Book the “Nerja” boat trip to the Maro waterfall and you may find yourself at the wrong port: it sails from Caleta de Vélez, about 20 kilometres west of the fall, and lasts 4.5 hours for €55. The kayak is the local way in. Educare Aventura runs a 2.5-hour guided tour from Burriana beach in Nerja for €35 between June and September, and children can join from age 4.
How much is a kayak tour to the Maro waterfall? The guided kayak tour run by Educare Aventura from Burriana beach in Nerja costs €35 per adult from 1 June to 30 September and €30 from March to May, lasts 2.5 hours and takes children from age 4. Renting a kayak for one hour at Playa de Maro, about 520 metres from the waterfall, costs €15.
The Maro waterfall is a stream that drops off the cliffs of the Maro-Cerro Gordo Cliffs natural site straight into the Mediterranean, east of Nerja, at the end of a coastline of coves and sea caves. Kayaks launch from two beaches, Burriana and Maro, and the operator supplies the kayak, paddle and life jacket.
Burriana or Maro, which beach to start from
Playa de Maro is the short option: the fall is about 520 metres away, and Educare Aventura rents a kayak for one hour at €15 per person, which covers the waterfall and the rocks of the cove. In July and August, rentals leave every 30 minutes from 9am to 7pm.
Burriana is the full route. It is a short walk from the bus stop and has a council car park, and from there you see the whole cliff line, in this order:
- Cueva del Lobo Marino, a sea cave about 465 metres from the launch point.
- The Doncella cave and its small waterfall.
- The “vertical garden”, a cliff face covered in plants hanging over the sea.
- The Maro cove, where the guided tour stops for a swim.
- The main Maro waterfall, about 2.3 kilometres from Burriana.
The catch at Maro is access. From mid-June to mid-September the road down to the beach is closed to cars and a council shuttle runs from 10am to 8.30pm for €3 return, between 12 June and 15 September.
Guided tour, rental, paddleboard or boat, what fits you
The guided kayak suits first-timers and families. It includes the kayak, paddle, life jacket, guide, a beginner lesson, a swim stop, insurance, a support boat and a free photo and video package from the guide’s GoPro.
The self-guided rental suits people who have paddled before. Educare rents for two hours from Burriana, with a map of the route you ask for at reception, and Crystal Kayak Nerja, next door at the end of the beach, rents fixed 2.5-hour slots from €20, starting on the hour between 10am and 5pm.
The guided paddleboard tour follows the same coast standing up for €30, and the boat is for anyone who would rather not paddle at all. Its operator is Aventumar Andalucía, it includes one drink and you can bring your own food as long as it is not in glass.
Prices for a family, and what is charged on top
These are Educare Aventura’s per-person prices, with June to September as high season:
| Option | March to May | June to September |
|---|---|---|
| Guided kayak tour, adult | €30 | €35 |
| Guided kayak tour, age 8 to 15 | €20 | €23 |
| Two-hour rental from Burriana | €20 in March and April, €24 in May | €26 |
| One-hour rental from Playa de Maro | n/a | €15 |
| Guided paddleboard tour | €30 | €30 |
| Boat trip with paddleboards, adult | €55 | €55 |
For two adults and two children aged 8 to 15 in August, the guided tour comes to €116, the Burriana rental to €104, the hour at Maro to €60 and the boat to €180.
On top of that, a locker costs €3, and to keep your phone dry a waterproof pouch costs €8 on the beach. Crystal Kayak Nerja does not charge for children aged 4 to 7.
Getting there from Malaga without a car
Nerja has no train. ALSA buses leave Malaga bus station on Paseo de los Tilos and stop on Avenida Pescia after about 1 hour 25 minutes, from €5.62. The Burriana launch point is about 1,000 metres away in a straight line, at the east end of the beach behind Chiringuito Ayo.
Plan the way back first. The last bus to Malaga leaves at 9.55pm, and between 2.15pm and 3.40pm there are no buses from Nerja, so a tour that ends after 2pm can mean a wait for the bus. From Malaga Airport, ALSA runs one direct bus to Nerja, at 2.30pm Monday to Friday; at other times take the C1 train into Malaga and change at the bus station. The full timetable is in things to do in Nerja, and the rest of the network in getting around Malaga.
For Maro, ALSA runs 9 buses from Nerja to the Nerja Cave stop between 10am and 5pm, from €1.47, and Playa de Maro is about 1.3 kilometres from there. The cave itself is in the Nerja Caves guide.
If you drive, the council car park at Burriana charges €2.14 for the first hour and €5.80 for three, which is what a guided tour plus the 20 minutes of early arrival Educare asks for adds up to.
Children, swimming and weight limits
Kayaks take children from age 4: Educare seats those aged 4 to 7 in the middle of a double kayak with two adults, and anyone under 18 must be with an adult. Paddleboarding starts at age 8, with a 100-kilo limit, and snorkelling with an underwater scooter at 12, for €40 in summer. For 12 to 17-year-olds, the kayak is compared with karting and the via ferrata in Málaga with teenagers.
Everyone has to be able to swim and be comfortable in the water. Educare also turns away people over 110 kilos in a kayak, pregnant women and anyone with an injury that paddling could make worse.
English-speaking guides, deposits and paying on the beach
Educare Aventura’s guides speak English and Spanish, and it is a registered active-tourism company in Andalusia, number AT/MA/00020. You book a time slot on its website, pay a small deposit online and pay the rest on the beach in cash or by card, in one payment per booking.
Its phone line is 952 039 026 and its WhatsApp 676 685 827, and the company warns that in high season replies can take up to 48 hours. Cancellations for bad sea are sent by email and WhatsApp, so check both on the morning of the trip.
Spanish meal times run late, which works in your favour: a morning tour leaves you on the sand at midday, and the kitchen at Chiringuito Ayo serves wood-fired paella at €11.00 a plate from noon to 5.30pm, without booking. Other options are in where to eat in Nerja.
When the sea says no, and the season
If the sea is too rough, Educare cancels and refunds in full by the same payment method; Crystal Kayak Nerja offers another time or day, or cancels, and asks for 24 hours notice if you cannot make it.
The route runs through a protected natural site of 1,913 hectares, 1,529 of them at sea, where boats may only navigate freely beyond 200 metres from beaches and 50 metres from the rest of the coast. The rules for the cliffs, coves and diving are in the Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs guide.
Educare publishes rental prices from March to November and guided prices from March to September, so in October the guided price is something you ask about when booking. In Malaga city the rules are different and much stricter, as kayaking and paddleboarding in Malaga explains.
Who may not enjoy it
The guided tour goes at the pace of the group and stops where the guide says. Strong paddlers who want half an hour alone in a cove are better off renting.
There is no shade on the water for 2.5 hours, so bring a T-shirt, a cap, sun cream and water. And whether you get into the Lobo Marino cave or right under the waterfall depends on the sea that day, decided by the guide on the water.
Frequently asked questions about kayaking to the Maro waterfall
Do you need kayaking experience for the Maro waterfall tour?
No. Educare Aventura gives a short lesson on the sand before the 2.5-hour guided tour from Burriana beach, lends the kayak, paddle and life jacket and has a support boat on the water. What it does require is that you can swim, are not afraid of the water and weigh no more than 110 kilos.
How do I get from Malaga to the Maro waterfall kayak tour without a car?
Take the ALSA bus from Malaga bus station to Avenida Pescia in Nerja, which takes about 1 hour 25 minutes and costs from €5.62, then walk to the east end of Burriana beach, about 1,000 metres away. The last bus back to Malaga leaves at 9.55pm.
Does the Maro waterfall boat trip leave from Nerja?
No. The boat trip sold by Educare Aventura sails from the port of Caleta de Vélez, about 20 kilometres west of the waterfall. It lasts 4.5 hours, costs €55 per adult and €35 for children up to 15, and stops for about an hour so you can paddleboard to the fall.
Can you kayak to the Maro waterfall in October?
Yes, rentals run in October. Educare Aventura charges €24 for its two-hour self-guided rental from Burriana or Maro in May and October, but publishes no October price for the guided tour, so you ask when booking. Lifeguards on Nerja beaches stopped on 27 September.
From Maro you rent an hour to the fall; from Burriana you pay for the whole cliff line and a guide who reads the sea.