The natural lookout spots over the three reservoirs (Up to km 4.2) 

The route begins at the meeting point  of the Guadalteba and Guadalhorce reservoirs,  where the road which accesses  the Nature Reserve from the north crosses  the water. Continuing along the service  road which heads north-east, you pass by  two turn-offs to reservoir management  facilities, both heading south. After a  kilometre and a half along the tarmac,  following the banks of the Guadalhorce  reservoir and very close to the aggregate  quarries used for the construction of the  dams, the route turns off to the right.  Just before a chain which closes off the  road, off to the left are two tracks which  lead to the old limestone mine. Continue  along the forest track heading south,  which is closed to traffic and you soon  encounter a steep climb through Aleppo  pines.

Native vegetation is fighting to  recover its territory not only in the shaded  and steeper areas, but also in among the  Pine forest. Holm oaks, Savin junipers  and reasonably-sized Turpentine trees  occasionally form clumps of woodland.  Undergrowth of Mastic shrubs, Scorpion  broom, Black hawthorn, Juniper and  Kermes oak also gives an idea of the  woodland’s former rich diversity. 

A short way on, you reach a section with  panoramic views of the entire hydroelectric  complex of El Chorro, Malaga’s western  Sierras and the opening of the first gully  of the Los Gaitanes Gorgeway. The most  common rock here is calcareous sandstone  from the sedimentary belt that encircles  the Nature Reserve along with its core of  limestone and dolomite. There is a sharp  turn in the track to the east, from where  the landscape becomes decidedly more  mountainous. 

Further up the track, you come to an  interesting expanse of shrubland with  Esparto grass, Rosemary and Laurel-leaf  rockroses beneath Pine trees shaped by the  wind. Looking south from here, magnificent  Savin juniper trees cover the Todosaires  stream and the northern slopes of the  Sierra del Huma with the flat, treeless  summit just under 1,200 metres high. 

The limestone outcrops in the northern Nature Reserve (Up to km 10) 

This brings you to a wide open and flatter  area (km 4.5) called La Cornicabra, with some  young Pine trees and Thyme shrubs, which  nearby beehives put to good use. Towards  the east, we begin to see the sheer rockfaces  that characterise the area. In this section, you  go alongside the high voltage power line,  the same one seen earlier at the boundary  between Campillos from Antequera. You then  reach a mountain pass, a natural occurring  passage between two imposing cliffs, the  smaller facing north and the taller looking  west. The area is famous for sport climbing  due to the very high quality of the rock and  the overhangs of the climbing routes. It is  actually known as Desplomilandia, meaning  ‘Overhang Land’, while the rockface higher  up is known specifically as El Triángulo due  to the shape of the rock. There used to be  pens at its base used for livestock. 

Having taken a northerly course from La  Cornicabra, the path then goes downhill,  and soon passes a small track off to the left  used by climbers (km 6). It then begins a  long climb to the east, up a treeless slope  with the impressive Tajo del Cabrito above. 

This rocky outcrop is a formidable obstacle  for both people and animals, towering a  hundred metres above the path on average  and two kilometres in length. At the Ramos  pass, about 7 kilometres from the start, the  karst landscape on the left gives you an idea  of what the top of the outcrops above is like,  with pinnacle rock formations, like stacks of  plates and similar to those at the famous  Torcal de Antequera and Savin juniper in  the passages. In contrast, the slope on the  right of the path is the result of rockfalls and  is less dramatic in appearance. 

The route begins another descent with  views over Antequera’s plains, while crossing an area of short but very dense Savin juniper,  which appear to form woodland yet maintain  their bushy characteristics. Two tracks join  the route, from the left and when you come  to a level area that is currently ploughed for  sowing (km 9.5), you gradually curve round  towards the south-west. Just a little further  on, you pass the turn-off to the zigzagging  track that leads to the Sierra Llana.

Along the boundary of the Nature Reserve (hasta el km 16) 

The most physically demanding part of  the stage begins here. Between the 10th and  13th kilometre marks, you are confronted with  a continuous climb, gaining 300 metres in  elevation. The Cortijo del Madroño trail runs  along the bottom of a rocky valley and has  another gully on the right, called El Salto  de la Zorra (The Fox’s Gap). The route then  abandons this pathway at a turn-off to the  left, where the slope becomes gentler and  you head east past the Cortijo de Campano  country house. This open and level area is  surprisingly agricultural, despite the rugged  nature of the terrain. There are excellent views  of the 1,186m high Capilla mountain, covered  with Scorpion broom shrubs. 

The highest point of the stage is the  Rosalejo pass after 14 kilometres, at 845  metres above sea level. Interestingly, this is  also where the Roman city of Nescania once  stood. Once you cross over into the Protected  Natural Area and the route begins its descent  and turns progressively south. On your left,  away from the pathway is the Viuda fountain  and nearby Cortijo de la Rejanada country  house. The highest peak in this mountain  range is the bulk of grey limestone called  Huma (1,191 m), which the section of path  runs round, keeping it on your right. There  are more country estates below the road,  named El Tajo del Palmito, Castillo and Los  Peñascales. This last one, lends its name to  the road coming from the Valle de Abdalajís,  or more specifically from the MA-4401 road. 

Los Pedregales Way (To the end of the stage) 

When you reach the municipal area of  Álora (almost at km 16), the route is joined  by the GR7 E4 and Alternative Route GR  249.4 and they head south-west together.  The hamlet of La Pedrera is a group of  houses amidst Olive groves at the foot of the  mountainside. It has a network of country  tracks that you must work your way along,  until the dense Pine forest of the Arroyo del  Chorro stream. Much like other reforested  areas visited previously, the woodland’s  main purpose is to prevent the silting up  of the wetlands through reinforcing, and  so stabilising the surrounding rocky slopes.  For the second time, the path enters the  Protected Area where it remains, practically  until the end of the stage. 

You soon come to a steep incline in the  track, which levels off slightly when you  come to an area of bends and from where  the Escalera Árabe path branches off (km  18). There is then a second section with  sharper zigzags, with a panoramic view of  the village of El Chorro and surroundings,  the Mesas de Villaverde and the first part  of the next stage. You cannot miss the  rockfaces close by on your right, which  have different routes for both sport and  traditional climbing. The crag is known  among climbers as Las Frontales (Lower,  Middle and Upper) and has a spectacular  collection of routes in a cave, called Poema  Roca (the Rock Poem). The traditional  name for these crags, however is Tajo de  los Castellones. As for the Escalera Árabe  (The Arabic Stairway), which is actually  from the middle of the last century, it  was built to reforestate the area beyond  the cliffs, which are not visible from this  part of the route. 

The track passes through some Pine  trees, with very little ground cover of shrubs  due to the dense canopy overhead. It then  crosses the gully twice in areas where the  track is protected by stone wall terraces  and retaining walls. The first houses come  into view, and you soon enter the village of  El Chorro. Winding your way through the  streets in a westerly direction brings you to  its railway station, where this stage ends.