Nerja Guided Paddle Surf Tour to Maro Cliffs and Waterfall

Burriana beach and the paddle surf lesson

Your tour begins on Burriana beach, the broad sandy beach at the eastern end of Nerja, where calm mornings and gently shelving water make it ideal for learning stand-up paddle. The guide first shows you how to hold the paddle, how to kneel and then stand on the board, and how to turn and stop. Within a few minutes most beginners are upright and moving, and the group sets off together along the shore.

Burriana is easy to reach on foot from the centre of Nerja in about 15 minutes, and there is paid parking nearby. Lockers can be rented for phones and keys, and showers on the promenade are handy after the tour. If you are looking for Burriana beach activities, paddle surf is one of the most popular, especially in the morning before the afternoon breeze picks up.

Paddling along the Maro–Cerro Gordo cliffs

East of Burriana, the hotels give way to wild coastline. The Maro–Cerro Gordo cliffs are a protected natural site where the mountains of the Sierra de Almijara meet the Mediterranean, and the protected area extends out to sea, keeping the water exceptionally clear. From your board you look down on rocks, seagrass and fish, and up at ochre cliffs, caves and old coastal watchtowers.

Paddling here is very different from a boat trip: it is quiet, slow and close to the water, so you notice the colours of the seabed and the birds nesting on the rock faces. The guide sets a comfortable pace and explains the history of the coast and its marine life along the way. Many people say paddleboarding is the best way to see the Maro cliffs, and it is certainly one of the most peaceful things to do in Nerja.

The Maro waterfall

The goal of the tour is the Maro waterfall, a rare sight on the Mediterranean coast: a stream of fresh water that tumbles from the cliffs directly onto the sea. The water comes from springs and old irrigation channels that once watered the sugar cane fields of Maro, and it creates a green curtain of plants and moss on the rock. Paddling right up to it and feeling the spray is the moment everyone photographs.

The waterfall can only be seen properly from the sea, which is why a Maro waterfall paddle board tour is so popular. The flow is strongest in spring and after rainy periods, and gentler in late summer, but the setting is beautiful all year. The guide takes pictures of you in front of the falls, so you can enjoy the moment and keep the photos afterwards.

Swimming stop in a Maro cove

On the way back the group stops in one of the small coves below the cliffs, where you can leave the board, swim and float in calm, transparent water. These coves, framed by rock and reachable mainly from the sea, are some of the cleanest bathing spots on the Costa del Sol. Bring a mask if you have one, as fish gather around the rocks close to the shore.

After the swim you paddle back to Burriana beach at an easy pace, with the white houses of Nerja and the mountains behind them in view. The whole route is suited to beginners in good health, and the support boat is always close. The best time to visit Maro for paddle surf is from May to October, when the sea is warm and usually flat in the morning.