Benarrabá - SL-A 175 Concoste - La Portá (Valle del Genal)

This short walk gives beautiful views of the lower Río Genal valley, the tributary Río Amarachal valley, and the surrounding villages. There is excellent trail signage at every junction as well as a number of informative panels.

It is a loop trail and can be walked in either direction. If you prefer to tackle the steepest part of a trail going downhill, make the loop in a counter-clockwise direction, beginning near the school and the hotel and heading south. If instead you prefer to walk the steepest part going uphill, make a clockwise loop beginning at the eastern edge of the village, heading east (see waypoints marked on the map).

Notes
We walked this trail in March, 2018, not the August 2021 date that is mistakenly showing in the GPS data. Photos and comments are from 2018.

Note that after heavy rains, there may be rockfalls and other debris on the slope that begins near the hotel and school, while the wide, graveled track that begins on the other side of the village seems to drain quickly and be free of mud.

Walk 23 of a long-distance walk through the Serranía de Ronda
From our journal:
We met another walker - our second encounter in 16 days of walking in the valley. This time it was a local man who had gone down to check out the level of the river. He warned us that it was too high to cross and would be dangerous if we attempted to do so. Luckily, our loop stayed well above the river and we enjoyed it from afar.

If this trail is indicative of others in the area, Benarrabá is a good base for walking during bad weather. The track is compacted gravel and in spite of six days of rain, there was virtually no mud anywhere. All the trails around here appear to have more than enough slope to guarantee that there is little standing water.

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 beautiful views from their balconies, the lounge has a collection of hiking guidebooks, and 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 SL-A 175 trail brochure and map
www.fedamon.com/senderos/sl/malaga/SL-A%20175_concoste-la-porta-benarraba.pdf

Ayuntamiento de Benarrabá
www.benarraba.es/7941/arquitectura-popular
The ayuntamiento website has extensive information about what to look for as you walk around town and also gives the locations where you can see examples of traditional architecture.

Previous day’s walk: Cartajima - Río Genal
www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/cartajima-rio-genal-valle-del-genal-80449006

Next 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

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