A Day with a Difference
Jackie Roberts spends a day with Ticket-To-Ride, and discovers there’s a lot more to the Costa del Sol than sun, sand and sea.
If you’re bored of the beach, or feel like taking your employees out for more than a meal why not consider a bit of adventure on land, sea or air with Ticket-To-Ride.
Based at the Atalaya Park Hotel, Lars and his crew have been adding a bit of spice to hundreds of lives, both tourists and visitors for/since …………. Either as a small group or a large company outing, Ticket-To-Ride tailor makes trips to suit your requirements. I had assembled a small group of friends, all at different levels of fitness and age and after some discussion with Lars, we decided on a day “canyoning” and kayaking.
Our canyoning adventure took place in the valley of the Rio Guadalmina near the picturesque village of Benahavis. About half way up the road to Benahavis there are some beautiful natural rock pools and this was our starting point. We were promptly instructed to jump in to the pools fully clothed so wearing clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting wet is a good idea! Next we began by scaling a large rock face after emerging from the pools and once at the top, Antonio fastened us all tightly to safety ropes (we all wore harnesses and hard hats) while he prepared the equipment for our rappel at the other side of the rock. This was making some of us decidedly nervous but Antonio explained the procedure calmly and simply, which gave us more confidence. The idea is to allow the rope to pass through your hands to lower yourself down, with your body at right angles to the wall walking backwards towards the ground. It is easy to pick up and we all managed to get down in one piece, some clamouring for more!
The canyon becomes more and more picturesque as you get further towards the sea, some parts towering above you - we were amazed to see a barrel wedged high up in the canyon wall, deposited there by torrential river after heavy winter rain. Being no more than a few feet wide in places, we had to wade and swim through the clear refreshing water whilst marvelling at the natural beauty of this area, only minutes from the hustle and bustle of the coast. The natural flora and fauna is stunning, the canyon is home to water snakes, turtles, fish and frogs along with a myriad of different plants and aquatic greenery. The end of our journey saw us swinging over a small dam commando style, down a slide rope and splashing into the water below, a lot of fun
The second part of tour Ticket-To-Ride took us to Istan Lake, a man made lake, large and very beautiful, near the village and one of the late dictator Franco’s proudest achievements. This, empty and tranquil setting with views of the Sierra Blanca mountains, it is the perfect place to relax and enjoy Andalucia’s amazing countryside. With the choice of two man Canadian canoes or one man Kayaks we paddled our way around a couple of the inlets before pulling into shore and unloading our barbecue things and cold boxes of beer. We spent a great few hours, swimming, playing football, eating and drinking before heading back after a superb day out. Thanks to Lars and his crew, nothing was too difficult for any of our group although we still felt like the day had been challenging and more importantly a great way to get rid of the stress build up we all suffer from. The excellent thing about these trips is that anyone can enjoy the activities, young or old and at basically any level of fitness. So……still sat in front of the television - what are you all waiting for, get out there and get your ticket to adventure.
In addition to the activities already mentioned, Ticket-To-Ride can arrange dragon boat races, four wheel drive(Jeeps) and Quad off-roading, climbing and rappelling, horse riding, paint balling, all kinds of water sports, paragliding and even sky diving for those real adrenaline junkies. Knowledgeable guides are available for those wishing to climb the mountains of Andalucia and the team is always available to advise and help with any enquiries. As “Anti-adrenaline” eventT-T-R just launched their latest event called “Drumcircles”, imagine 100 people who never held a drum in their hands trying to coordinate an orquestra! That's team building!
Ticket-To-Ride arranges full itineraries for the corporate market entertaining groups from companies such as Marriots Marbella and Sony Europe.
Jackie Roberts to Atalaya Park Hotel
