Great Sierra de las Nieves Path (GR 243). Stage 06. Monda - Istán
1. Access to the starting point
Istán Street, west of Monda town centre.
2. Access to the finishing point
Calvario Street. Entrance to Istán from the area of ‘Nacimiento de Río Molinos’, next to municipal sports facilities.
Connections with other routes
• PR-A 136: From the fork of the ‘Cañada’ track to Istán.
A Note of Caution
Except for a short stretch of pathway, the entire stage runs along lanes. Vehicles are more frequent from the tarmacked area towards Istán. At weekends, a reasonable number of cyclists also use these, following routes offered by Istán Town Hall. Carry a good supply of water, food and snacks, as there are no refreshment points along the way. On a long stage like this, proper footwear and the use of walking sticks is a great help. We must not light fires under any circumstances and should be respectful of the farms, refraining from picking produce from the fruit groves and vegetable plots.
From the western part of Monda town centre, very close to the school, take Istán Street, which leaves the village and heads off along a track into the fields. From the highest point on this stretch, we go down an old cobblestone path, whose surface is not in the best condition, but reveals its former importance. Further down is the Seco streambed, an old acquaintance from stage 5. It can be crossed very easily, as it normally lives up to its name (dried up). We now climb until we reach a sideroad leading to the A-355 road. Here, we take a right to go uphill, along the road to Istán.
This route skirts the northern slopes of Sierra Canucha, where the forest fires have depleted the woodland; in its place, shrubs and bushes have taken over and cover almost everything. From a certain height, a wide panorama of hills and mountain ranges come into view. To the east, these tend to merge into the fertile fields of the Guadalhorce Valley.
It is a continual climb, while our attention is drawn to the contrasts of landscape, especially to the south, in Sierra Canucha, with steep slopes and parallel ravines that display the dark profiles of the brave Spanish firs that have managed to survive the fires. Although they no longer form a proper forest, the clumps in the upper reaches of the Gonzalo Pérez and Los Cuchillos ravines are making positive progress, with many young saplings around the edges.
The route now runs along the southern boundary of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park. From the Moratán pass (7.9 km) onwards, where paths turn off up to the Golondrinas and Tolox passes, the vegetation intensifies with extensive Pine forests and fertile Oak forests. Everything to the north belongs to Monte Albornoque, a veritable jungle where we find the very best of Andalusian woodland, including the exclusive Pinsapo Spanish fir. The terrain is favourable for wildlife and one of the habitats of the elusive Moorish roe deer.
The descent has privileged views of the Sierra de Tolox’s contrasts in rock types. Sedimentary rocks made up of limestone and dolomites, mix with the reddish slopes of the Sierra Real, covered with immense forest of Maritime trees. This is the image to the north, however to the south is just as surprising. Sierra Blanca, a coastal mountain range, displays a broken and rugged terrain, where Carob trees, Holm oaks, Pines and Mediterranean fan palms, among others, find their place to spread.
The PR-A 136 Cañada del Infierno pathway runs along one of the ravines to our left, a terrifying name (Hell’s Ravine) that highlights the steepness and difficulty of the route. From here onwards, both approved trails run side by side as far as Istán. This watercourse, normally dry, joins the stream of El Portugués to form the Albornoque, the southern-most tributary of the River Verde, which flows through agricultural land of orchards and citrus groves on well cultivated meadows. We continue in the same direction as the flow, glimpsing the window that opens onto the Mediterranean, whose influence can be seen in the variety of groves and agricultural plots, where the mountain Olive grove also takes a lead role.
Close to Istán, we come to a crossroads, where a track leads down to Vegas del Colmenar (14.5 km), along which the Río Verde flows. In summer, this track is used by a large number of people who come for the coolness of the banks and the pools, including the famous Canalón pool, located in a narrow gully into which the waters of a broken irrigation channel flow, creating a truly beautiful scene. In the distance, Istán appears perched on a travertine platform overlooking the enclosed valley of the River Verde. Just beneath it, are terraces occupied mainly with Avocado trees, although citrus fruit trees also abound, along with some traditional agricultural plots. To the south it is sheltered by the Sierra Blanca mountain range, split by impressive ravines, for example one that carries the waters of the river Molinos at the same height as our path, a place frequented by locals and those from further afield alike, in the shade of colourful Oleanders. Some come to fill their water bottles and others to take photographs of this beautiful spot. This is the source of one of the irrigation channels used to water crops.
Close by Istán is El Coto, a true haven of greenery, criss-crossed by the restored Moorish channels, adapted for humans on different levels, but interconnected by pathways. It is well worth taking a detour from the GR-243 to reach the entrance to Istán, where the El Chorro fountain and the irrigation channels that run underground through the urban area, visible at some points through the so-called “charcones” (pools), await us.
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