To the north of Almunecar and La Herradura high into the hills, almost exactly between the sources of the rivers Rio Jate and Rio Seco, lies the natural park of Peña Escrita, a municipal nature reserve and tourist venue offering areas to walk, somewhere to eat and log cabins to rent for the night.
Inland, not very far from Almunecar, are the 2 white washed villages of Jete and Otivar. Both are very pretty villages high in the hills.
Nerja is a lovely popular resort about 20 minutes from Almunecar famous for its Balcon de Europa right in the centre and beautiful beaches. The Nerja caves are on the outskirts at nearby Maro. The attractive white village of Frigiliana built in the typical Andalucian style lies just above Nerja a short drive away.
Known as the jewel of the Costa Tropical, Salobrena is a whitewashed township clinging to huge rock just back from the shoreline, topped by a Moorish castle and surrounded by lush sugar cane plantations.
A short drive inland from Almunecar is the region of mountain villages known as Las Alpujarras which cling to the southern flanks of the Sierra Nevada. Typified by deep, sheltered valleys and gorges which run down towards the Mediterranean, this is ideal hiking terrain for travellers.