just amazing. The highlight of our holiday…. And it's free!!! Health and Safety would have something to say about this in the UK!!!! Lots of laughs. But it's just amazing.
Unfortunately there are no photos as we did not have a waterproof case. You must have water shoes. Barefoot skinny. We took 2 dumplings to help the kids in the water if they get tired. Do not carry anything with you unless you have a waterproof bag. I literally went in a bikini with a car key in a padded bra insert!!!! 😂
Park in the car park in front of Benahavis (there is a church) and walk about 15 minutes to the start. It's a hike in the sun, but well worth it. The finish line is next to the parking lot. My only regret is not having our camera. It takes 2 hours in total, depending on whether you want to jump off the cliffs. This is physical and only recommended if you are in good shape. (The table says no less than 10, but there is no one to check!) x

Absolutely beautiful area for walking and swimming, amazing scenery. Lots of crouching and walking in shallow areas along rocks and swimming in deep places. Our group of 10 had the best day. the youngest was 9 years old, she needed a life jacket for swimming in deep areas. It took about 2 and a half hours from start to finish with several stops to climb over the rocks and jump in.

A great place to get in touch with nature in this part of the world. I didn't know southern Spain was so beautiful.

Clean fresh water to enjoy. Don't pay for a guided tour. It's nature and it's free.

It seems that the local town hall has spent quite a bit of money in this area near the village. Now it has bridges, nice walkways and parking around it.

The more adventurous can go to the river to swim or climb the rocks, but we just walked along it.

There's a great trail and you get beautiful views, so it's a good way to get some exercise.

It starts in a deep natural pool, brave boys throw themselves from a high cliff, others slide down a natural slide. I was told it was canyoneering, swimming/climbing/jumping and fairway rafting. Sometimes, even at the end of August, you enter deep water, sometimes it is a jump between less slippery stones.
There are some moments when someone who is claustrophobic can suffer, at one point the canyon above almost meets and the water gets cold. And some younger kids might find the barrier rope a little difficult. Behind us was an adventurous seven year old who took about two hours to complete the lesson with her dad and was clearly enjoying herself. My kids 13 and 11 said it was the best thing about their entire vacation.
It's really amazing.
There is parking on the hill below the finish line, you will see a church on your right. Then it's half a mile uphill to the starting point. We didn't have a car so we got a taxi from Benavista (€16) then walked to Benahavis, while drying off we bought an ice cream from Filippa's a little further back from the taxi rank (which is on the left as you enter the village opposite the recycling.) No waterproof backpack so we took cash in a water bottle. We were told that if there are no taxis nearby, go to the bar - or in our case Philippoas - and ask to be called.

An aspiring British guide convinced my husband and I to go on this trip and told us we didn't need river shoes, even though he wears them himself. We are both very athletic and never afraid of challenges. Our only weakness is sensitive feet, which is why we always wear appropriate shoes when doing extreme sports. We found the ride a bit tame and to be honest waiting for our driver to catch up got boring. At one point he moved like a crab to avoid slipping and then laughed at the OAP who fell horribly. Bad form. Watch out for him and don't believe a word he says about this tour. However, his son is adorable and shows great potential as a future adventure guide.

We visited the ride not knowing what to expect but feeling adventurous. The initial entry point to Benahavis is a challenge in itself and is a long walk over slippery rocks interspersed with large dips.
The kids (8, 8 and 5) did well but were very tired and cold. Parts are very dangerous! We saw a group with a child who had to be rescued by mountain rescuers!
The last part involves descending the rock wall to the dam, which was very difficult. We left crying, tired, cold kids after 3.5 hours!
Good for adventurous adults, but bring decent shoes and a pasta scent to help with the swim!