Horsemanship is another activity that plays a distinguished role in this tourist destination. The Escuela de Arte Ecuestre de la Costa del Sol (Costa del Sol School of Equestrian Arts) in the locality of Estepona and the Hipódromo (race course) in Mijas, along with clubs scattered throughout the province, make up an unusual and attractive offer for lovers of activities related to the world of horses. These facilities give the visitor the chance to witness impressive exhibitions and horse shows and competitions, and also to practice riding or go on horseback trips or trail rides through highly scenic natural surroundings. 

Visitors who like more conventional sports such as football, basketball, handball, volleyball or track and field have it even easier, since the Costa del Sol is brimful of tracks, fields and courts--many of them in multi-sports complexes--of different categories, designs and characteristics. Although some of these facilities are registered to private entities most of the playing fields are public property and are available for use according to differing schedules. As for the large sports installations belonging to municipal governments, these also include gymnasiums in which activities are performed such as aerobics, step dance, gym-jazz, aero boxing and spinning under the supervision and guidance of specialised instructors. In some of these facilities it is also possible to enter the world of martial arts by taking courses in karate, judo or taekwondo, disciplines that have enjoyed enormous growth thanks to the promotion by their respective clubs.

As well as having this complex network of public and private facilities, gymnasiums and infrastructure of all kinds, the province of Málaga is also an exceptional area for engaging in outdoor sports. Its impressive landscapes, ranging from steep mountains to immense plains; the environmental quality of its countryside, dotted with forests, mountains, valleys, cliffs and extraordinarily beautiful natural spaces and, again, its benevolent climate, have led to the development of an extensive network of clubs, training centres and firms which specialise in adventure and extreme sports but which faithfully adhere to the extremely strict rules for safety and risk prevention that have been imposed by the competent authority in this field. 

The visitor can thus engage in any activity from paragliding over the Abdalajís valley to get a bird’s-eye view of its beauty--it is with good reason one of the most popular sites in Europe for this sport – to exploring narrow caves or going on thrilling spelunking tours through such attractive sites as the Hundidero-Gato cave, which has spectacular underground galleries and rivers along its approximate four kilometres of length.

In municipalities such as Benaoján there are centres that offer courses, and businesses specialising in this field that organise guided excursions to facilitate these and many other activities such as trail walking, mountain biking, canyoning and parachuting. Other options include rock climbing and rappelling. The Garganta del Chorro gorge, with vertical walls four hundred metres high, is one of the favourite sites for these last two sports.  

The Costa del Sol offers motor sports lovers the opportunity for such activities as trial and cross racing and karting. For those who want the maximum excitement there is a high-speed circuit in the municipality of Ronda where the client can drive a racecar at more than two hundred kilometres per hour on a circuit that recreates great Formula 1 facilities. This complex includes a high-speed track and a social club in an exceptional natural setting only fifteen kilometres from the city of Ronda.

This extensive sports offer concentrated in the province of Málaga makes clear that enjoying a vacation and engaging in physical activities are not mutually exclusive, but rather that sports can be a tourist attraction in its own right, a supplement to the broad diversity of resources of the dynamic, healthful and continually evolving destination that is the Costa del Sol.