Lying between the Sierra Blanca and the Alpujarra ranges is the locality of Ojen, a mountain village whose cube-shaped houses with their flat roofs offer the typical image of an Arab settlement. However, these architectural elements are not characteristic of the area's most typical dwellings, with their sloping roofs and high chimneys, rather they are a more recent innovation. In contrast to the other villages in the area, the bases of the houses are not dark fn colour, they are completely whitewashed. The huge differences in the levels of the streets give rise: to some highly picturesque nooks, within what is without doubt one of the most beautiful urban landscapes in the province of Malaga.

Though very little information exists regarding the history of the village, it is known that its present location is of Arab origin and must date back to very early times, since it seems that Abderraman III fought a battle against Omar Ben Hafsun, leader of the tenth-century uprising against the caliphate, before its castle walls. At that time, Ojen was called Hoxan, which means "rough place" in Arabic. After the defeat of the rebellion, the caliph decided to to build a mosque. The castle was burnt down along with the rest of the locality during the Moorish uprising of 1569 and, though it was later rebuilt, only a few traces of it remain today on a slope at the top of the village.

Monumentally speaking, there are the ruins of what we know as Solis Castle, but no part of the Los Castillejos fortress remains standing. The parish church, Mudejar in style, with its single nave and panelling, was built on the site of an old mosque and dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Encarnacion (Our Lady of the Incarnation). It was last resto red in 1670. There is also a large fountain with five jets, known as the Chorros Fountain. Festivities take place between 9 and 12 October, in honour of San Dionisio Aeropajita, with a programme of events including a festival of flamenco song (first week in August) and the procession of La Virgen del Pilar; on 12 May there is a romeria (open-air party) and on 28 February a carnival.

Paragliding and mountain sports are the most commonly-practised activities in Ojen. Cuisine is based around game, especially partridge and rabbit. Also traditional are fennel with rice, and chestnut soup during Holy Week. Churros mojados (a type of sweet fritter), muscatel wine and the famous Ojen aguardiente (a very strong liquer) should also be tried. The sanctuary of El Refugio del Juanar, near the village, also offers excellent food.

As for places of natural beauty, Sierra Blanca looms above Ojen from Cerro Nicolas (1.100 m.) to the peak of Tajo Negro (1.060 m.) with its gullies and steep slopes. the new Velez to Marbella road, which traverses the area, offers a spectacular panoramic view. Behind these slopes lies the El Juanar valley, which rises up from Los Llanos de Pulas to the sanctuary of the same name, crossing as it does so an area of great beauty, and later revealing the coast from the viewpoint known as "puerto de Marbella".

Only 20 minutes from busy Marbella is this beautiful Malaga village, its whiteness against the green slopes of the spectacular Sierra Blanca forming an eye-catching contrast. Istan means "spring"; springs which flow richly from the village's numerous fountains and which, without doubt, account to a large degree for its peculiarity. The origins of the village date back to the middle of the fourteenth century , when, after the capture of Arboto castle by the Christian, its defenders fled, holing themselves up on the site of present-day Istan. At the end of the sixteenth century, at the outbreak of the Moorish rebellion, its inhabitants joined the uprising, only to be defeated by Ponce de Leon's troops.

The expulsion of the Moors was a hammer blow for the village, as at that time it was one of the richest places in the region thanks to the cultivation of silk and raisins. After the defeat of the Moorish rebellion, the village was repopulated by a number of families from the fertile regions of Murcia who spoke a dialect known as "panocho", with the result that the inhabitants of the village were henceforth known as "panochos".

The oldest, most important monument is the parish church, built in the sixteenth century on the orders of the Archbishop of Seville, Djego de Deza. Other interesting buildings are the cave which houses the Casa de la Juventud, the public wash house and the Arab tower, situated at the village's highest point which was once part of the old fortress which dominated the area from above.

The most traditional crafts in Istan are articles made from palm and esparto grass, ceramics and other cork-based crafts. The festive calendar begins with Holy Week and the religious procession of El Paso (a float telling the story of Easter). After this, San Marcos falls on 25 April and on the last Sunday before 29 September, to begin the San Miguel celebrations, the traditional "Tomilleria" takes place after early morning mass at the parish church. Finally, "La Tostoña" is another event which takes place on 1 November, AII Saint's Day, in which people go to the country to eat roast chestnuts, washed down with aguadiente (a strong liquer). Istan's cuisine is very rich and varied; it has over a dozen very appetising dishes to offer (soup, com soup, breadcrumbs, pickle, rice pudding, cabbage, cod with shellfish, tomato soup with prickly pears or grapes..) as well as a selection of excellent cakes.

As regards places of natural beauty, the Istan area marks the point where the Ronda mountain's meet the west of the Costa del Sol.

To the north stands the impressive mass of the Sierra Real (1.331 m.), acting both as a backdrop to the village and a catchment area for the water which makes up the Rio Verde reservoir, where "Castaño Santo" (the holy chestnut tree) stands, over 700 years old and declared the "Tree of Humanity". To the south-east lies another mountainous area, Sierra Blanca, taking over the reins from the previous range and extending the spectacular landscape almost as far as the coast to the peaks of La Zaina (1.141 m.) and El Lastonar (1.260 m.). Between the two ranges, the Rio Verde valley, before it reaches the aforementioned reservoir, contains areas of great scenic and ecological interest in La Dehesa de Bornoque, where masses of cork trees sweep down to the bottom of the valley mixing with small oaks and the occasional fir, and where large numbers of "Capra Hispanica" (Spanish capers) can be found. This area, along with ten others, has been declared a Bio spherical Reserve by UNESCO.

Benahavis is a delightful mountain village which boasts examples of the richest and most important cuisine on the whole of the Costa del Sol, in terms of both quality and category. Documentation situates the origins of the locality in the times of the Arab occupation, appearing under the protection of the Montemayor Castle (an important defensive bastion in the period of Nazari rule in Granada) when the territory was owned by the Banu Habis (meaning "children of Hell") family, from which the present day name of the village is derived.

This castle, along with several watchtowers built during Nazari rule in  Granada, such as the towers of Daidin or La Leonera which have been well preserved, or the small parish church of La Virgen del Rosario, dating back to the eighteenth century, is one of the most important monuments in Benahavis, whose urban appearance today is in keeping with the typical style of the white villages of the west coast which twist their way up into the mountains, surrounded as it is by wild countryside and spectacular views, as well as having three rivers, (the Guadaiza, the Guadalmedina and the Guadalmina), which gives us an idea of the wealth and prosperity of its location.

Historically, after the capture of Marbella, the whole area was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs, who granted the locality of Benahavis, along with the village of Daidin, to Juan de Silva, Count of Cifuentes, to thank him for his help, which created tension between Marbella and Benahavis, as the latter belonged to the former until1572 when King Felipe II gave Benahavis its own charter, thus proclaiming its independence from Marbella.

The fair and festivities take place between the 11 and the 15 of August, with a special mass sung in a Sevillana style and the procession of La Virgen del Rosario, the Romeria (an outdoor party) of which -on the 6 and 7 of October- is also of great interest.

On the sporting front, golf is especially well catered for in Benahavis, considering the numerous courses which surround it (a new course has recently been built in El Coto de la Zagaleta), along with the no less abundant luxury housing complexes, which also offer different sports facilities. In addition, activities such as hiking, mountain biking or hunting can be practiced in Benahavis and the surrounding area with great ease.

But without doubt one of the most important aspects of Benahavis is its Cuisine; the village is known as the "dining room" of the Costa del Sol because of its large number of restaurants it contains, of every style and category. They offer the chance to try almost everything, but Benahavis bases its specialties around pork, lamb and game.

Scenically speaking, Benahavis is a mountain paradise: lying between the Palmerita and Bermeja sierras and traversed by three rivers, the options for a scenic holiday are practically endless, and the opportunities for gastronomical tourism, something really in vogue of late, offer an excellent wide range of possibilities.