Between the lower and upper reservoirs (Up to km 5.5) 

The hydroelectric power plant of the Tajo  de la Encantada reservoir and the Villaverde  dam are connected by a penstock (a pipeline),  well worth the effort of walking its  full length, from start to finish. You follow  it in a westerly direction along, what was  originally the service road between the  lower reservoir, the upper reservoir and the  penstock. The numerous bends are due to  the steep incline. 

The stage begins at El Chorro train station  and sets off along the road that crosses the  dam of the Tajo de la Encantada reservoir.  Then it turns right at the T-junction and  continues to a little over a kilometre from  the start. At the 11-kilometre sign of the  MA-5403, you turn off onto a gravel track  (km 1.2) heading west. Just a couple of  bends down this track, you turn off again,  this time onto a footpath, very close to where  the penstock comes out of the ground.  Continue uphill through very sparse Pine  forest. Its floor was once covered by Olive and  Almond trees, but now by Mediterranean  fan palms, Kidneyvetch, White broom and  African sandalwood. 

Further on, at the base of a steep rock  face, you have an excellent chance to inspect  its peculiar mixture of yellowish sandstone  and aggregate, predominantly calcareous but  with pebbles of other rocks such as slate,  schist or peridotite. In the strata higher up,  there are formations as a result of erosion in  the form of vaults and honeycombs, which  are very typical in this area. 

Throughout this part of the route there  are spectacular views over El Chorro, the  Guadalhorce valley, the Castellones and the  Pine forest where the previous stage ends.  The footpath widens, turning into a track as  it passes through a Pine forest of larger trees  with a few Savin Junipers. Rather suddenly,  you come face to face with the concrete wall  of the upper reservoir. Take the detour to the  right here, which climbs up to the upper edge  of the dam at the north-east end (km 3.8), a  restricted area, and then continues along the  perimeter track that follows the base of the  long dam. A clearing among the pines soon  offers one of the best views of Los Gaitanes  Gorge and its two chasms. Over to the right is  the Sierra del Huma and a little of the Sierra  del Almorchón, in particular the sharp outline  of the mountain of El Convento. There is an  information panel about the scenery and  another on the birds in the area. 

El Chorro watchtower stands on a prominent  hillock at the north-western end of the  Y-shaped reservoir. The small building next to  the path is part of the Plan for the Prevention  and Extinguishing of Forest Fires in Andalucia  (Plan Infoca). The track then turns to the south  and passes through an area that is usually  waterlogged and has abundant Tamarisk trees. 

Bobastro and Umar Ibn Hafsun (Up to km 6.3) 

After 5.6 kilometres, you join the MA-4400  service road for the reservoir, precisely at a  large bend in the road, offering a possible  deviation. The route continues down to the  right, going along the road verges until you  reach the information point of the archaeological  site of Bobastro. However, taking a  left at this bend, takes you to a viewpoint at  the Mesas de Villaverde, close to the upper  archaeological areas. There is a ledge with  difficult-to-access cave houses and Mozarab  quarries, known as the Casa de la Reina Mora  (House of the Moorish Queen). 

Umar Ibn Hafsun (Omar Ben Hafsun in  Spanish historiography) chose Bobastro  for the capital of his rebellion against the  Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba. Part of the  fortified settlement remains at the top of  Las Mesas, but some of its outbuildings were  lost during the construction of the dam in the  1970s. At the 6.6-kilometre mark, you can  visit the ruins of the cave church and other  remains (during opening hours). They are  well located strategically, protected from the  winds and facing west. The rebellion became  a tug-of-war that lasted 50 years between the  successive emirs and Hafsun’s descendants.  It finally came to an end when Abderraman  III captured the site in 928. 

The farmed ridges of Las Viñas and hill of Don Pedro (Up to km 11) 

The Aleppo pine forest ends just as you  turn off the road to the left, after travelling a  kilometre along it. The track you join is in good  condition and runs along the watershed divide  of the Granados stream and the Guadalhorce  river, which flow in opposite directions here  incidentally. The ridge is formed of clay soils,  with underlying slate and schist rocks and  dotted with country houses and farm buildings.  You pass various private residences, such as El  Bolero house, Las Zamarrillas and El Merchano  and El Boina ranch. The ancient vineyards lost  during the phylloxera epidemic were replaced  by non-irrigated crops, predominantly  Almond trees, while other areas were left for  grazing goats and sheep with White broom  and Slender broom. 

There are numerous tracks going off both  left and right, but make sure to continue along the crest of the ridge, heading south-west and  with numerous water supply pipes running  alongside. If you turn around, you have some  excellent panoramic views of the Sierra del  Huma and the Central Limestone Arc, which  includes the Torcal de Antequera and the  Guadalhorce Valley with the AVE high-speed  train line. Up ahead, is the Sierra del Agua  with its row of wind turbines. The Cruz del  Chaparro, at kilometre 8 is an excellent spot  to take a break. 

At kilometre 9, the path gets very close to the  Granado stream, with private houses scattered  on its slopes and a few small woodland areas  of Holm oaks or reforested Pines. A kilometre  and a half further on, you cross the stream  just where it narrows and there is a string of  rapids, before you climb up the other side.  You now find yourself back on Monte Público  (Public Upland) in Pine forest. This leads on  to the Riela pass, followed by the Alamedilla  area and finally to the fork where the GR 7 E4  separates from the Gran Senda de Málaga. This  goes directly to Ardales, passing by its famous  cave, which is open to visitors. 

The Blanquilla hills (also known as Sierra de Baños) (Up to km 16) 

The route gradually bends round to the  south, passing through the last area of Pine  forest on this section and soon arrives at the  Romero pass. A little further on, you leave  the forestry track for good, making a sharp  right turn onto a footpath. Going straight on  would take you directly to Carratraca (to the  right), whereas the other option takes you  to the crossroads at El Mozal.

The footpath  you turn onto, is the third decent climb of  the day and takes you up to the top of the  San Pedro hill, a commanding ridge formed  of schist with magnificent views. Geologically  speaking, this area is a dividing line. Since it  lacks the water supply from the reservoir that  the houses before the Granado stream had,  most of these other properties are abandoned  and Mediterranean shrubs thrive all around  as a result. At Los Arenalejos or Llano de los  Pinos (Plains of the Pine trees), the vegetation  changes to woodland of Stone pines, growing  in the sandy soils of the dolomite rock which  give the Sierra Blanquilla (Whitened Hills) its  name.

A rickety wire fence (km 13.2) gives  way to the municipal area of Carratraca. For the  next few kilometres, the charming pathway  rises and falls under the cover of the Pine  trees, ending up near the ruins of the Shrine of  Nuestra Señora de la Salud. As a replacement,  a small chapel was built a little further down  with a sculpture of the Virgen inside. It is here  that the village of Carratraca comes into view  for the first time. 

From Carratraca to Ardales, via the Málaga pass (To the end of the stage)

The road winds up to the eastern part of  Carratraca (km 16), on Calle Glorieta street.  Passing in front of the picturesque town hall  and the nearby tourist information office,  you come to the jewel of this whitewashed  hamlet, the Balneario. The strong smell of the sulphurous waters emanates from the  mid-19th century building with wrought  ironwork on its front. The baths and the village  itself owe their existence to these waters and  result in very attractive sites to visit.

Continuing  through the streets in a northerly direction,  you come to the Plaza de la Constitución and  the Avenida de Andalucía. Continue along this  until you come to an alleyway to the west,  which leads to the old road near a livestock  drinking trough. You then begin a descent in  a north-westerly direction through fields of  non-irrigated crops. To pass under the A-357  you have to negotiate several bends and pass  through a tunnel. On the other side of the road,  the Cortijo del Lagar has been converted into a  sheepfold on the ancient Camino del Colmenar. 

This track passes areas of mountainside  in the process of re-cultivation on the left,  while orchards of Olive and Almond trees lie  next to the Las Cañas stream on the right. The  watercourse’s source is at the nearby Málaga  pass (km 18.5), which is located between the  wind turbines and the northern slopes of the  Sierra de Alcaparaín mountain range. All the  springs here feed tributaries of the Guadalhorce  river, but take very different routes to get there.  To the north are two very dry channels, the  Cantarranas and Torre streams which support  some interesting patches of Oleanders. They  flow into the River Turón just before being  dammed, and so contribute to the province’s  largest river. The Arroyo de las Cañas goes off  to the south and accompanies the A-357  road for a good stretch until it also reaches  the Guadalhorce, near Pizarra. In this section  close to the track, Oleanders and Brambles  flourish as the water flows over the clay,  sandstone and slate. 

You climb a little further, accompanied by  two rows of trees, until we start to descend in  a north-westerly direction. The hill formed of  schist and covered in boulders to your right  is El Olivo. Also close by is El Conejo stream,  which leads to a confluence of streams in  an area with numerous farmhouses. This  is the hamlet of La Torre (km 19.4), which  the watercourse to one side shares its name  with and from where you turn slightly to  the north. There are some large Eucalyptus  trees and dykes to reduce soil erosion, but  you soon leave the valley floor to begin the  last climb of the day, near another shelter  for goats. Continue to follow this main track,  which leads to the small chapel of El Calvario  at a crossroads with privileged views of the  village of Ardales and the castle of La Peña. It  is just a short way down, but when you reach  the first houses of the village, stage 21 of the  Great Malaga Path comes to a close.