Gran Senda GR-141

2. GR-141 Gran Senda ACTIVE TOURISM in the Serranía de Ronda

ong-distance trails or Senderos de gran Itinerary (commonly known by the abbreviation GR). They are long routes ofﬁ cially approved and signposted with a minimum length Lof 50km (see the Section Hiking of this Guide of Active Tourism). This region boasts four long-distance trails: GR-7 Tarifa-Andorra-Temple of Apollo. Long route across Spain linking the town of Tarifa and Andorra. It is part of the E4 European long-distance path, which ends in the Temple of Apollo in Greece. The GR-7 traverses the Serranía de Ronda from south to north along the valley Valle del Guadiaro, in the plateau of Ronda. GR-249 Gran Senda de Málaga. It is composed of 35 separate routes along the most beautiful coastal and inland landscapes. GR-241 crosses the valleys Valle del Guadiaro and Valle del Genal in the Serranía de Ronda. GR-243 Long-distance trail in Sierra de las Nieves. Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park and its enchanting villages can be discovered by hiking this circular trail.

36 37 ACTIVEACTIVETOURISMTOURISM 37 . It is a (old farmhouses), mills GRAN SENDA GRAN SERRANÍA DE RONDA 2. alquerias IN THE

David Barrera (typical Andalucian country houses) is out there is out there (typical Andalucian country houses) GR-141 Gran Senda de la Serranía de Ronda GR-141 Gran Senda cortijos You will not feel alone You GRAN SENDA DE LA SERRANÍA DE RONDA GRAN SENDA DE LA SERRANÍA DE enjoy unforgettable It is perfectly well known that you will circular trail composed of 6 separate routes along a large along a large composed of 6 separate routes trail circular de Ronda. part of the Serranía at any time as the trail at any time as the trail most of goes through the small villages in the you can Serranía where have a well-deserved rest in bars and restaurants, buy food for the hike and even stay overnight in a cottage or a small hotel. awaiting a doughty explorer to discover it. You will need will need to discover it. You awaiting a doughty explorer your put to park your car, hiking boots on and follow The Gran Sendathe route. de la Serranía de Ronda is waiting for you. landscapes exploring the region off-road. Unlike other regions Unlike other regions off-road. landscapes exploring the region this fact becomes especially true in with a gentler orography, not built, were roads the Serranía de Ronda because modern paths which used to link along ancient for technical reasons, world with stories and unexplored villages. Thus an different tales, fountains, abandoned and Ancient trail of Tajo del Abanico. Ancient trail of Tajo del GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM 38 ACTIVETOURISM GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM where youcouldhavearest. ﬁ Benaoján, EstacióndeJimeraand, the townsofBenaoján,Estaciónde Cueva delGatoandgoingthrough along thewholeroute. river willbecomeyoursoul-mates Guadiaro, where therailwayand and from there tothevalleyValle del drops downintothegorge elTajo in theoldtownofRonda.Theroute is from thesquare PlazadelCampillo, cortijos crossing openwoodlandscattered withcorkoak,olivegroves and place behind,theroute goesthrough theleftbankofriver wetsuits ready topractisecanyoning. is verycommontocomeacross with canyonerswearingtheir one ofthemostimpressive andbeautifulspotsinthevalley. It Buitreras through the bridgePuentedelosAlemanes.Thisis village where itstretches leadingto thecanyonCañóndelas to yourdestination.Bothpathsmeetafewmetres afterthe have agoodrest break andtakeinhotfood,orkeepwalking Caña delRealTesoro (alsocalledEstacióndeCortes),idealto nally, JimeradeLíbar, asunnytown You willbewalkingclosetothecave The pointofdeparture ofGR-141 ROUTE 1.Ronda-JimeradeLíbar Once you have left Jimera de Líbar and its ancient washing Once youhaveleftJimeradeLíbaranditsancientwashing ROUTE 2.JimeradeLíbar-El Colmenar In LagunaHondayoucanratherwalktothenearest village 2. GRAN SENDA withsuperbviewstothemountainrangeSierradeLíbar. IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA ACTIVETOURISM 39 elds towards the the elds towards ﬁ GRAN SENDA GRAN SERRANÍA DE RONDA 2. IN THE

nd all necessary services and enjoy nd all necessary services and enjoy fi cent castle with sweeping views to the Strait of with sweeping views to the Strait of cent castle fi The route leaves Gaucín behind and goes along the right The route ROUTE 3. El Colmenar-Benarrabá behind Guadiaro del you will leave the Valle In this route It is then when the route crosses the river and goes along the along and goes the river crosses the route when It is then the magni other valley. It seems impossible that after having walked after having walked It seems impossible that other valley. a different you can be delighted with such a few kilometres of It is worth visiting the village and beautiful landscape. you will Gaucín, where Gibraltar. nearly invisible del Genal. The river becomes bank of the Valle it. At the end of this route, weaving back and forth through up in the distance with the village of Benarrabá starts to show by cork oaks and its characteristic white houses surrounded rest. chestnuts. It is time to enjoy your well-deserved and will discover the Valle del Genal. Once you have walked del Genal. Once Valle and will discover the the Guadiaro crossed the village El Colmenar and through river hike uphill on the left bank of the River again, you will open woodlands and agricultural across right bank, passing by the Charco del Moro and a spectacular and a spectacular del Moro passing by the Charco right bank, the end of the you will arrive to bridge. Finally, suspension (also called El Comenar in the quiet village second route de Gaucín). Estación GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM 40 ACTIVETOURISM GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM dif in Benalauría,whichwillbecomethebestreward afterthis If youkeepwalkinguphillontherightbankwill arrive much toyourregret, youwillsaygoodbyetothisparadise. have arest andenjoyadeliciousmeal. swimming area calledVenta deSanJuanwhere youcould suspended footbridgeswillletyouarrivetoapopular valley, walkingthrough theleftbankofriverandsome place totakeadip.From there youwillpenetrateintothe the rivermeandercalledLlanodelaEscribana,apopular you. WhenyouleavethevillageofBenarrabáwillreach secret paradisefrozen inthepastwhichwillnotdisappoint The route crosses theriveragainanditisthenwhen, This route willallowyoutodiscovertheGenalRiver, a ROUTE 4.Benarrabá-Benalauría fi cult route. cult 2. GRAN SENDA IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA ACTIVETOURISM 41 GRAN SENDA GRAN SERRANÍA DE RONDA 2. IN THE

It is time now to It is time now to After Benalauría, the route is easier and is dotted with beautiful is easier and is route After Benalauría, the will turn sharply to the east you It is exactly in Atajate where ROUTE 5. Benalauría-Alpandeire ve centuries ago the return to the route to the route return you will need towhere ascent face a difficult along the left bank of the river to arrive in the end ofAlpandeire, the route. alqueria of Audalázar erectedwas prominently it was before in this area abandoned, as many other villages, when the expelled Moors were the Kingdom of from Granada. villages, each of them boasting marvellous views to the valley boasting marvellous views to the villages, each of them its castle; Atajate and itsand their own traditions: Benadalid and grape must. for the inscrutable and shyand descend again to the valley looking If you take your of the Genal River. a right tributary Audalázar River, you will experience an exceptional of the river, in the ford boots off five days after relief of hike thanks to its You water. refreshing will then visualize how ﬁ GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM 42 ACTIVETOURISM GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM natural beauty. effort, thewell-kept secrets oftheSerranía.Aregion of San Francisco. arriving inRondathrough theneighbourhood ElBarriode a spectacularrocky gorge calledTajo delAbanicobefore has alastsurpriseforyou. Theroute stretches leadingto a while;youwillwalkalonggentlerroute towards Ronda. leave theValle delGenal behindandafterlookingbackfor Encinas Borrachas.Anditisprecisely here where youwill the ancestors:dolmensofLaMimbre, LosMonteros and how centuriesagoitwasmarkedoutwithburialmounds for to knowhowancientthecobbledpathisbutyoucanobserve pasture landsandcortijosfrozen inthepast.Itisimpossible del Audalázar. You gothrough thecanyonandwalkalong will turnoff andhikeuphillthrough thesmallvalleyValle is anotherone:Ronda. at thelevelofSotogrande.However, ournextdestination to the riverjoiningGenalRiver, namethattheywilltake real gift.From there youcanpredict thehesitantcourseof It istheendof aroute thathasshown,inreturn forthe Nevertheless, theGranSenda delaSerraníaRonda You willwalkbacktothesameroute butthis timeyou Having theopportunitytowakeupinAlpandeire isa ROUTE 6.Alpandeire-Ronda ﬂ ow togetheranddischarge intotheMediterraneanSea 2. GRAN SENDA IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA ACTIVETOURISM 43

• Hat or cap Hat or cap

Mobile phone Mobile phone

• • Food

• GRAN SENDA GRAN SERRANÍA DE RONDA GR-249 GR-249 2. First-aid kit

. Water Water • GR-141 Gran

Warm clothing clothing Warm

• IN THE •

with information with information Torch Torch

• Federación Andaluza Federación Andaluza Editorial La Serranía 2014. (the Andalucian Hiking Hiking (the Andalucian Suitable clothes based on the season and the season and clothes based on Suitable • cal webiste of the ﬁ Long trousers Long trousers

• cial website of GR7 along Andalusia. BOOKS TO FIND OUT MORE FIND OUT TO REQUIRED EQUIPMENT REQUIRED Rafael Flores Domínguez. Editorial La Serranía 2014. Rafael Flores Carlos Guerrero. fi Topoguía del GR-141 Gran Senda de la Serranía de Ronda. Topoguía Hiking boots Hiking boots Gran Senda de Málaga about the different routes, distances, videos routes, about the different and more. with a spare battery with a spare the route the route • Topoguía del GR-249 Gran Senda de Málaga. • Topoguía • www.gransendademalaga.es Link to the of Senda de la Serranía de Ronda Senda de la Serranía Of http://www.andalucia.org/es/rutas/sendero- europeo-peloponeso-tarifa-gr-7-e-4/ http://www.fedamon.com/index.php/home-6 de Montañismo download you could free Association) where about the useful information Official website of website Official Map or a guide of the route guide of the route Map or a • GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM 44 ACTIVETOURISM GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ www.rondabout.com www.alandalusactiva.com www.aventuraronda.com www.sierraventuraronda.es www.pangeacentral.com bs-Gran%20senda/videos http://www.gransendademalaga.es/4268/com1_ the province ofMálaga. Gran SendadeMálaga Great selectionofpromo videosaboutthe In summertime,there isahighriskof Livestock farmingisavitaleconomic activityintheSerranía Before thehike,especiallyinshortand longdistancetrails Take alllitter homeandrespect nature. Give yourselfenoughtimeto Please, obeyallwarningsigns. Take noticethatitisverycommonto to rely onlyandexclusivelyonit. in badconditionsorevenmissing.Itisrecommended not close gatesand respect livestock. de Ronda.Therefore, youare askedto takeduecare to knowledge. be aware ofourhikingskills,resistance andorienteering (PR andGR),itisnecessarytocheckouttheitinerary ATTENTION SPECIALISED COMPANIES 2. VIDEOS GRAN SENDA , acircular trailalong IN THE fi nish theroute. SERRANÍA DE RONDA fi re. Donotsetany fi nd thesignposting fi re. 45 ACTIVETOURISM 45 La Gran Senda GRAN SENDA GRAN SERRANÍA DE RONDA 2. IN THE

GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM THE GUIDE HOW TO USE

24 GUIDE:Long-distance ACTIVE trail (GR) TOURISM Ronda Cartográfica IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA How to use the guide

David Barrera HOW TO USE THE GUIDE

he Serranía de Ronda is a great place for active tourism with a wealth of possibilities within your reach. This guide delves into fourteen of the main activities and each of themT has a different icon and colour to make searching easier. Each pursuit is divided into different sections to organise the wide range of information offered. These sections are: • DEFINITION. It consists of a general description of the activity as well as the most interesting tourist attractions and resources available in the Serranía de Ronda to practise it. It is been considered convenient to include an information sheet

GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 25 for some activities such as Iron Way, climbing, canyoning and the network of viewpoints with extra details. All the other pursuits have been considered as a whole. • REQUIRED EQUIPMENT. It has been speciﬁ ed compulsory equipment for a personal protection and technical requirements to practise the activity. If you decided to rely on a specialised company, it will provide the necessary equipment.

• TO FIND OUT MORE. It is a section with a wide variety of essential bibliography about the activity in the Serranía de Ronda as well as with links to specialised web pages to ﬁ nd out more information.

• VIDEOS. It is a collection of links to check out institutional and private videos which will show you the different experiences you can live in the Serranía de Ronda before plunging into it.

• SPECIALISED COMPANIES. It is a full list of specialised companies focused in active tourism.

THE GUIDE • ATENTION. It is a summary of rules and advices which need to be taken. They could be general rules, like litter collection, or more speciﬁ c advices, as checking on the weather forecast before practising canyoning.

Cherry Blossom. Felipe Crespo HOW TO USE

26 GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA Stairs in “Puente de los Alemanes”. Miguel A. Mateos HOW TO USE THE GUIDE

GUIDE: ACTIVE TOURISM IN THE SERRANÍA DE RONDA 27