Teleferico Cable Car, Benalmadena, Spain

The Teleferico Cable Car system affords visitors to Benalmadena - on Spain's Costa del Sol - the opportunity to travel to an altitude of 800 metres and to the summit of the Calamorro Mountain, one of the mountains in the range which traps Benalmadena between itself and the Mediterranean Sea. The trip up the mountain takes almost exactly fifteen minutes and the views grow ever more spectacular the higher you travel. From the top, the views truly have to be experienced to be believed.

It costs an adult 12.50 Euros (as at April 2009) for a return trip in the Teleferico Cable Car from Benalmadena and 9 Euros per child but the experience is well worth the outlay. As you ascend firstly over the inland suburbs of the town of Benalmadena and subsequently up the mountain, each new metre brings ever more spectacular views of the Costa del Sol, the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.

The ground station for the Teleferico Cable Car is located only a very short walk from Benalmadena railway station and is therefore easily accessible to anyone staying in the resort or perhaps visiting for the day. Tickets are purchased from the kiosk right next to where you board the cable cars themselves.

Each individual cable car on the Teleferico Cable Car is designed to comfortably seat four adults, two at the front and two at the back. It is advisable to move around in the car as little as possible during the journey as doing so can not only make the trip extremely uncomfortable but potentially compromise the safety of all on board if the car is subsequently made to swing to an excessive extent.

When we reach the end of our fifteen minute ride in the Teleferico Cable Car, we are virtually at the summit of the Calamorro Mountain. There is a small cafe/restaurant for those who wish to take some refreshment at this stage - or perhaps a stiff drink to steady their nerves! - and a small stand which sells such as ice cream and soft drinks.

There are a number of walks which the visitor can take, to and towards the summit itself. Guard rails are provided but the paths are cut in to the stone and sensible shoes or hiking boots are highly recommended, especially if the weather is wet.

The views to be seen from the summit and trails include looking north-east towards such as Torremolinos and Malaga, south-west towards Fuengirola and inland over the quarries we can see in abundance throughout the mountain range.

It is likely that we will wish to take endless photographs during our trip on the Teleferico Cable Car and our time spent exploring the summit of the Calamorro Mountain, so it is advisable to have spare film or a high capacity memory card for our cameras at this time.

The views, however, are not the only attraction to be found at the summit of the Calamorro Mountain, as we can hopefully see from the details provided below. Our cable car ticket also includes access to a very special show, which normally takes place twice a day, weather permitting, and details can be found from the ticket office. 

If you do find yourself in need of that stiff drink at the top of Calamorro Mountain when disembarking from the Teleferico Cable Car, it may well be that you would opt for the traditional Spanish fruit punch that is Sangria.

Sangria is often a very potent mixture of red wine, fruit juice and pieces, carbonated water or lemonade and two or even three spirits. There is a way, however, in which we can easily and economically make a very passable Sangria in the comfort of our own homes:

Simple Sangria Recipe

The birds of prey show which is on offer to visitors at the summit of the Calamorro Mountain is spectacular to say the least. Watching such as the Golden Eagle pictured above swooping in on its artificial "prey" is a fantastic and almost surrealistic experience.

There are a number of different birds of prey included in the event but unfortunately the display during our visit had to be cut short due to the prevailing wind conditions. Hopefully, we will have the chance to make a return trip some day to watch the performance in full.