Pirates, smugglers and bandits – the lawless history of the Costa Tropical

500 years of "moros en la costa"

Drive along the old N-340 coast road and you will see round stone towers on the headlands – from the Balcón de Europa in Nerja you can see Torre Caleta above the cove at Cantarriján. They are the clearest trace of a long history. In the 16th and 17th centuries the corsairs came from Algiers at night and carried off fishermen, farmers and children as slaves. The Spanish still say "no hay moros en la costa" – "there are no Moors on the coast" – when they mean the coast is clear.

When the pirates disappeared around 1830, the smugglers came. Tobacco from Gibraltar was unloaded in the little coves below the cliffs and carried over the mountains on mules, and the customs guards, the Carabineros, moved into the old watchtowers. Up in the mountains, bandoleros held up the stagecoaches until the Guardia Civil was founded in 1844. After the Civil War, guerrilla fighters took to the mountains above Frigiliana, and today the Guardia Civil hunts fast rubber boats carrying hashish with radar and helicopters.

The landscape is the same all the way: Africa is only about 200 km away, the coast has many small coves that cannot be seen from land, and the mountains rise right behind the beach. That has made the Costa Tropical a coast where someone has always been keeping watch.

The map above shows that the coast was well known in North Africa and Istanbul. In his youth Piri Reis sailed with his uncle, the corsair Kemal Reis, on raids along the coasts of Spain and Italy. Later he gathered his knowledge of the Mediterranean coasts in the sea atlas Kitab-ı Bahriye, which he presented to Sultan Süleyman in 1521 and in an expanded edition in 1526.

Timeline: from corsairs to narcolanchas

The six stories

1. The Barbary pirates and the watchtowers (approx. 1500–1800)

The corsairs from Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli were after people, not gold. The captives were sold at the slave market in Algiers, and only those whose families could pay were ransomed – like Cervantes in 1580. That is why the old towns sit up on the cliffs behind walls, and why there is a watchtower on almost every headland. The watchmen sent smoke signals by day and fire signals by night from tower to tower. The nearest tower, Torre de Velilla, stands only about 600 metres from Playa Tropical.

What you can see: the towers along the N-340 from Maro to Castell de Ferro, the walk to Torre de Cerro Gordo (2 km round trip) and Museo 1562 in La Herradura. Read Pirates and watchtowers

2. Cueva del Tesoro – the treasure cave (legend and finds)

In Rincón de la Victoria, east of Málaga, there is a cave shaped by the sea. According to legend it hides the treasure of five Almoravid kings from the 12th century. The Swiss Antonio de la Nari blasted his way through the rock for almost 30 years and died in one of his own blasts in 1847. Later the researcher Manuel Laza Palacio actually found six Almoravid gold coins in an oil lamp – but no royal treasure. The real treasure is the traces from the Stone Age.

What you can see: the cave with an audio guide (approx. 70 km, approx. 1 hour), the Torre del Cantal watchtower and the old railway tunnels by the sea. Read Cueva del Tesoro

3. The smugglers on the coast (approx. 1700–1950)

Tobacco was a state monopoly in Spain and expensive. In the free port of Gibraltar it was cheap. The goods were shipped east and unloaded at night in small coves such as Cantarriján and near Maro, and muleteers carried them over the Sierra de Almijara and Sierra Tejeda. In 1871 it was said in the British House of Commons that around 1,500 tonnes of tobacco had gone from Gibraltar on into Spain in three years. Facing the smugglers from 1829 were the Carabineros – in the old watchtowers and in the cannon fort in La Herradura.

What you can see: Castillo de La Herradura, the Carabineros' lookout post on Cerro Gordo, the cove at Cantarriján and the Paseo de los Carabineros in Nerja. Read The smugglers on the coast

4. The bandits in the mountains (18th and 19th centuries)

19th-century travellers loved the Andalusian bandoleros in fine costume with a rifle. The reality was kidnappings, threatening letters and hold-ups of the stagecoaches. In the Axarquía people remember Luis Muñoz García, El Bizco de El Borge (1837–1889), who was sentenced to death without being caught and was hunted by the Guardia Civil for years. In his home town of El Borge he was remembered as a generous bandit – the Guardia Civil called him ruthless. According to legend he shot the holes in the church weathervane.

What you can see: the Galería del Bandolero in El Borge (approx. 66 km, approx. 1 hr 10 min), El Bizco's birthplace and the old inn Venta de Alfarnate on the royal road between Málaga and Granada. Read The bandits in the mountains

5. The guerrillas in the Sierra de Almijara (approx. 1945–1952)

After the Civil War, Republicans went up into the mountains above Nerja, Frigiliana and Cómpeta to keep fighting Franco – 21 of them from Frigiliana. The Agrupación Guerrillera de Granada under "Roberto" also kidnapped and killed, and the Guardia Civil responded with interrogation, prison and shootings "while trying to escape". The farmers were caught between two evils. The village of El Acebuchal was emptied of its roughly 200 inhabitants in 1948 and lay in ruins for 50 years. The article tells the story from both sides.

What you can see: El Acebuchal with its chapel, information board and bar-restaurant (approx. 39 km, just over 1 hour via Frigiliana), Frigiliana and the view of Cerro Lucero. Read The guerrillas in the Almijara

6. Smuggling in recent times (approx. 1980–2026)

Today it is hashish from Morocco's Rif Mountains that is shipped across the Alboran Sea in fast rubber boats, narcolanchas. The Guardia Civil tracks them with the SIVE radar system, helicopters and patrol boats, and the customs service has boats in Motril. The same sea is crossed by people in small boats, who are rescued and brought into the port of Motril. It almost always happens at night and far out at sea – for tourists it means very little. If you see something suspicious, keep your distance and call 112.

What you can see: the port of Motril from Playa de Poniente, the natural harbour in Calahonda and the watchtowers at La Rijana and Castell de Ferro. Read Smuggling in recent times

Legend or fact?

Crime stories grow every time they are told. In the series we have separated what is documented from what is only legend:

The crime-themed drive from Playa Tropical

If you want to see most of it in one day, drive west. The route follows the story from the pirates' towers via the smugglers' coves to the guerrillas' mountains. Pure driving time is just over 2½ hours for about 88 km – with stops, walks and lunch it makes a whole day.

Short of time? Then just do the first two stops and drive home again – that makes a good half-day.

Two other trips

• Heading east (half-day): The port of Motril from Playa de Poniente and the natural harbour in Calahonda with Torre del Zambullón – and home. About 65 km and just over 1 hour's driving. See Smuggling in recent times and the towers in Pirates and watchtowers.
• The bandits and the treasure cave (full day): The Galería del Bandolero in El Borge in the morning (Wed–Sun 10–14), on down to the Cueva del Tesoro in the afternoon and home along the A-7. About 157 km and just over 2½ hours' driving. The cave closes for lunch, so check the times in the article about the cave.

How to get there

All the places are within about 70 km of Playa Tropical. A car is easiest – many of the places have no bus. Take the A-7 motorway to get there quickly, and the old N-340 coast road if you want to see the towers and coves. The N-340 is narrow and winding at Cerro Gordo and between Calahonda and Castell de Ferro, and the road up to El Acebuchal is a narrow mountain road. See speed checks, parking and car hire. ALSA's coastal buses run to La Herradura, Nerja and Motril – see buses.

The buttons below the map open the routes from Playa Tropical directly in Google Maps: the direct drive to Castillo de La Herradura, the crime-themed drive west, the trip east, the full-day trip to El Borge and the cave, and the walk to Torre de Velilla.

Practical info

• Toilets: Use the towns. There are public toilets on the promenade in La Herradura, by Calahonda beach in Nerja, at Plaza del Ingenio in Frigiliana and by the beach in Calahonda (Motril). The cave has toilets. We have found none by the towers out on the headlands or in El Acebuchal – use a restaurant as a customer.
• Food: Fish restaurants and beach bars on the promenade in La Herradura, tapas bars around the Balcón de Europa in Nerja, the bar-restaurant in El Acebuchal, the Posada del Bandolero in El Bizco's birthplace in El Borge, and espetos in La Cala del Moral by the cave. Details are in the articles – opening hours change with the season.
• On foot and accessibility: Castillo de La Herradura, the port of Motril and the promenades are flat. The paths to the towers are stone and gravel with no shade, El Borge and El Acebuchal have steep streets, and the cave has steps (lift to the first floor only).
• Sun and water: Bring good shoes, a hat and water. In summer the midday heat is fierce on the cliffs and in the mountains.

Maps and routes

Red star = Playa Tropical. Click on a point for the name and distance. Map data © OpenStreetMap.

Good advice

• Start at the door. Torre de Velilla is a 15-minute walk from Playa Tropical – so you will have seen a real watchtower before you even get in the car.
• Read before you drive. The stories bring the places to life. Take one article at a time, and have it with you on your phone.
• Check opening hours. Museo 1562, the Galería del Bandolero, the cave and the restaurant in El Acebuchal have changing hours and closing days.
• Keep away from the edge. The cliffs by the towers are steep, and the ruins are fragile. Never climb the towers.
• Be sensitive about the Civil War. Many families lost someone – on both sides. Feel free to ask, but listen more than you talk.
• Call 112. If you see a boat unloading at night or people in distress at sea, move away and call 112 (or the Guardia Civil on 062).
• More history: Almuñécar's history, Castillo de San Miguel, Salobreña, Maro-Cerro Gordo and Frigiliana.

The towers are listed monuments, and the nature parks have a high fire risk in summer. Take nothing away, never light a fire, and stay on the paths. In an emergency: call 112.