Discover Villanueva del Rosario

In Villanueva del Rosario, Stage 11 of the GR-249 Gran Senda de Málaga begins at Parque de la Fuente Vieja. It is a linear route to Plaza del Puente in Alfarnate. The route is 15.4 kilometres long. The Ruta de las Cuevas is also a linear route, running from Cooperativa agrícola San Juan to El Nacimiento – El Chorro: the 5.3-kilometre route has an estimated walking time of 2 hours and 5 minutes, and along the way up to six caves and rock shelters can be visited.

Nature

The Vía Ferrata de Hondonero has a 15-minute approach, a via ferrata climbing time of 1 hour, a low level of difficulty, an elevation gain of 55 metres and a route length of 97 metres. The PR-A 395 Fuentes de Hondonero is considered an easy trail into the Hondonero landscape area and begins at Parque de la Fuente Vieja.

The Sierra de Camarolos – Arco Calizo Central route begins at Llano Hondonero, follows a marked trail through a pine forest and climbs towards the 1,444-metre-high Pico de la Cruz. At the beginning of this described route lies the Río Cerezo, and at the end the Hoz del arroyo Marín. Along the route, ibex can sometimes be observed climbing the steep rock walls of the 1,249-metre-high Pico Nacimiento.

Nacimiento de El Chorro lies on the slope of the Sierra de Camarolos and is the source of the Río Cerezo, a tributary of the Guadalhorce. Wooden tables and benches are available there for visitors. The Sierra de Camarolos is designated as a Zona Especial de Conservación and includes, among other areas, Villanueva del Rosario.

Culture and History

Cerro del Oso, in the municipality of Villanueva del Rosario in the Province of Málaga, is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the Zona Arqueológica category. The site is one of the few known sites in the upper Guadalhorce Valley attributed to the Late to Final Chalcolithic, and it also has a Late Roman phase.

The Cerro del Oso archaeological area lies on the first foothills of the Sierra Gorda at an altitude of just over 900 metres. It offers extensive views; historically, the site controlled the routes between the coast of Málaga, the Colmenar-Periana basin, the Antequera basin and the areas of Granada.

Archaeological remains from the Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age have been found in Villanueva del Rosario, including an early Roman settlement called Ovilia. Local architecture includes traditional, well-maintained and well-preserved buildings, as well as numerous rural houses with kitchen gardens and gardens. The upper course of the Río Guadalhorce flows through Villanueva del Rosario; ash trees, poplars and black poplars grow along its banks.

The Ferias y fiestas de Nuestra Señora del Rosario are designated as intangible cultural heritage with the characteristics of a festival, fair and civil-religious procession. The October celebration includes a civil-religious procession with around fifty bearers carrying the image of the Virgin Mary and women wearing mantillas.

Festivals and Regional Cuisine

For years, the custom of gathering and cleaning wild-growing tagarninas has been widespread in Villanueva del Rosario. Día de la Tagarnina includes a free tasting of tagarnina stew, hiking activities, the Subida a Hondonero road race, musical performances, children's activities, as well as stalls selling typical regional food and handicrafts.

The Rocksario Festival has been held in Villanueva del Rosario for more than three decades and reached its 31st edition in 2026. Every year, it attracts thousands of visitors from various parts of the province. The Feria del Emigrante is a summer celebration that has been held for more than half a century in honour of residents who had left the town and returned during the summer holidays.

The programme of the Feria del Emigrante includes sporting, child-friendly, musical, gastronomic and traditional activities, as well as concerts, orchestras, tribute shows and the customary release of young bulls, known as the suelta de vaquillas.

The ACRO’25 Festival took place on 21 and 22 November 2025 in Villanueva del Rosario as its second edition, featuring exhibitions, performances and participatory activities. It included the collaboratively created ceramic mosaic “Zahorí, donde nace un río” by artist Rocío Rivas, made from around 1,500 ceramic pieces bearing the fingerprints of residents; it was inaugurated at the Mercado Municipal.

The Chamizo de Noche Trail is a summer mountain race in Villanueva del Rosario. The 2026 edition was the sixth and included, alongside the main race, a hiking route for children.

More destinations

Find more destinations at Teba, Villanueva De Tapia, Parauta, Pizarra, Almachar, Archidona, Istán and Villanueva Del Trabuco.

For the overarching travel overview: Málaga.