Walking in the Grazalema &
Alcornocales Natural Parks

A fascinating journey between two impressive Nature Reserves, walking through cork forests & limestone valleys. Overnight stays in charming Andalucian ‘pueblos blancos’.

Fact File:

Trip outline:
A weeks walking in some of the finest of Andalucia’s wild landscapes. We journey between the ‘sierras’ of the little known densely wooded Alcornocales Natural Park & the pine woods & limestone crags of Grazalema. This is moderate walking on occasionally rough ground. We walk about 15kms. a day & stay in 2-3* Hotels (a 4* Hotel is available in Grazalema). The landscape is spectacular & we will see on the way Vultures, Eagles & Falcons as well as Red deer, Wild Boar & Mongoose.

This itinerary is available in two formats:
1. A ‘Go as you Please’ self – guided itinerary with detailed route maps, hotel reservations & luggage carried forward or
2. A fully guided itinerary with vehicle support & hotels.

Example Itinerary:

Day 1 Arrival day Arrival & transfer to Alcalá de los Gazules. Stay Hotel San Jorge 2*.

Day 2 The Cork Trail – Alcornocales NP
Transfer to start & finish. 6 hours walking. Walk in Alcornocales Natural Park (30min. drive through fine scenery). A moderate day walk to the Pico Algibe @ 1,092m. the highest peak in the park with magnificent views towards the Ronda Sierras & Grazalema. About 6 hours walking can be reduced. Finish route & transfer to Alcala (about 30mins. from end of walking itin). Hotel as night before.

Day 3 Heading west through the sierras – Alcornocales NP
Short transfer to start the day, about 20kms. walking on medium terrain. Departing from the Peguera entrance in the Park we walk past the Cortijo de MediaNoche (The Midnight Farm) towards Jimena de la Frontera. We walk on a rarely used Cork trail with fabulous views across the mountains & down to the mediterranean coast. The walk takes us through classic Alcornocales terrain - sub-tropical canutos & their fascinating vegetation. Arrive on foot at our hotel in Jimena.

Example hotel: You will stay at the anonymous Hotel Anon a relaxed dwelling made up of five diffeent houses & many levels. Not sophisticated but charming with a large roof terrace & small pool. V. good eating.

Day 4 Mountain meadows & valleys – Grazalema NP
Train transfer (30mins), 7-8hours walking. Lie in this morning or explore the old arab castle built with Roman ruins (see the latin inscriptions on the ogee arch). A late morning train (12ish) will take us on a half hour journey to Cortes de la Frontera. Option of taxi ride to the village of Cortes or walk 5km. uphill to get there.

We walk into the Grazalema Park & along a series of elongated plains amongst the peaks (the ‘Llanos de Libar’) with little farms & meadows harbouring everything from guinea fowl to iberian pigs. Meadows here too often flowers here at most times of the year excpet winter. Terrain is easy although gradually uphill. Arrive on foot in Montejaque a pretty mountaintop ‘white’ village.

Example Hotel: The very pretty ‘Palacio de Manzanete’ 3* overlooking the town square. Family run, good cooking.

Day 5 Towards Grazalema along the river – Grazalema NP
No transfers, 4 hours main walk + option of extra 2-3 hours. Easy walk today to Grazalema. We are following the Rio Gaduares along a narrowing valley at about 600m. the mountains around rise up to over a 1,000m. - great limestone peaks rising out of the conifer forests. The difficulty today depends upon the recent rainfall as the river has to be crossed a few times. It’s a good adventure and expect to see plenty of wildlife & maybe a wild boar or two as well. Arrive at Grazalema & relax in the afternoon with visits to woollen mill & a tour of the town.

Example Hotel: The splendid small 4* Puerta de la Villa complete with sauna, swimming pool & excellent service in the heart of the village.

Day 6 The rare Pinsapar forest – Grazalema NP
No transfers. About 6 hours walking. Leave the hotel uphill for todays walk into the heart of the rare Pinsapar forest. The rare Pinsapo fir tree is native only to this part of Europe & it grows at an altitude of between 1,000m to 1,600m. The high rainfall here plus the wet, cool summers are essential to its survival. Great views & is really quite special to see this hardy survivor still clinging on to its unique habitat. Return to same hotel in Grazalema. Tonight we try a different restaurant, some of the best cooking in the ‘sierras’ is available here. *Fire restrictions apply to this route so itinerary will depend on season.

Day 7 Canyon option - Garganta Verde, Zahara de la Sierra
Short transfer to start. About 6-7hours walking. This is a dry canyon although expect to get your feet wet towards the end. We will be trekking & canyoning in the 'Garganta Verde' a 3km. long limestone gorge carved out of the mountain by both water & wind erosion. Along the way there is every chance of seeing both Griffon & Egyptian vultures, peregrine falcons & if we are lucky Imperial Eagles. We have 4 short abseils on bolted rock to complete the itinerary. The whole days itin will take about 6-7 hours. We finish the journey through the gorge & walk to our hotel in the castle crowned town of Zahara de la Sierra.

Example Hotel: The 3* Hotel de la Villa offers good rooms overlooking the valley, the Zahara lake & the mountains beyond.. You will be staying at the very comfortable Zahara de la Sierra hotel with comfortable rooms right overlooking the reservoir & mountains around.

Day 7 Walking option - Back into the lowlands
No transfers. About 7 hours walking. Unguided. Cross country walk through varied scenery on the edge of the Park. Todays high point takes us past the Cerro de Cornicabra and into the lush watershed valleys of the Grazalema park. Todays orientation points us over the distant plains towards Seville as we leave the mountains behind us. We finish the days walk in the village of El Bosque where we have the option of either staying the night or transferring direct to Seville.

Hotel example: The 3* Hotel El Bosque provides trout fishing overlooking the forests. A charming place to spend your last night or Option of visiting romantic Seville & spending the last night there..

Day 8 End of tour. Transfer to your departure airport. We also suggest a relaxing 1 or 2 night stop in Seville to enjoy the sights. End of tour.