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Charco del Moro. Río Guadiaro. Cortes de la Frontera

Diputación de Málaga
Charco del Moro. Río Guadiaro

Charco del Moro. Río Guadiaro. Cortes de la Frontera

  • Charco del Moro (CANYONING)
  • Protected Area: Los Alcornocales Natural Park
  • Watershed:  Mediterranean Catchment Area
  • Main Watercourse: Río Guadiaro
  • Municipality: Cortes de la Frontera
  • Coordinates: x: 288141 / y: 4047879 / z: 250 m
  • Location: convoluted
  • Access: convenient
  • Swimming Potential: medium.

 

How to Get There

To get to El Colmenar, a hamlet belonging to the municipal district of Cortes de la Frontera, take the A-405 from Gaucín towards San Roque. Several kilometres later, turn right onto the MA-9300. Once on the road crossing the village, look for a street on your right where a mosaic sign says “Sendero de las Buitreras”. Follow the instructions of the SL-A 34, leaving behind the facilities of the Buitreras hydroelectric power plant. Then walk up a few metres alongside a thick pipe, which subsequently runs parallel to the river. After crossing a low suspension bridge, you will soon see the spectacular Charco del Moro, about 3 km from the village.

 

Interesting Facts

The Charco del Moro is the last pool at the bottom of the impressive Cañón de las Buitreras, carved through Jurassic limestone by the river Guadiaro over thousands of years. In this interval, it acts as the boundary between the municipal districts of Cortes de la Frontera and Benarrabá. The steep section covers a distance of about 2 km and in some sections there are vertical drops of over 100 m. The pool, nestled between the walls of the canyon, is over 150 m long. From the shore, you can see the unlikely railway route (Algeciras-Ronda) crossing the treacherous landscape through tunnels and viaducts. The natural monument of the Cañón de las Buitreras owes its name to the colonies of vultures.

 

Please Note

The only place to stretch out or sit comfortably is the southern riverbank, consisting of a small pebble beach. The only shade is below the walls of the canyon, sheltered by the riverside vegetation. The entire pool, except in the first few metres, is deeper than an adult. The depth of the pool is evident and, at the same time, it is the cause of its distinctive and attractive shade of green. Very cold groundwater seeps into the pool. A metal plate indicates where this natural discharge takes place. Be careful with swimming too far away from the edge, as there are no suitable places to rest on its the edges, and fatigue, coupled with the low temperature of the water, could put you in a dangerous situation.

How to get there

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Discover more about the province of Malaga