The dams of the River El Burgo (Up to km 8.7) 

The route departs from the roundabout in  El Burgo, at the meeting point of three roads:  the A-366 road to Ronda and Alozaina, the  MA-5400 to Serrato and the MA-5401 to  Ardales. Nearby is the monument to Juan  José Mingolla Gallardo, the bandit known  as Pasos Largos. Go south along the shaded  road towards Yunquera for 250 metres,  during which you pass over the El Burgo  river. It becomes the River Turón from here  on and you make a right turn, heading west  along the country track to the pass of La  Mujer (or Los Diques). 

Not far on, you will see signs for a short  circular route and then a turning to the left  for the shared initial section of the Fuensanta  and Puerto de la Mujer paths (GR 243). The  route then continues to the south-west,  as the riverside undergrowth on the right  becomes more complex in terms of species  and plant development. There are tall Poplars  and numerous Ash trees, but the banks by  the deeper pools are for White willows. The  clean waters often make it easy to spot the  freshwater fish. 

After 1.2 kilometres, there is a spring on  your right, and then at 2.7 km you come  to a pink marly-limestone outcrop which  gleams in the sunlight. From here, you can  see El Dique dam and there is a path that  leads down to the bathing area of Azud  Largo, a short and much recommended  diversion. The track continues as the valley  narrows, with high, steep slopes either side  with a few areas of exposed rock and their  folded strata on display. 

At the 4.5-kilometre point, high up over  to the north, you can see the enormous  rockface of the Forest Park Ranger’s Lookout  and the road to Ronda. Below this, is the  El Nacimiento dam in a meander of the  river. You now enter the Sierra de las Nieves  National Park. The Pine forest gets much  thicker and you pass the small fountain of  El Quejigo stream. Meanwhile, the only property on this section, the Cortijo  de la Hierbabuena is dedicated to  the rearing of goats and sheep (km  6.3). The track then steepens slightly  until, very close to the Puerto de la  Mujer and by a leafy Holm oak, you  turn off onto a footpath (km 8.6) that  descends steeply towards the river.  The two streams, the Sabinal and  the Higuera have their confluence  here. Both of these flow from the  Spanish fir forest (Pinsapar) and  the ravine of Cañada de las Ánimas.  In the wedge of land between the  two are the ruins of the Cortijo de  la Troncha, which the original trail  passed by, and the boundary of the  National Park. 

The Turpentine woodland at Lifa (Up to km 11) 

As you climb up parallel with the banks of the Lifa stream, keeping it on your left, the  surrounding Aleppo pine forest is enriched  with Holm oak, Kermes oak, Wild Olive, Mastic  and Turpentine trees, with Rose bushes and  other Mediterranean shrubs, most evident  near the water’s edge. The path passes through  an area reclaimed more recently by native  vegetation. The original mounds of gathered  rocks and cleared areas for dry arable crops  are still visible, along with Olive and wild  Olive trees. Although the path does not  get near it, not far away are the ruins of the  Cortijo de Buenavista, which was once the  nerve centre of this farmland. Next to the  boundary signs of the Sierra de las Nieves  Natural Park, the Turpentine trees gradually  become more abundant until they turn into  woodland. The largest of these trees are on  the first steep slope, at the foot of a limestone  cliff (km 10.3). 

You pass by the almost unnoticeable and  rugged ravine of Cañada de Sopalmito on the  right, which serves as a reminder of the bloody  final part of the life of the local bandit, Pasos  Largos. The path then continues halfway up  the slopes of the Sierra Blanquilla. Clusters  of slope debris look like limestone dividers,  while the rockfaces displaying their strata are  on the right and the Turpentine woodland of  Lifa is on the left. This latter site is at its most  spectacular in autumn, when it comes to life  with tones of red. It also completely covers  a hollow at its western end, by the rock on  which the Lifa watchtower sits, severely run  down over the years. 

On the horizon to the south is the silhouette  of the Sierra de las Nieves (the Rocks of Ronda,  of Los Enamorados and some Pinsapar –  Spanish fir forest). Up ahead, standing out on  a commanding ridge is the tree which lends its name to the Puerto del Pinsapo pass. Further  up is the limestone karst landscape, covered  by the Maple trees of the Riscos del Lirio. 

The country estate and the mountain pass at Lifa (hasta el km 16.8) 

When you reach near the Lifa Tower, the  terrain becomes slightly less rugged all of a  sudden. The path runs through the surroundings  of the Cortijo de Lifa country estate,  which is found on an extensive & treeless  plain formed of clays. It is also sheltered by  the surrounding hills and even has a well or  two. The path crosses farmland and fields  used for grazing, while passing through gates  that must be closed behind you in order to  keep livestock in their correct place.

You pass  some houses on your left (km 12.3), while  the route follows the track going uphill in  a south-westerly direction. The vegetation  changes substantially here due not only to  human activity but also to the Height above  SLe. There is a grove of Common hawthorn  with Scorpion broom and Mediterranean  daphne with a few Montpelier maple trees.  On the limestone cliffs to the south, some  dark and solitary Spanish firs survive on the  rugged slopes of the Carramolo del Queso.  After a few bends, you reach a rise (km 14.3),  which has excellent views looking back to the  flatter and treeless area of the Cortijo de Lifa.  The backdrop of the Sierra Blanquilla hills  beyond and the Sierras Cabrilla and Alcaparaín  completes the scenery. 

When the two twinned Great Paths reach  the Puerto de Lifa, albeit travelling in opposite  directions, you are at 1,160 metres above sea  level and there are several Cytisus shrubs. This  is an important point, being the watershed  between two drainage basins: draining to the  west into the Guadiaro River and to the east,  into the Guadalhorce. Until this point, the track  has run along the boundary of the Protected  Natural Area, but now the Sierra de las Nieves  Natural Park is definitively on your left. When  the Great Malaga Path reaches kilometre 14.9,  you begin the descent. Just where the valley  sides narrow between Puerto Frío to the south  and Los Peñoncillos to the north, the path turns  westwards once again. There is a limekiln at the  foot of the path and just before passing some  ruins and stockyards, is the best viewpoint of the flatter terrain up ahead. Ronda lies beyond  this and the limestone peaks in the provinces  of Malaga and Cadiz complete the backdrop. 

The Aguaya Plains (To the end of the stage) 

The most pronounced mountain to the  south is Sierra Hidalga. Also visible are some  dark and very tall trees in the distance, which  are century-old Spanish firs, the remnants of  the primordial forests. The Holm oak forest  on the northern slopes of these mountains,  stands out as a dense mass against the grey  limestone, in which Silver fir trees thrive.  Holm oaks are gradually spreading out over  the whole valley, especially since they are  favoured for hunting big game, in particular  for deer. This explains the cattle grids at the  entrance and exit of the estate. The ruins of  the El Lirio and Peñón Verde country houses,  facing you to the south, tell a very different  story, however. 

You go through a second gate with a  cattle grid and approach the now flowing  stream of Los Lanceros. The descent becomes  gentler (km 18.8) as you come on to the  level terrain of the Aguaya Plains, a vast  area of fields with numerous farmhouses  around their edges. The most important  junction is where the tarmac road begins.  This is where the inn of Venta Ramirón was  located, at the crossroads of the Camino de  Yunquera, which the route now follows; and  the Cordel de los Pescadores (the Fishermen’s  line). This latter road happens to overlap  with the Puerta Verde de Marbella. If you  were to follow this renovated livestock track  to the right, you would reach the Pilar de  Coca. Or similarly, to the left would take you  to an aerodrome and the Guadalevín river,  before continuing on to the Fuenfría and  the coastline of the Costa del Sol. 

The Path continues straight on and climbs  up to a small hill known as the Bilbao pass  (km 22), from where Ronda comes into view  once again. After a downhill section with a  couple of bends, you come to a bridge over  the Toma stream. This shares its name with  the nearby building material business. A  short way on brings you to the open space  of Ronda’s Fairground on the left. The route  ends at the so-called Pasarela de la Libertad  (Freedom Footbridge).