The Ravine “El Tajo” of Ronda, Andalusia, Spain

The famous Andalusian white hill town of Ronda perches on its mountaintop high above a deep gorge called The Tajo (The Ravine). The town is split in two parts by the gorge and connected by three bridges, the tallest and most dramatic bridge is the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), its stone arches rising 390 feet above the canyon floor. Finished in 1793, Puente Nuevo isn’t new to us but, yes it’s still called the New Bridge! We crossed the Puente Nuevo many times in our 2 night stay on our 25 day Madrid and Andalusia itinerary. The night view of the floodlit steep rocks of the ravine walls with the whitewashed houses seemingly precariously balanced on the edge is unforgettable.

We walked from the top of the ravine to the bottom two times, down and back up on the outside to see the dramatic Puente Nuevo from the bottom of the gorge, and on the inside by way of the spiral dark damp Moorish stone staircase called La Mina that is carved inside the rock itself.