Hidden spots and vine conservation dating back to the 8th century BC – Botanical Garden 📷 Málaga – Spain

In my eagerness to explore and do so naturally, I don’t want to rely on a map. There are no dangers here, and I know that if I do get lost, I can rely on my visual memory to retrace my steps and find my way back. That’s why I love getting to know every nook and cranny of the most amazing spots in the city’s historic Botanical Garden.

Whenever I visit this wonderful 29-hectare natural space, I always want to discover new places, though I don’t always manage to do so. But I know it will take me a long time to get to know it all, even more so in the way I want to do it, without a map. And I think that even if I did have one, since they’re handed out for free at the entrance, there would be places not marked on it. There are so many levels and staircases or ramps that are barely visible on the ground that there’s surely plenty left to discover.

That’s what I was thinking when, after passing the garden museum, I followed a signposted path lined with vegetation and pink flowers, whilst the sun cast beautiful shadows on the ground. I was so absorbed in my walk that the path led me to another where there appeared to be a small cottage with picnic benches.

It was very quiet there; all I could hear were the birdsong and my own footsteps. All around me was vegetation in different shades of green, a place I’d never been before. When I looked closely and explored the area, I found a very narrow staircase which, depending on the angle from which you viewed the spot, wasn’t visible at all.

That suggested to me that probably very few people had seen it and, therefore, the place it led to was very peaceful and largely untouched by human hands, although, of course, the garden was well maintained. But I wanted to explore the area.

I climbed that staircase, which was lined with tiny yellow flowers; further up, there were flowers of various colours. When I reached the top, I came across a dirt track and a patch of grass, a sign that it wasn’t very well-trodden, so I decided to follow it. All around me were trees, bushes, lots of greenery, and everything was beautiful.

Then I came across a more clearly marked, very narrow path. Yet at the same time, it seemed to disappear into the vegetation. I walked through that higher area for a while until I reached a dead end, so I retraced my steps. The landscape changed as I turned round, and it was even more beautiful. The sense of peace and that pure, unspoilt energy of nature was astonishing.

Thinking back on the path, I looked down and saw another one; although this one was different, signposted and clearly part of the garden, I looked for a way to reach it, go down the steps and see what it was all about.

Large open spaces with benches and greenery awaited me, but at the same time there was a fork in the path and they all looked lovely. I tried walking along three of them for a while to see what was on each one. One of them had ruins and ancient buildings.

The central one was full of vegetation, and the third was the one I liked best because you could see a low-lying area full of trees and palm trees, but also views through those trees revealing the hills of Málaga and various estates.

This one also featured signposts for a forest trail, a path where there were hardly any people, as if nobody knew about this part of the botanical garden.

The end of that path led me to a very lovely spot, completely unknown to me, and I wondered how much more there was that I hadn’t seen. It fills me with joy to return another time to explore further. This area seemed to be full of vineyards.

These are ancient Malaga vines, and I found a sign with a brief description of them. The earliest evidence of wine in the city dates back to the 8th century BC, with the arrival of the Phoenicians. This garden has carried out a study on these ancient vines, which were gradually disappearing. They managed to recover 20 of these varieties, which are now preserved here. The wines produced in Málaga bear the labels ‘Málaga’ and ‘Sierras de Málaga’ to safeguard their quality.

Further on, following paths always lined with lush vegetation and taking in everything around me, I came across a structure set amidst nature. This is the ‘Alberca de la Noria’, which was built by the INEM’s La Concepción school-workshop, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the European Social Fund, in May 2003.

Through this exploration, I realised that this vast botanical garden holds many mysteries and beautiful things to discover, as well as offering the chance to fully enjoy nature, clearing the mind, whilst also learning a great deal.

It was a magnificent tour; I learnt a lot and visited some wonderful places. Thank you very much for joining me today; I send you my warmest regards. See you soon.
Amonet.