Benarrabá circular - 3 arroyos - Rio Genal (Valle del Genal)

Outstanding views and great variety are the hallmarks of this route! At one point or another, you will be able to see of many of the villages in the Valle del Genal as well as the mountains and rock outcroppings surrounding them. From Benarrabá to the river and back via a combination of paths is about 16 kilometers with 526 meters of elevation loss and gain. The route crosses three arroyos (Arroyo de las Veguetas, Arroyo de las Covatilas, and Arroyo del Infiernillo) as it makes a wide circle from the village down to Prada de la Escribana and the Río Genal and back. There are also some flat stretches on wide tracks along ridges.

The route begins near the parking area where the MA-8303 enters the village. It uses portions of the GR 121, the PR-A 397 Sendero de los Montes, the SL-A 216 Sendero Ornitològico, and the SL-A 215 Llanos del Rey. Information panels for these trails can be studied at the start of the route. On your way down to the river, you will pass through an impressive cork oak forest to the south of the village, one of the best preserved in all of Andalucia. The cork industry is the basis of the economy in many of the villages around here, contributing up to 40% of the income. In Cortes de la Frontera, just over the ridge from Benarrabá, they harvest more than a million kilos of cork in a good year. The necessity of being able to access remote stands of cork is one factor that has led to the dense network of tracks and trails in the area.

When you reach the river, there are numerous bird blinds among the reeds. This is a wide part of the river valley, approaching the end of the Bajo Genal before the river feeds into the Río Guadiaro. In fact, geographically, Benarrabá is the last village solely in the watershed of the Bajo Genal. When you cross the ridge between here and the next village, Gaucin, you are crossing into an area that drains on one side to the Río Genal and on the other to the Río Guadiaro.

Notes
The section of the track closest to the river may suffer from washouts after periods of heavy rain. If so, it is easy to continue on the main track above the high water mark. See photos and waypoint labeled Lower Arroyo de las Veguetas.

Walk 25 of a long-distance walk through the Serranía de Ronda
From our journal.
The brilliant green of the high ridges above the arroyos contrasts with the blue of the sky and river today. The river at Prado de la Escribana looks calm and peaceful from above, but close-up, it is muddy and roaring after the heavy rains of the past few weeks. (The Environment Ministry says that water reserves in the region have increased by more than 200 billion liters recently.) The ford here is a major crossing between villages. It’s a good thing we didn’t need to get to the other side because there is no way one could cross today. A car came down while we were standing here and wisely decided to turn around and go back. We ate lunch at a handy bird blind along the river. There are several to choose from. Pick one a bit back from the river, or you won’t be able to hear when somebody says, “Please pass a sandwich.”

Possibilities for eating/sleeping
The Hotel-Rural Banu Rabbah in Benarrabá is well-located for walkers, close to the beginnings of numerous trails. Its twelve rooms all have views from their balconies. The lounge has a collection of hiking guidebooks, as well as books about local history, geography, water routes, and bike routes. The Restaurante Kábilas is right next door.

Benarrabá also has a food shop, Tienda Andreita, and a pharmacy, handy for walkers needing to resupply.

Resources
Fedamon Pr-A 397 Sendero de los Montes brochure
www.fedamon.com/senderos/prs/pr397/FOLLETO%20PR-A%20397_LOS%20MONTES.pdf

Fedamon SL-A 216 Sendero Ornitológico trail brochure
www.fedamon.com/senderos/sl/malaga/FOLLETO%20SL-A%20216_ORNITOLOGICO.pdf

Fedamon SL-A 215 trail brochure and map for 7.9 km loop
https://static.malaga.es/municipios/subidas/archivos/2/1/arc_130712.pdf

Previous day’s walk: Benarrabá - SL-A 215 Llanos del Rey
www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/benarraba-sl-a-215-llanos-del-rey-valle-del-genal-80887807

Next day’s walk: Benarrabá - Algatocín - PR-A 239
www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/benarraba-algatocin-pr-a-239-valle-del-genal-82603952

Link to journal
http://hiking.topicwise.com/doc/GenalValley