The 5 best trekking trails in the Sierra de Aracena with its 100 kms is the trekking tour that you need!
If you are thinking of a trip that makes you break away from routine to benefit from the contact with nature, and that also involves a real motivating and sports challenge, the 5 best trekking trails in the Sierra de Aracena with its 100 kms is the trekking tour that you need!
This trekking tour is ideal to meet new friends
Ideal for business trips for team bonding activities or icebreakers for remote teams, this outdoor adventure is also specially made for groups of friends or families, or just for single people that want to meet new friends.
Moreover, this hiking experience allows trekking lovers, not only to do a real sports challenge but also to know the real Spain, this part of Andalusia that you’ve never been told about. Local gastronomy and its delicious tapas; green landscapes and golden chestnut-tree forests; charming rivers with waterfalls, and ancient monuments, such as medieval castles, mosques and churches, old stone-made farms, ovens or mills, and beautiful small villages make Sierra de Aracena an idyllic destination.
Jabugo Pigs
Located on the west side of Sierra Morena (a wide mountain range that goes across northern Andalusia), Sierra de Aracena’s National Park is the paradise of chestnuts and mushrooms in autumn days and the one of the Iberian pig. Fed up with the acorns from the thousands of holm oaks typical of the Mediterranean forest, these animals are grown up in semi-freedom, which turns into delicious pork meat with a certificate of origin: “Cerdo de Jabugo”.
Through the 5 best trekking trails in the Sierra de Aracena, you will discover this new universe of wild nature, Andalusian culture and sports adventure. Without a doubt, these are the 5 best hiking routes in Sierra de Aracena. Let’s go!
1st day: Trail Alájar-Los Madroñeros-Linares de la Sierra-Aracena-Alájar
This trail joins the villages of Alájar, Linares de la Sierra and Aracena.
2nd day: Trail Galaroza-Fuenteheridos-Castaño del Robledo-Jabugo-Galaroza
This track is a perfect combination of nature, sport and gastronomy.
3rd day: Trail Cortegana-El Repilado-Venta del Cuarto train bridge-route of the mills-Cortegana
A part of this track belongs to an ancient Roman road.
This hiking route includes the climbing to San Cristóbal summit.
5th day: Trail Cortelazor-Charco Malo-Barranco Dun Dun-Valdelarco-El Talenque-Cortelazor
This route goes through leafy paths and waterholes.
1. Trail Alájar-Los Madroñeros-Linares de la Sierra-Aracena-Alájar
Stone bridge at the entrance of Linares de la Sierra.
We begin our first trekking day with a typical Andalusian breakfast in Alájar, a white village located under the Peña de Arias Montano. Over this hill, this philosophe of the 16th century moved away because of its mysterious Celtic origins. After going across its narrow and white streets and sightseeing, we’ll go into a stony path that will guide us through huge farms with Iberian pigs and cows between holm oaks until a small village called Los Madroñeros.
Secondly, from Los Madroñeros we continue the walk to Linares de la Sierra, where the chestnuts trees and an old stone bridge welcome us. Once in town, we’ll visit the main monuments, like Saint John the Baptist church, the Fountain and the old public washing area, or the Bullring, where we will taste some tapas.
La Gruta de las Maravillas. it is a «must visit» in 5 best trekking trails in the Sierra de Aracena
After lunch, we carry on our walk to Aracena, the capital village of this region. There, we will climb the hill where the castle is and then we’ll visit Las Maravillas cave. The price is not included in the tour. If you want to visit it on your own, the ticket costs €10,00 per person.
Gruta de las Maravillas, in Aracena.
The great extension of its lakes, the abundance and variety of formations, and the length of its development make this underground complex a set of great beauty and showiness. Discovered at the end of the 19th century, it was in 1914 when it was opened to the public as the first tourist cave in Spain.
A fairy-tale path
On the way back to Alájar, a string of chestnuts trees, holm oaks, poplars and pines marks this charming path. The moss on the stone walls of the ancient farms gives to the last part of this hiking trail a fairy-tale atmosphere. Several hills are attending to be climbed, but in the middle of the walk, we’ll find a picnic place with woody tables close to a little lake. This hiking route adds a length of 22,26 kilometres.
Once reaching Alájar, we’ll go by bus up to the Peña de Arias Montano, where we’ll enjoy the sunset with gorgeous views of all the region and visit the caves where Celtics celebrated their ceremonies and sacrifices.
2. Trail Galaroza-Fuenteheridos-Castaño del Robledo-Jabugo-Galaroza
Forest in the way from Galaroza to Fuenteheridos
The second trail of this outdoor adventure passes through four picturesque villages and has a length of 19,54 kilometres. This is, without a doubt, one of the essential routes to enjoy autumn colours in Sierra de Aracena within this 5 best trekking trails in the Sierra de Aracena. Furthermore, walking through the narrow streets of these highland villages and stopping to have a rest in their squares is simply a pleasure!
Firstly, we’ll start at Galaroza to take the path that goes to Fuenteheridos. This part of the route runs beneath the chestnut trees shade. In autumn, gangs of chestnuts collectors can be seen along the way, and fill up the squares in the village. Remember that you can only pick up the chestnuts fallen on the path because those in the trees belong to private farms.
18th-century cross in Fuenteherido’s square.
The ideal complement to a hiking route: monuments and gastronomy in 5 best trekking trails in the Sierra de Aracena
In Fuenteheridos, we’ll stop to have breakfast. Rustic bread and Iberian pork of Jabugo is, after having hiked some kilometres, the perfect snack at this moment of the day to recharge our batteries. There we can see the fountain of the twelve pipes. From the Holy Spirit church, we take the way to Castaño del Robledo, our next goal.
Climbing a little hill where we can make out Fuenteheridos between chestnut trees, we descend a leafy path that goes along the river Jabugo channel. In Jabugo, we will visit the Bodega 5 Jotas, founded in 1879, where you can know the winery and follow the entire process from the slaughter to the curing of the hams. On this visit, there is also a tasting where you can taste a good plate of Jabugo ham.
3. Trail Cortegana-El Repilado-Venta del Cuarto train bridge-route of the mills-Cortegana
This amazing hiking trail of 19,07 kilometers begins in the village of Cortegana, where we’ll visit its majestic medieval castle. In August a medieval festival takes place in the village. This circular route goes down by different rivers like Arroyo del Reventón or Arroyo del Barranco de Carabaña to the Posada de Cortegana. If the year has been rainy, you can enjoy a bath in one of the waterholes in spring, summer, or even in early autumn.
Walking through a Roman road!
Roman Road in Senda Alameda
Crossing a succession of old mills, some of them from the 15th century, we’ll arrive at El Repilado, where we can enjoy a cold beer and a snack to get back on track to Cortegana by the Senda La Alameda, which is a part of an ancient Roman road: your feet will step on the same rocks that other people 2000 tears ago!
Big poplars along the rivers, centenary chestnuts trees on the mountainsides, holm oaks in the farm areas to feed the incredible Iberian pig, green meadows and the moss at the stone walls… All this builds on our minds a new idea of the Spanish landscapes.
Meadow along the mills route.
Arriving at Cortegana, we’ll attend a lunch with the products of the season and the area. After lunch, a coffee in Gran Casino Society, a 19th-century building. To sum up, the antiquity of all the hits we find in this amazing hiking route, such as the 15th-century mills, the Roman road or the medieval castle puts you in contact with the history of Spain. As well as the wild nature makes you feel a part of it. Consequently, this is a trekking adventure you’ll never forget!
4. Trail Almonaster la Real-Los Molares-Aguafría-Los Romeros-Canaleja-San Cirstóbal peak climbing-Almonaster la Real
After climbing San Cristobal peak, you will enjoy the gorgeous views of Sierra de Aracena.
The fourth trekking trail combines, like the previous, history and nature. The old 9th-century mosque attests to the first one, whereas the beauty of the different landscapes confirms the second. We’ll start the route of 20,83 kilometres at this well-preserved mosque, with its brick columns and its ablution yard, for instance.
Afterwards, we’ll take the path that goes to several villages like Calabazales, Los Molares, Aguafría y Los Romeros. In Canaleja, another small village made of stone, the climb to “San Cristóbal” summit begins. If this climbing is not easy because of its stone path, the beauty of the leafy way is worth it!
Once upon the summit, you’ll enjoy gorgeous views of all this area. Moreover, the way back to Almonaster is so lovely than the climbing to the peak, but with the satisfaction of having raised it.
5. Trail Cortelazor-Charco Malo-Barranco Dun Dun-Valdelarco-El Talenque-Cortelazor
Firstly, we take the path that goes to the Malo puddle, with an important descent and ascent, but it is worth it.
River in Cortelazor.
We return to Cortelazor and go to the Dun Dun ravine, appreciating the views. Next, we pass through Valdelarco and its square (which at Christmas time is usually curiously decorated with colourful crochet details). Then we continue the route, passing through the Talenque and we return to the path that takes us back to Cortelazor.
A beautiful route of 21,79 kilometres through the Sierra de Huelva, observing the chestnut trees loaded with chestnuts, which are green almost all the year, but they turn into golden and red as far as the autumn season passes by.
This mountain range never disappoints! Encourage you to know Sierra de Aracena.
Documented Sources for the 5 best trekking trails Sierra de Aracena:
- http://www.aracena.es/es/areas-tematicas/medio-ambiente/Senderos/
- https://www.wikiloc.com/trails/hiking/spain/andalusia/aracena
- https://www.sierraextreme.net/mis-7-senderos-favoritos/
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