Cascada de Maro: The Sea Waterfall Near Nerja

What Is Maro Waterfall?

Tucked beneath the protected bluffs of the Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo, the Nerja waterfall at Maro pours mountain spring runoff straight down a sheer limestone face into the open sea. Drivers passing along the N-340 highway barely catch a glimpse because the stream tucks into a fold in the rock that opens only to the Mediterranean. It remains one of the few spots in southern Spain where fresh mountain water plunges directly into salt water.

Getting to the base means taking to the water. Launching a kayak or paddleboard from the coarse sand of Playa de Maro brings you out along the base of towering cliffs and small sea caves. You can paddle through quiet gullies, watch yellow-legged gulls wheeling above the bluffs, and pull close enough to feel the cold spray drifting off the cascade onto your skin.

The volume of water changes through the year. Heavy rains in late winter and snowmelt from the Sierra de Almijara send a strong plume crashing into the waves through May. By late summer, the stream usually narrows to a quiet shower, yet paddling the sheltered cove and looking up at the overhangs makes the short trip from Nerja worthwhile.