Benalmádena Cable Car (Teleférico)
From the base station in Arroyo de la Miel, the four-person gondolas rise steadily above the Costa del Sol rooftops, the Mediterranean spreading wider with every metre of altitude. Fifteen minutes later you step out at Monte Calamorro, 771 metres up on the Sierra de Mijas, where on a clear day the view rolls south past Gibraltar and keeps going until it finds the coast of Africa.
The summit is quieter than the coast below — marked trails, a café, lookout points, and twice-daily bird of prey demonstrations run by the Valle de las Águilas Foundation. The audio guide plays in the gondola on the way up.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who've done it more than once tend to time their visit around the bird demonstrations at 13:00 or 15:00, then linger on the trails afterwards when the day-trippers head back down. Summer evenings are worth noting: the cable car runs until 23:00 in July and August, and stargazing nights with professional astronomers take place at the summit.
The story behind Benalmádena Cable Car (Teleférico)
The teleférico opened in 2000, operated by the Selwo Adventure Parks group, and was built to give visitors direct access to the Monte Calamorro summit — terrain that had previously required a serious hike or a rough track. The base station sits on Avenida del Teleférico, adjacent to the former Tivoli World amusement park, which has since closed.
More than 500,000 people ride the cable car each year, a figure that reflects both the draw of the coastal panorama and the ease of the journey from the resort strip below.
Good to know
The base station is a short walk from Arroyo de la Miel Cercanías stop, or buses 121 and 126 to the Tivoli stop. Book tickets in advance — dynamic pricing means early purchase costs less. The cable car closes in high winds, which happens more often than you'd expect; check before you go.
Summer days at the summit are noticeably cooler than the coast — useful to know if you're visiting in July or August. Winter visits on clear days can reveal snow on the Sierra Nevada to the north; the cable car runs shorter hours from November through March, and wind closures are most frequent in autumn and spring.
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What travellers say about Benalmádena Cable Car (Teleférico)
Totally worth it. It’s long enough to enjoy the views. It will take you to almost top of that place to see the views if clouds are not there. Once you reach on top, there are cafes to enjoy the place and if you love tracking, you can go for it there. It’s approx 2 3 km little dangerous, not to go with small kids, but it’s good to go. Along with Childs, don’t forget to see the birds rather vulture show on the top. They are so adorable to see that near.
Loved it! Going up was a bit scary the first time, but going back down was 10x better. The view on top of the mountain is very pretty.
We paid for a return trip on the cable car as it was such a high climb, tho we did see fitter and more able people using the paths which seemed quite steep in places. Amazing views whilst travelling up on the cake car and at the viewing point. Once at the top we noticed a path that you can climb to an even higher vantage point! Amazing to watch the eagles flying freely around the mountain top! You have the opportunity to see a display of birds of prey close up (for a fee) but we were happy to watch eagles fly above us for free lol
This is a must do if you are in the area. Much better than we anticipated. It is a very enjoyable, smooth ride to the top and back. You need to plan to stay at the top at least an hour to hike even further up to the peak. They also have an amazing large bird exhibit that I would suggest you try to catch. They also have a small café at the top that actually has some really good sandwiches.
Great ride up the hill above Benalmadina. Fantastic views and trails. Easy to buy tickets there but can be purchased beforehand online for a saving. On a clear day Gibraltar is visible from the top which is a short walk above the buildings. The falcons show is super fun and well worth it.
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