How to escape the Spanish heat: Canyoning in the Rio Verde

Are you kitesurfing in southern Spain, but the wind is taking a break for a day? It can get pretty hot, especially in the summer months. If this happens and you are looking for an alternative, we have a tip for you: How about a canyoning tour in the Rio Verde? As the name suggests, this river is really green. Incredibly green. And pleasantly cool.

Report on a booked canyoning tour from Educare Aventura , Nerja, Andalusia. (Booked through GetYourGuide )

A first tip in advance: Make sure you book an organized tour with a shuttle . Because the way to the start is not easy. Extremely steep slope, potholes in the gravel road and 180-degree turns. You might not want to have to drive that yourself in a normal car.

Preparation and advancement

As soon as you arrive at the car park, you can get started straight away. You first tie your wetsuits into a backpack, swap your flip flops for sturdy shoes and then start the climb. Wait? Yes, you're going up first. You want to plunge down the gorges later, so you have to walk up first.

However, since you are already relatively high up in the mountains and it can even rain briefly now and then, the climb is easily doable and a nice extra to the action part. You are also rewarded with breathtaking views every now and then.

Action and relaxation at the same time in the green riverbed

Once you have finally reached the actual entry point , you put on your wetsuits and jump into the water. And then you cringe at first because a mountain river can still be extremely cold even at 35 degrees or more on the Spanish coast . But that feels good. So, off we go. After a few meters on foot through the riverbed, you come to the first slide , then the first small jump and suddenly there is a very small hole that you have to abseil into.

It seems almost impossible to fit through there, but somehow you manage. When you get to the bottom, you are overwhelmed by where you have ended up. The colors of the river change from a crystal clear light green to an almost black, incredibly deep dark green. The gorge goes several hundred meters deep beneath your feet, but also up. You find yourself in an ice-cold pool in the middle of nature and everyday life around you slowly seems to blur.

Abseiling or jumping?

If you let yourself be carried along with the current a little further, you will be jolted awake again. There is a ten-meter-high gap down. Abseil or jump? The choice is yours. This is how it continues for a little while. Hike through the riverbed, marvel at the many colorful plants along the path and quench your thirst at a small spring . Until finally the last jump from a rock is about to take place.

One last plunge into the cool water, one last scream of adrenaline and then you are back at the starting point.

The difference: you are deeply relaxed, full of adrenaline and simply content. A bit like after a sauna session in the depths of winter. Only here you have just escaped the Spanish sauna and fled into the cool riverbed.

Clearly recommended for hot summer days without wind in southern Spain! Have fun!

Photos in this post: Educare Aventura SL