Tamaimo-Tunnel-Brco Manchas de los Diez circular

This is an adventurous walk through a 1500m tunnel leading to an area of outstandingly dramatic scenery. After the tunnel there is a difficult traverse of rough and dangerous slopes to get to a very acceptable path to take you back out of the ravine

The tunnel entrance is easy to find, and easy to walk, though a good torch is essential. The tunnel exit is high on a slope above a subsidiary stream, joining the main Barranco Manchas de los Diez streambed a little lower down. The tunnel opens onto a platform about 1m wide, and you need to find a way down a very steep slope to join a path crossing the subsidiary streambed about 10m down. We went to the right from the tunnel exit, and down the streambed which was largely loose gravel and not easy. When we reached a cairn for a path crossing the streambed we realise that if we had turned left as we left the tunnel the descent might have been slightly easier. Then we followed cairns through some vegetation till we found ourselves beside some rock pools in the main barranco streambed. Following the streambed down we came to a steep drop. From there we had to go left up over a prominent ridge of rock of yellow colour, down the other side into the original subsidiary streambed, and down a small drop to get across to the path opposite which appeared to continue down the barranco, but we turned uphill to climb out of the barranco.

From that point, following the path up was reasonably easy. Near the top of the ridge it joined a path where we turned left and shortly after reached a col with a path to the right which was signposted to El Molledo (via Camino Real). The walk could be shortened by going down that path to the Camino Real in the valley and turning right to return to Tamaimo. However we stayed on the ridge and went to El Molledo the other way and then descended to Tamaimo on the Camino Real from there.