Enjoy multiple landscapes in this amazing hiking route in Axarquia!
This amazing hike goes from Sedella’s Roman bridge to Salares’ Arabian bridge. We started this trekking route in the early morning in the town of Sedella, located in the region of “la Axarquía”, in the province of Málaga (Andalusia, Spain). We left the car on the outskirts and went across the narrow and white streets of this ancient town. Going along ‘Andalucía’ street, we went out of the town through a path between several properties (you have to be careful if you take dogs with you as there are several big dogs loose there!). This path drove us to the Roman bridge, which crosses a little stream. The bridge is built on rocks and it is very well preserved.
Crossing the river, we climbed the mountain in front of us. There, it is easy to get lost because the path is not very stepped, but a rocky slope with a smooth surface gives you the clue to continue the trail. Once climbed, just try to go up until a ruined house, which seems to be an old farm. From these ruins, you’ll get fabulous pics of the area, and you can observe the town and all the seasides behind.
Typical Mediterranean forest
From the Roman bridge to the farm, the landscape is made up of little bushes such as rosemary, thyme, fennel, or wild lavender. On this hike from Sedella’s Roman bridge, we saw other Mediterranean species such as some holm oaks and olive trees.
Leaving the ruins at our left, we followed the path on our right-hand side and crossed a ravine to the front slope. There we went after an irrigation canal that surrounds the hill until a road sprinkled with eucalyptus. Crossing another stream, the river Salares, we followed the signals of the ‘Gran Senda de Málaga’ until Salares. The way goes up, always looking to the sea. Sometimes, you can observe both villages, Sedella and Salares, together. Other times, you can see the Maroma peak, the highest mountain in the province of Málaga. Hiking La Maroma Mountain is another wonderful route that we hardly recommend if you spend your holidays in the Costa del Sol and you are a trekking lover.
Going along the ‘Gran Senda de Málaga’
Following the signals of the ‘Gran Senda‘, we passed along a ruined house, called Cortijo Casa de Haro, from where the path goes down across a picturesque pine forest. In fact, this is the most difficult part of the route because the floor becomes very rocky in a steep descent. Even though, as we started the route in the first hours of the day, by midday this part of the trail, covered by trees, offered to us sun protection.
Somehow, in some parts of this slope, you will have the help of a woody handrail which makes the descent easier. Nevertheless, trekking poles are recommended in this part of the trail to avoid knees pain. The views from this pine forest are simply gorgeous, as long as you can enjoy the beauty of Salares, with its white houses and its peculiar Moorish church tower. Always with the sea as a privileged background.
Salares, Al-Andalus splendor
Built on red bricks, Salares’s main church walls contain ‘sebka’ panels. This geometrical decoration is very typical of the Al-Andalus decoration, as we can observe in the Giralda of Seville, for example. Once in Salares, the way finishes in a descent garden until the Arabian bridge, that crosses the river Salares to the hamlet. There we met a group of people filming a documentary about a Moorish romance, which emphasized, even more, the charm of this historic place. Doubtlessly, Salares is an indispensable one-day trip if you are visiting la Axarquia.
A row of red bricks in the arch’s vault of Salares’s bridge let us know about its Arabian past. Walking through the narrow streets, we visited the church, which was an ancient mosque, and had a typical lunch, a fennel soup! Afterwards, we climbed to the main road to go back to Sedella, only two kilometres from there. Then, we followed the main road until we found a path on the right that goes to a chapel upon a hill. From there, we looked for the main church in town, very different from Salares one, as it is painted on white instead of the red brick. Closed to the church we took coffee and saw the sunset over the Costa del Sol.
Coming back to Sedella after an amazing hiking route in the Axarquía.
The hike from Sedella’s Roman bridge: a versatile route
This amazing hiking route was made in November, with the first hours of the day, but in summer, due to the high temperatures in Southern Spain, it can be made in the afternoon and in the opposite direction, forecasting the sun hours at the beginning of the trail to benefit from the pine forest shadow.
To sum up, the hike Sedella’s Roman bridge is a highly recommended route in the province of Málaga (Andalusia, Spain), not only by its challenging trail, which can be considered medium difficulty, but also by its mixture of nature, history, and local gastronomy. Definitely, it is a versatile track because it can also be adapted to seasonal requirements.
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