HIKING TRIPS: Spain, Andalucia, Costa del Sol / Peñon de los Enamorados

TECH. DETAILS Location : Andalucia, Costa del Sol, Malaga Province Starting Point: Stream by Peñon Enamorados Destination: P. Enamorados Mount.Peek – 878 m Total length in Kilometres: 3 km Total time of hike: 2:30 hours (round trip) GPS Co-ordinates: Starting Point (By the car) 38' 03.966N 004' 28.894W: - Destination (Top of P Enamorados): 37' 04.005N 004' 29.428W Difficulty: Medium - High Add. Comment: Antequera's emblematic peak. A stone mountain that arises from the middle of a valley full with Olive trees. No path-of trail.

Photo of the top of the Penon de los Enamorados (878m)

Getting there : If driving from the Costa del Sol take the motorway towards Granada until you see the Antequera exit. Turn of here (A-45 highway) and continue until you are down on the valley. You should see here Antequera's town first exit (exit 124), instead of heading towards the city on the exit, turn to your left (I believe its road A-354). If you are coming from Sevilla or farther north, make your exit on the last Antequerra exit. By now you should be heading towards a huge stone mountain that somewhat resembles a lying Indian or as many Americans like to say, it resembles George Washington… lying dead. Keep on the road for about five minuets. A small river and the railway tracks should always be on your left side. Again on the left hand side of the road you will pass a small opening where one can park. Slow down and just after it, you should find a small dirt road. Take it and park the car.

The Hike : The Hike: Welcome to el Peñon de los Enamorados, or translated into English, the Rock of the loved ones. This rock in the middle of the valley became famous when two lovers seeing the impossibility of their love (it's a very old story- one of them was an Arab and the other Christian) climbed the mountain and threw themselves from the top. Ok, enough with the old, sad and romantic story- you're walking adventure starts here, by the car. The first thing you have to do is cross the Stream/ River. This except in summer can be difficult. Thankfully there is a fallen tree and with a bit of balance, you can cross the water. Now walk alongside the field and cross the train tracks – be careful as trains pass more often than one may first think. Just after the tracks you will find a fence. A bit further on, the fence is a bit damaged so its possible to jump over. If you are wondering, YES, you are probably trespassing- actually you have been trespassing ever since you crossed the river. I have been here a couple of times and I am not the only one that has done this, so you should not get shot or anything like this (if your are… I am not liable!) .

From here it's all up hill with only about five trees to give some shade on the journey. There is no definite path to follow, only small goat paths that criss-cross the mountain. As far as the goats, you will probably find them on the journey. Harm them not, because then you will get shot :) Kidding apart, these goats are not wild, so they will be missed. My personal recommendation is that you zigzag the mountain until you reach the largest tree on the way- perfect for a small rest. Then head towards the top following the area where there are less stones and a couple of wild olive and almond trees. Here you should reach a small plateau with views to both sides of the valley.

Flower in a small stone crack

From here on, there are no paths- just large rocks. You will need to do some climbing, which is more fun than dangerous, but always be careful. After some 20 minuets you should have reached the top. Here you will find some rewarding views of the whole valley. However, be careful as this area is known to suddenly have some strong gusts of wind and you do not want to end up the same way as the enamorados!

Precautions: No marked paths and once you cross the stream no water either. The top of the mountain is all rock so you will be doing some climbing- wear comfortable shoes. This area of Malaga can be especially hot in summer so do the walk in the morning. Be careful with the wind and start the decent early before it gets dark.

Personal Info: First time hiked with Ana on the 02/01/05. Also hiked with Lolo on the same month. Perfect weather on both occasions.

Views on the way to the Peñon de los Enamorados