The Olive Branch, a Climber’s Paradise

Ver página en: Español

For my last birthday, the only thing that I wanted to do was to go rock climbing in Spain, I just wanted to climb something on that day. I mentioned this to my friend Peter Parkorr, travel blogger at Travel Unmasked. And as he was heading to El Chorro, a tiny village in southern Spain that has become a classic winter climbing spot, he suggested that I come along. He was going there to shoot a promotional video for the Olive Branch, a B&B in the area.

The place seemed perfect to spend a few days away from civilisation, with plenty of options to play outdoors. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to tag along. There are about 650 routes, both single and multi-pitch, with with grades to please beginners and experienced climbers alike. It’s no wonder why El Chorro is a very popular climbing destination in Europe. The area is also famous because of El Camino del Rey, a precarious walkway through the gorge that sometimes it’s referred to as one of the most dangerous in the world.

Peter Parkorr rock climbing in El Chorro, Spain

The Olive Branch is a family run guesthouse owned by British expats Mel & Gary, who also live there with their two energetic children and their lovely pets. With the help of volunteers, they’ve built the perfect place for climbers looking for affordable accommodation in El Chorro. They have many options available for guests: a separate house that can accommodate groups; a variety of private rooms for smaller groups, families and couples; and for the singles there are dorm rooms and camping.

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Arriving to El Chorro was easy enough, thanks to the kindness of my friend Wim who gave me a ride all the way from Benalmádena. Unfortunately, I was expecting a bit too much from the tiny village of El Chorro and showed up without any provisions, thinking that I could just buy everything I needed there. It turned out there wasn’t much in town, there’s just a not so well stocked store by the train station and there’s a small mini market, but it’s way overpriced!

The Olive Branch in El Chorro, Spain
Thankfully, the people at the Olive Branch were super helpful and soon enough I was able to get some food from Álora, a proper town with supermarkets and shops about 12 km away. Besides breakfast, Mel & Gary also offer prepared meals for just a few euros; and on Friday evenings, there’s Clam Friday, a feast including tasty clams, drinking rum shots from shells and singing around the table. If all you need is a boost for your climbing you should try some of Charlie’s cakes, everything I tried was delicious; but my favourite was the lime cake followed closely by the devilish brownies. Believe me, that girl can bake!

The Olive Branch in El Chorro, Spain

Overall, my stay at the Olive Branch was fantastic and I wish I had more time to explore the area. El Chorro turned out to be a great place to get away from civilisation; in fact, after a week in nature among trees and stars, it was a bit shocking to arrive to Malaga’s train station full of artificial lights and bright shops.

Cat at the Olive Branch in El Chorro, Spain
My stay at the guesthouse was a courtesy of the Olive Branch; but all opinions and views are my own. For more information and to book your stay you can visit their website. Also, you can view Peter Parkorr’s video here.

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680 452 Bianca Bauza

Bianca Bauza

Bianca Bauza is a world citizen who spent almost four years traveling around South America and Europe. Her passions include photography, street art, outdoor sports, and cooking exotic dishes. She's now based in the Netherlands where she lives with her partner and young daughter. She still enjoys traveling, on her own or with her family, and is always looking for an opportunity to see new places.

All stories by : Bianca Bauza
9 Comments
  • Wow, the pictures are amazing. I haven’t been rock climbing in years but your post is making me think I need to get back to it!

    • Thanks Teresa! You should definitely go climbing again and Spain is not too far ;) I haven’t done much climbing since my time in El Chorro and can’t wait to go again!

  • Great blog Bianca, thankyou so much for the amazing review! It does help though having lovely people to stay all the time, we are very lucky. Thankyou, it was great to meet you and Peter, we wish you all the luck for your travel and blogs in 2013 and we hope you’ll get the itch and want to return to El chorro one day for some more of the best sport climbing! Best wishes from Mel, Gary, Aimee, Lewis, Sami the chiuaiua, Nibbles, Midnight and Simba the cats and the OB Gang Tom, Charlie, Patrick, Roy, Emilio and Robbie!

  • Thanks to all of you, Mel! It was awesome to meet you all ant to spend time at the OB. For sure, next time I’m in Spain I’d love to go back, there are so many climbs I’d love to do! All the best for everyone for 2013!

  • Susan @ Cruise Vacation

    Frankly speaking I’m little bit scared of height but seriously after saw your rock climbing pictures, inspired me and make this thing with positive way. Thanks for sharing!!

    • Hi Susan, the nice thing about rock climbing is that there are challenges of all sizes, so you can always find the one that is right for you. I’m happy you want to try it out! Let me know how it goes :)

  • Fancy some rock climbing while travelling in Spain?-Spain at Your Pace

    […] is not only amazing for the rock climbing itself. A friend of mine, who’s also a travel blogger, Nomadbiba, and a good rock climber went there a couple of months ago, and she said the atmosphere there was […]

  • Greetings fellow adventurers and climbers!

    I came across this post while searching for rock climbing options in Spain.

    My friend and I will be in Spain in January and are very eager to do some climbing. Unfortunately, we will not have any gear but our shoes and harness.

    Do you know any fairly priced guides or groups we could contact to join for some climbing? Any help would be much appreciated.

    Muchísimas gracias,

    Meg

    • Hola Meg,

      Spain has many spots for rock climbing in January. To be honest, I have not climbed much in Spain; but I’ve been to El Chorro. And I’d say it’s a really good option: good weather, lots of nice rock, el Camino del Rey… If you choose to go, the Olive Branch is a nice place to meet climbers. They can also advise about guides and gear.

      In general, when I am looking into climbing sometimes I get good results searching for local climbers on Facebook & CouchSurfing.

      Happy climbing :)

      Bianca

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