Ojén, the white village. Why choose between the beach, mountain or festival when you can do it all? Ojén is a municipality located between the sea and the Sierra de las Nieves and less than 10 km from the beaches of Marbella. In addition, Ojén celebrates one of the most important independent music festivals in Spain, the Ojeando.
The beauty of the surrounding natural landscapes, its cultural life, and its proximity to Marbella will allow you to combine relaxation with active tourism and nightlife activities.
What to see
When you visit Ojén, you will find a welcoming town and landscapes typical of the villages in this Sierra de las Nieves area, located between the sea and the mountains. In the municipality, you will be able to see essential elements of its cultural heritage. One example is the Church of "Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación," built on an old mosque and located in the main square of Ojén.
Another cultural element that you will find in Ojén is the Fuente de Los Chorros, also located in the town square. It was built in 1905 and has five water spouts.
Moreover, without a doubt, the most extraordinary thing to see is the Caves of Ojén. The caves are divided into two parts, the lower caves, which have been restored for cultural uses, and the upper caves, which have a viewpoint from where you will have exceptional views of the whole village, the sea, and the coast of Marbella.
What to do
To learn more about the traditions and culture of Ojén, the village offers two museums related to two typical products of the municipality. One is the Oil Mill Museum, which dates back to 1800 and is an old mill that has been fully restored with its original machinery. This museum shows how oil was extracted in the past.
The other is the Aguardiente Museum, which pays homage to the world-famous Aguardiente de Ojén. Picasso painted it in his painting "Bodegón Español" and Camilo José Cela and Rosalía de Castro included it in some of their novels.
The natural environment of Ojén is something worth visiting, as part of its territory is within the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, containing typical Mediterranean forest vegetation. So that you can appreciate the natural surroundings of the municipality, there are a series of hiking trails that you can take and discover all that Ojén has to offer. The trails that we can highly recommend are:
Stage 31, Marbella - Ojén
It is a linear path 17 km long and of medium difficulty level. It starts on the golden beaches of Marbella, ascending towards Ojén through the pine forest of Nagüeles in Sierra Blanca. With continuous ascents and descents, the path skirts the entire slope of the Pico de La Concha.
Stage 32, Ojén - Mijas
It is a linear path of 50.4 km in length and a medium-high difficulty level. The stage begins by tracing Ojén to Coín through the natural corridor between Sierra Canucha and Sierra Alpujata.
The final route in Ojén is the Juanar - El Pozuelo Trail (PR-A 278)
It is a 15.4 km circular route of medium difficulty. Along the way, you will pass through areas of chestnut, pine, and Spanish fir trees, as well as carob and holm oak trees. The surroundings are made up of Mediterranean scrubland and, if you are lucky, you may come across the odd mountain goat.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of Ojén is based fundamentally on products obtained from the countryside, such as pulses, vegetables, and those obtained from hunting. Worthy of mention among its products is the aguardiente de Ojén, a sweet and aniseed-flavored wine brandy, which is world-famous. One of the most traditional dishes of Ojén is the "Sopa Jervia," whose ingredients are pieces of stale bread, garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and all kinds of local products.
Also, outstanding among the typical dishes of Ojén are peas with rice or noodles, broad beans, rice with cod, the exquisite Gazpacho with grapes and almonds, rabbit with potatoes, partridge stew, and "salmorejo."
