Saturday 8 February 2014

La Axarquía - The Walk of the Chillar Canyon

Our mood got slightly darker after a few disappointing visits and rainy days in Murcia however it all changed as we drove back to our beloved Andalusia. Suddenly the clouds disappeared, the sun came out and bathed everything in light and warmth. We were ready for our next hike.

We didn’t have any plans for this area so we did what we always seemed to do: consulted Guy. We read through every single walk he wrote about in his book ‘Walking in Andalucía’ in this area and chose the one that is according to him the most spectacular walk of the whole region, ‘The Walk of the Chillar Canyon’. This statement says a lot as Andalusia is one of the biggest regions in the country!

We started off from the famous Cueva de Nerja (which is worth having a look at because of the cave drawings). We couldn’t believe how warm it was even though it was the 3rd of January! After a few minutes we decided to zip off our trouser-bottoms and did the walk in shorts and T-shirts. What a change from the frost of Cazorla!

The walk was truly amazing. With Guy in one hand and a camera in the other we walked through gorges and mountain passes, four in a ‘quick’ succession!






The terrain was varied and at the first part of the walk we even had to cross a small river by hopping over stepping stones. It seemed like a perfect place for a dip during the hot summer months.



The view was amazing all throughout the walk.








We ended up in one of the perfect Andalusian ‘white villages’, in Frigiliana. 




This was the first time in our lives when we saw avocado trees. Here they are.


The walk starts from just opposite the entrance of the Cueva de Nerja and its 13.5 km takes about 5.5/6 hours. The route is not very obvious and I would suggest taking a good map or Guy with you to make sure that you stay on the right path. Our hiking guru graded it as medium/difficult and we also agree with him. Even though it’s not an easy hike the rewarding view are tremendous. Recommended!


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