This is our selection of a dozen autumn day trips or weekend getaways to enjoy around Malaga province

From the Indian summer that so often accompanies the festivities paying homage to San Miguel at the end of September right up to the pre-Christmas period. Autumn is a particularly varied season in the province of Malaga both in terms of its climate and its landscapes. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for day trips or weekend getaways.

You can go on excursions to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature such as a visit to the Serranía de Ronda's copper forest in all its autumn plumage, hiking trails, gastro-routes or experience the thrill of hearing, perhaps even seeing, the region's stags bellowing during the annual rut.

The last days of September and the first days of October are ideal to enjoy the sounds of the rutting season for some of the largest mammals in the province. This is the case with the stags, the fully-grown males leading the herds of red deer (or common deer) in the last days of the ninth month of the year and the less vigorous roaring of the fallow deer to follow a few days later. Nowadays there are approved active tourism companies offering guided tours to sites in the Serranía de Ronda to enjoy these striking sounds. For example, RF Natura organises a weekend for the deer rut in the woodland cabins at La Sauceda, in the borderlands of Cortes de la Frontera and Los Alcornocales natural park, or an evening in the Pinsapar de la Nava, in the Sierra de las Nieves National Park.

With very few exceptions, the first half of October tends to have very mild temperatures, which can be ideal for visits to some of the most charming old towns along the western Costa del Sol. Both following the shoreline or further inland with sea views, there is a signposted set of trails amounting to many kilometres that goes from Benalmádena to Casares. The latter two trails are inland from the beach, as are those in Mijas, Benahavís and Istán, but there are also some passing through the heart of the towns of Marbella and Estepona. These are streets full of colourful flower pots that are ideal for an easy stroll.

When the scorching summer temperatures dissipate, it is a good time to hit a hiking trail or take an excursion to some of the most spectacular geological formations in Malaga province, the karsts, made up of chalky, gypsum or limestone rock and sinkholes eroded by water. The most famous in terms of size and accessibility is the Torcal de Antequera, declared a natural site in Andalucía. It has several approved trails, a visitor centre and many organised visits to discover some of its secrets. However, it should not be forgotten that there are other similar, albeit smaller, karsts in other parts of the province. These include Torcal del Charcón (in Valle de Abdalajís), Los Riscos (between Cartajima and Júzcar in the Serranía de Ronda) and Canuto de la Utrera near Casares.

Its name is not the most accurate from a historical point of view. Perhaps it would be more advisable to call it the route of minarets and other Nasrid remains as that is what it is. This is a group of mostly villages in La Axarquía that have in common a decent preservation of many elements of their medieval past. As such, the best known on this route are Salares, Árchez, Canillas de Aceituno, Sedella and Canillas de Albaida. To these must be added the villages of Corumbela (Sayalonga) and Daimalos (Arenas). These are small villages, many of them close to each other where, in addition to minarets, medieval bridges, ancient water supply systems and the remains of mosques, there are other tourist and gastronomic attractions - from wineries to restaurants specialising in roast suckling goat from Malaga.

It is time to enjoy one of the most deeply-rooted gastronomic traditions of autumn. Between the last days of October and the first days of November several festivals are held in the province that revolve around the chestnut. In some villages in the Serranía de Ronda the traditional 'tostones' (in Spanish, the toasting of chestnuts, although we typically say roasting) are done. Also in towns on the Costa del Sol there are outings to the countryside to roast chestnuts and other seasonal products. In addition to this, there are several big events around this custom, such as Pujerra's chestnut festival, the Popular Tostón in Ojén, Alcaucín's chestnut festival or Maroween, a festival in the village of Maro where the tradition of roasting chestnuts and sweet potatoes is combined with Halloween.

In the triangle formed by the municipalities of Ardales, Cañete la Real and Teba there are up to half a dozen castles, towers, farmhouses with turrets and other remains of defensive bastions. It is an area that today is mainly dedicated to arable farming with cereal fields and olive groves, but which was much-disputed territory in medieval times. For this reason, several important fortresses can be found here, most of which can be visited. The most famous are those of Hins Cannit (Cañete la Real), La Estrella (Teba) and La Peña (Ardales). All three have their respective interpretation centres that serve to highlight what can be seen, but describing also what cannot be seen. To these three castles must be added the remains of Bobastro, the bastion where Omar Ben Hafsun led the great rebellion under Nasrid rule, the remains of the castle of El Turón and the fortified farmhouse and tower of Ortegícar. The first two are in Ardales and can be visited, while the second is in Cañete territory and, despite being an Asset of Cultural Interest, is on private property.

In the first fortnight of November awaits the most famous autumn scene in the province, the so-called Bosque de Cobre (copper forest). As the leaves of the chestnut trees turn colour and fall, a large part of the Genal valley and some parts of the Sierra de las Nieves become the most spectacular sight of this season in the province. These are busy days in the villages of Parauta, Pujerra, Igualeja, Cartajima, Jubrique, Genalguacil and Faraján. You can also find some chestnut groves in Yunquera and Istán. In addition to these trees, we must not forget that along many riverbanks we can also see this phenomenon as the dry leaves fall from deciduous trees such as the different varieties of poplar commonly found there.

Within the province's rich heritage, special emphasis should be placed on what awaits visitors to its monumental towns so full of history, tucked away further inland from Malaga city and the other municipalities on the Western Costa del Sol. Take your pick between Ronda, Anteqeura, Archidona and Vélez-Málaga or plan an itinerary that takes in all four. The latter belongs to a municipality that has a coastline, although the reality is that the old town is clearly inland from the beach. Much further inland are the other three. Each of these places really needs more than a weekend to get to know them in depth. Among the most outstanding monuments in these towns are the Plaza Ochavada in Archidona, the New Bridge over the Tajo gorge in Ronda, the neolithic dolmens of Antequera and Vélez-Málaga's fortress.

It is not the most abundant tree in the forests of Malaga. Nor is it the most profitable for agriculture. However, the Spanish fir (pinsapar) is one of the most popular trees and woodland to be visited in the province of Malaga. It is a type of fir tree that is native to a very specific area of Andalucía, between the mountain ranges stretching from Malaga to Cadiz provinces. Most of them are in protected areas that can be visited thanks to approved hiking trails. In the case of Malaga, you have to go to the Sierra de las Nieves nature park and National Park or the area of Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja to see them. There are specially recommended trails that pass by these unique trees, such as the Cueva del Agua route (Yunquera) or the Paseo de los Pinsapos near Estepona.

When the long weekend in December arrives in Malaga, the province offers great opportunities to fill the larder for Christmas with local products. This weekend is the time of the big food fair Sabor a Malaga in the city's Paseo del Parque. However, there are also other important events during these days, such as the Fiesta del Mosto y la Chacina (Colmenar), the arts and crafts fair in Benalauría, the Fiesta de la Chacina in Benaoján (known for producing all things pork-related) and another food fair in Manilva, Saborea Manilva. Additionally there are various possibilities for shopping in different towns and villages that traditionally have pork products, such as Ardales or Arriate among others, or seasonal confectionery, such as Antequera, Ronda, Archidona or Coín.

Autumn comes to an end on the eve of Christmas Eve - on 22 December to be precise, when the big Christmas lottery draw is celebrated. It is worth knowing that this pre-Christmas period also has many towns and villages celebrating events related to these dates so dear to them and their families. Throughout the penultimate week of December, and even a few days before, there will be live nativity scenes played out, people gathering around braziers to keep warm and singing along to a zambomba (traditional, Christmas-themed flamenco music and songs) and more. One such peculiarity is the curious tradition of the Mañanitas de Algatocín where local residents of the village of Algatocín form a carol-singing choir that does early morning wake-up calls around the neighbourhood for five consecutive days.

In these last days of autumn, the Romans used to celebrate the Saturnalia, a festival that mutated centuries later into Christmas. The former was a pagan festival that used to be celebrated from 17 December onwards. This is a good excuse to visit the many Roman villas that can be visited today in the province of Malaga. Among them are the latest to be incorporated into our provincial heritage, such as Villa Antiopa (Torre de Benagalbón, Rincón de la Victoria), La Estación (Antequera) or Cartima (in the centre of Cártama town). There are also other important Roman remains worth visiting, such as Las Bóvedas and Vega del Mar (Marbella), Cortijo Robledo (Antequera), Acinipo (Ronda) and Caviclum (Torrox).