Saladillo Benamara: Coast, Dunes and Trails

For your hotel stay in Saladillo Benamara, coastal scenery, hiking trails and a historic watchtower offer different points of interest. Nearby landmarks include Playa de El Saladillo, the El Saladillo-Punta de Baños marine area and the Senda Litoral de Estepona.

Coast and protected marine area

Playa de El Saladillo stretches as far as the mouth of the Guadalmansa River. Dunes and pine groves of high ecological value separate the beach from the neighboring residential areas. Both the open coastal landscape and its vegetation shape the character of this stretch.

The protected El Saladillo-Punta de Baños marine area lies almost entirely off the eastern coast of the municipality of Estepona in the province of Málaga. It is designated as a Zona Especial de Conservación (ZEC) in the Natura 2000 network’s Mediterranean biogeographical region. The marine area includes Posidonia oceanica beds associated with small areas of hard substrate at depths of 3.5 to 6 meters. Conditions at sea can vary; the Posidonia beds and their surroundings are a distinctive natural feature of the coast.

Coastal paths and hiking routes

The Senda Litoral de Estepona is more than 20 kilometers long and extends as far as El Saladillo. It is mostly flat and can be used for walking, running or cycling. The route therefore offers several ways to experience the coastal area while on the move. Information about its route and use can help you distinguish this longer coastal route from an individual stage with its own distance and time estimate.

Benamara also has a specific section of the coastal corridor: a municipal announcement dated April 9, 2025, reported the opening of a three-meter-wide paved section. At that time, the planned connections to sections in El Saladillo and to the area around the Dos Hermanas residential development were still partly under construction. If you would like to include this section in a tour, check the current route.

Another route description covers Stage 30 of the GR-249 Gran Senda de Málaga. It runs from Estepona to Marbella; the guide gives its length as 27.1 kilometers and the walking time as seven hours. These figures refer to the stage, while the more than 20 kilometers describe the Senda Litoral. The GR-249 lists Dunas del Saladillo y Matas Verdes as waypoint 8. In the section The Beach and Dunes of El Saladillo, a large pool near the mouth of the Guadalmansa offers the opportunity to observe waterbirds. Their presence and visibility vary by season.

A historic landmark

The Torre almenara del Saladillo adds a historic structure to the natural and route-related points of interest. The watchtower was built in 1575 and is 11 meters high overall.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Frigiliana, Marbella, Campillos, Alpandeire, Ronda, Archidona, Iznate, Yunquera.

For the main travel overview: Málaga.