Exclusive Malaga and Ronda

This short tour is for those wanting to gain a special insight into this part of Andalucia and its gardens and to see more that tourists on exclusive private visits. Our tour visits Malaga and Ronda, a spectacular town perched above a gorge.

The author of Great Gardens of Spain personally designed the itinerary and selected the gardens and restaurants that we visit. She will escort the tour sharing her knowledge and introducing you to her friends and acquaintances. There are a number of private visits to gardens not generally open to the public. Overnight stays are at a specially selected hotel and a private estate.

Example itinerary

Day 1

Flights from UK to Malaga. You will be met and taken to our first garden. This private 'Cortijo' (estate) is owned by a well known group of Spanish intellectuals. The estate, not generally open to the public, has a delightful sub tropical garden with an outstanding Phytolacca dioica tree and an alley of Pecan trees. Afterward you will enjoy a lunch hosted by one of the owners. The discussions will cover Spanish literature and culture as well as the gardens of the estate. After lunch (included) we set off for a neighbouring private garden for another private visit. Spend the night (with welcome dinner) in Malaga.

Day 2

In the morning we take a walking tour of nearby Alcazaba de Malaga where we visit the old Moorish fortress/ palace, Roman theatre and its gardens and patios. This is an ideal setting to learn more about the history of Malaga before having a tapas lunch (included) in a traditional restaurant. After lunch we drive to an outstanding 19th century subtropical garden for a guided tour as well as tiem to look around on your own. Then we travel on to a unique country estate with a fascinating garden, where we have dinner, hosted by the owners, and stay overnight.

Day 3

This morning we travel to nearby Ronda, where we visit the historic garden Palacio del Rey Moro (Palace of the Moorish King) before continuing to a private 16th century palace for an exclusive visit to its its garden. Afterwards we take a stroll through Ronda and have a light tapas lunch in a local restaurant. Still time to squeeze in one final visit to a renowned garden en route to the airport for an evening flight home.