The Sacred Chesnut

UNFORGETTABLE

We propose this amazing 4x4 private excursion for up to 8 participants, as a visit of the real inland Andalucía. Your guide will pick you up at your residence (or meeting point) around Marbella or Estepona and guide you into this cultural and leisure tour.

The tour properly start in Benahavis, a wonderful gastronomy village close from Marbella. After some 45 minutes drive you will reach the entrance of the natural park Sierra de las Nieves (Unesco protected) and enjoy great views on a beautiful untouched valley. You will be given the chance to visite some older ruins before driving up to 1300+ meter where you stop in a mirador to enjoy sightseeing and take pictures. During the trip we will make several stops in other miradors as the views are exceptional. After a couple of hours we will reach the place of the mythical "castaño Santo" (sacred chesnut tree of Istan) that you will reach after a 15 minute walk (good shoes are needed as it's downhill !). This is one of the oldest trees in Spain, not to be missed ! The castaño Santo in the Sierra de las Nieves not far from Ronda in Andalucia is a contender. It hides in the middle of a mixed oak and Chestnut forest. 

With a girth of over 12 metres and an estimated age of 800 years, this tree was a grown up when the Christians drove the Moors out of the nearest town called Istan. Every time one approaches this tree he/she gets a strange feeling that this tree has memories of things past. The bark is always warm to the touch, even in the winter and we have seen it during all 4 seasons, Bare winter branches, fresh new leaf growth, flowers and forming fruit and dried up falling leaves. It is fascinating !!!

Now it's time for some fun and adrenaline, with a real 4x4 off-road circuit of some 20 minutes, before carrying down again to Benahavis.