We often get reader emails asking for advice about visiting the Cueva de la Pileta at Benaojan, and the following email conversation is real, but the sender’s name has been removed to avoid identifying her.

From Reader
Hello, We will be visiting Ronda on March 17. We would like to visit the Pileta Caves as well. Is there a place where we can rent a car in Ronda to get to the caves? If not, how can we hire a taxi and ensure that we get a ride back to Ronda in a few hours (after the tour) since the tour only occurs if there are enough people? Do the taxi offer round trip? We also have 2 kids (4 & 6). Do they need booster seats for the taxi to take us to the caves? Do the taxis wait for us at the caves until the tour is over? Thank you for your help

Ronda Today Responds
What a lot of questions… let me see if I can answer them all :)

1. It is possible to get a train to Benaojan, and the walk to the caves is beautiful, but 4km uphill, and with young children probably not suitable. However it is possible to call a taxi in Benaojan from the station at Benaojan, and arrange for the driver to meet you after the tour to take you back to the station. The tour of the caves can be anywhere from 1.5 hours to 3 hours depending on the group and how talkative people are.

2. Yes, you can hire a car in Ronda for the day, whichever hotel you’re staying in will have their brochure and contact details. I don’t know the price of hiring a car but availability shouldn’t be a problem if you arrive on the 17th. Readers can contact Ronda Rent-a-car

3. A taxi from Ronda can be arranged, you’ll need to agree a fixed price with the driver, and should expect to pay around 50-60 euros. The driver will wait for you at the cave car park and then bring you back to Ronda, however, you should ask your hotel to arrange this as soon as you arrive so that you have the pickup confirmed.

I’m not sure about booster seats in taxis, some of them have them in the trunk, and others don’t. Be sure to mention this when you reserve the taxi so that the driver can install them.

From Reader
Thank you very, very much for your response and for answering all my questions. If you don’t mind, I have some more questions!

We are arriving from Granada at 9:21 am on March 17. Is there a train from Ronda to Benaojan around that time? Do you know how long the train ride is? I like your suggestion of calling a taxi from the Benaojan station but do you think we can get a taxi when we arrive at the station or is there a way of calling for one in advance? We don’t have that much time.

If that doesn’t work out, we are also considering a taxi from Ronda to the caves. However, we are not staying overnight in Ronda. We have to catch the 17:34 train back to Granada on the same day. Since we are not staying at any of the hotels, how can we arrange for a taxi in advance? If we get to the Ronda train station and hire one then, do you think we’ll be able to have somebody come within half an hour to an hour? From your website, there’s only one taxi company. Do you have an email address where I can contact them?

I really appreciate all of your help. Thank you once again. You have been very helpful and friendly!

Ronda Today Responds
All of the taxis in the Serranía are independent, and they have a single phone number for their cooperative. If you’re only coming for the day you’re going to struggle to get everything in, so my advice with the train from Granada is to stay on the train, and get off at Benaojan. Looking at the Renfe website, your train departs Granada at 06:50 and will arrive at Benaojan at 09:34, which should give you plenty of time to call a taxi at the station for the cave. The first tour in the cave starts at 10:00 but is often several minutes later whilst they wait for people to arrive.

The return train departs Benaojan at 13:11 arriving Granada 15:57, or you could get off at Ronda, see some of the sites for the afternoon, and plan to depart Ronda on the 17:36 train arriving in Granada at 20:10. The journey time between Benaojan and Ronda is only 15 minutes.

If you decide to stop in Ronda, then I’d make plans to have lunch at either the the venta “Bar STOP” across the road from the station in Benaojan, or take a short 200m walk to the Hotel Molino del Santo, so that you have plenty of time to wander around Ronda without needing to stop for lunch.

From Reader
Wow, that’s great advice! We will follow all of your suggestions and take the train to Benaojan, come back and have lunch at the station, and then check out Ronda for a few hours before leaving for Granada. What a plan!
In your experience, do you think that there will be taxis waiting at the Benaojan station that we can hop into upon arrival?

Yes, all of the information that you’ve provided has been extremely helpful.

Ronda Today Responds
I very much doubt there will be a taxi waiting at the station, but right next to the ticket office there is a small venta that provides coffee, beer, and tapas, and if you ask them about the taxi you’ll have no problem. However there is also a pay phone across the road from the station, and you can call the Benaojan taxi direct on 952 16 71 41.