Los Reales
Written by Geoff Forster
Los Reales: We traveled up through Jubrique on the old Estepona road. The mountain road twisted and climbed upwards. The trees changed from cork oak and chestnuts to pines (Pinsapo). Everything was surprisingly green for July.
Los Reales is the highest point of the Sierra Bermeja.
The Sierra Bermeja runs along part of the western Costa del Sol near Estepona.
We reached a junction and parked the car. On one side of the road we could look down into the inland valleys of the Genal and Guadiaro and beyond. 
On the other side we got our first glimpse of the coast.
There is certainly something of a wow factor when you stand at the edge and look down onto this beautiful coastline.
I couldn't wait to get to the top (Los Reales) where you can look both ways down the coast, as well as inland!
We got back in the car and took the road to Los Reales. This road was narrower and there were no barriers, just a few boulders that had been painted white many years ago. It was very beautiful but more than a little scary looking down onto the Costa del Sol below.
The sign had said 3km but it seemed a lot more.
The road twisted and turned. This is a real mountain road, I was beginning to relax a little and enjoy the experience. The road opened up and there was a parking area to the left with a couple of cars and a 4x4 jeep on it. There were a few people milling around taking photographs. we got out and joined them. The people were from Lancashire, one supported Blackburn Rovers another lady, Burnley. They were been driven/guided by a man that we knew, he lives in Benarrabá. We had a good chat and then they left for the summit. We were warned the road surface was not good!
The photo above is looking to the south west, towards Gibraltar and the Atlas mountains of Morocco.
Below the same direction with zoom. 
We gave them a couple of minutes start and then followed. The road was really bad. The surface was broken and there were lots of large potholes. Our two week old Renault Clio was not ideal for this sort of road but made it up and down unscathed. Pat on the back to Jane for some excellent driving!
The road ran through some pretty pines. I knew we must be high up because there were large mounds of alpines flowering under the trees, it reminded me of the rock garden at RHS Wisley.
We saw the television and radio masts covered in satellite dishes and a building for the technical equipment/power supply. You can see the masts in the distance from the sun terrace of the apartment which we have to let in beautiful Benarrabá. We parked next to the jeep and headed up a steep rocky path to an outcrop which is the top of Los Reales.
The photo above shows part of Estepona the nearest large resort town.
The photo below is looking further east down the coast to San Pedro, Puerto Banus, Marbella, Fuengirola, Benalmádena, Torremolinos and Málaga (if you have really good eyesight on a clear day!)
The Lancastrians and their guide left and we were alone to enjoy the magnificent panoramic vistas.
The photo below is looking inland towards Benarrabá.
The photographs below are the same shot of Gibraltar on full 10x zoom. The first is as taken. The second has been enhanced to remove some haze. It helps to show the African coastline in the background.
Here's Jane with the coastline of the Costa del Sol and Gibraltar behind her. 
This is looking inland.
Inland towads Benarrabá in the Genal Valley and beyond to the distant Guadiaro Valley. We really enjoyed our trip to Los Reales. We visited the villages Genalguacil and Jubrique on the way up and stopped in a lovely venta near the River Genal on the way down.
Definitely a good day out. Obviously the clearer the day the better.
Any visitors to the area should try to get to Los Reales for some of the most stunning views in Europe.