A Walk in the Woods

The best walk this November in the hills around Malaga is the Sendero de los Castaños (Chestnut Tree Trail). Nobody needs to travel as far as New England for autumn colours.

The Copper Forest is one of the great spectacles of the autumn season in the province of Malaga, a number of villages in the Serrania de Ronda are surrounded by woodland of red, orange and brown tones. The multitude of chestnut trees change colour and lose their leaves, offering a unique opportunity to enjoy one of the most beautiful circular walking routes in Malaga: the one that links Pujerra and Igualeja, two of the villages with the most chestnut groves.

It is a circular route, of medium difficulty and a total of 14 kilometres along paths full of autumn-coloured leaves, which can be completed in about 4 hours’ walk. Good footwear, some warm clothes, water and some food are the essential elements for this Chestnut Tree Route, which crosses paths, tracks and roads to make the most of the beauty of the area.

The Copper Forest is one of the most impressive chestnut groves in Spain and has a multitude of routes and paths that to follow. The Ruta de los Castaños starts in Pujerra, where it is easy to park the car, and from where the journey starts through the upper part of the village until reaching the road from Pujerra to Estepona, the first section of this Ruta de los Castaños. Once walkers reach the Carretera Paisajística which links Puerto del Madroño with Pujerra, follow this road for a kilometre and a half, until reaching a crossroads which passesalong a track leading to Puerto de Juan Agustín.

It is at the Seco river where there is a stretch on the asphalt: the road that joins Igualeja with Pujerra. At this point on the route there are a large number of chestnut woods, some of which are very old and immense. It is 4 kilometres from here back to the start of the route, in Pujerra, thus completing the Chestnut Tree Route.

Whether walkers stay in Pujerra or take the car to Igualeja, both villages are a fantastic option to sample the gastronomy of the Serranía de Ronda and try a dish that is made with chestnuts to round off a perfect day’s hiking.