Andalucia Diary – Seasonal Travel Notes

The small mountain village of Yunquera is the gateway to the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, and only about 15 minutes northwest of my place, Cortijo de las Nieves. It’s so close to the coast and Malaga city yet has some stunning hiking routes that can you take deep into the park or even to the summit of La Torrecilla.

There are routes for less experienced hikers that just want to enjoy a walk in the mountains. This September has been amazing, with clear sunny days all month. Today was no exception and with the temperature around 26 degrees it was perfect for heading out (with a Sunday picnic in the back of the 4 x 4)

From the village of Yunquera, head out towards the park and at the roundabout just after the filling station, take a left, go past the football ground and head towards the signed routes to Puerto Saucillo. The track is fine for cars; you pass cultivated land of plum trees, olives, and chestnuts, past country cottages until you come to the gate into the natural park. Park up here and choose a route!  If you are adequately equipped you can go to the top of La Torrecilla, a 4 hour hike that takes to the top of the world – the most exceptional views! We did this last year, but climbed from the Ronda side. This side, the route is a mass of pinsapos; and thankfully many of them are young healthy examples – they look like the archetypical ‘Christmas Tree’.

After the first half hour of the hike is a view point that looks out over Yunquera towards Malaga and the Mediterranean.

From here there are a few circular routes that take you through some great scenery and bring you back in a few hours; you can see plenty of wildlife and some curious sites like the old snow and ice stores, built a few hundred years ago as large refrigerators for the local towns.

Or as mentioned before, for the more adventurous take the steep track up to the highest peak in the region. Maps are posted at the beginning of each route and you can pick up your own copy from the local filling station and tourist information points.

For a holiday rental house nearby, don’t forget our Cortijo de las Nieves cottage, with pool and high quality accommodation.

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