Ingles / El Chorro
Málaga TO El Chorro
Cycling route
A trip through Malaga's orchard that will take us to a martian-like landscape, sculpted through natural erosion and human action, with accessible climbs and magnificent views.
Images and text by Escapada Cycling.
Our cycling route to El Chorro begins leaving the city on its west side towards the Guadalhorce Valley, or as you will soon see, the orchard of Malaga. This is an agricultural area that supplies all surrounding markets with fruits, vegetables and greens. The A-7054 leads straight to Pizarra and on its way, a sea of orange, lemon and other fruit trees escort the cyclists.
From there, the Castle of Álora silhouette can be seen on top of a hill. Leaving it aside for a later visit, the route continues to Valle de Abdalajís. The fruit landscape will gradually change until it reaches El Chorro, with a reservoir at the foot of the village.
In this village, it is possible to get hold of water, eat something if necessary and rest for a while admiring the beauty of the place.
El Chorro reservoir is located within Los Gaitanes Gorge Natural Area, a unique enclave for cycling and other adventure sports. It features a steep canyon that is accessible through the famous "Caminito del Rey" (King's Pathway), a scary walkway that hangs 100m above the base of the gorge.
The fauna at the “Gorge of the Gaitanes” is noteworthy, and the best thing is that it is visible to the naked eye. Near the summits, nest the hawks, golden eagles and vultures that reign over the place, hovering above us as we pedal.
It would take at least a couple of days to fully explore the area. Having a road bike allows you to travel through practically all the reservoirs and towns settled around this natural enclave while enjoying unbeatable views.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the walkway that crosses the gorge is only accessible on foot, so you must leave this place aside and surround it, ascending towards the “Conde del Guadalhorce” reservoir, which takes its name in honor of the engineer-poet who made possible the harmony between such engineering work and the natural environment.
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To get to the last part of the stage you will have to grit your teeth and endeavor along the two climbs after Ardales first and Carratraca later. These climbs, together with the one that separates El Chorro from the Conde del Guadalhorce reservoir, have the steepest slopes, although the average gradient of these sections does not exceed 7% on any occasion. We recommend taking precautions on the short journey between Ardales and Carratraca, it is not a highway but in just 4 kilometers cars drive at high speed.
The descent to Álora through a pine forest will speed up the journey for at least 10 kilometers. We must not tune out at any time because such a remote location does not provide the best road conditions. After a short climb, the Castle of Álora crowns the place with its views and is the perfect end to a wonderful day cycling to El Chorro.
If for any reason, we run out of strength, get tired, or it gets dark and we have no lights, Álora connects with Malaga city by the C-2 metropolitan railway, which allows you to get on with a bike. Otherwise, the return to the city is practically flat, trouble-free through the same path we took in the morning.
