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Photo: Tanja Freibott (CC BY-SA 3.0 es) · Wikimedia Commons
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Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja: Paseo de los Pinsapos and Pico Los Reales
From Estepona centre35 min
Duration1–2 h (Paseo de los Pinsapos); half day with the climb to the peak
DifficultyModerate
PriceFree
Best timeAll year; ideal in spring and autumn. In summer, much cooler than the coast
KidsYes (the Paseo de los Pinsapos)
AddressDesde Estepona, MA-8301 dirección Genalguacil (sale del semáforo de la Avda. de Andalucía junto a Mercadona). En el Puerto de Peñas Blancas (960 m) gira a la izquierda hacia Los Reales; el inicio del Paseo de los Pinsapos está 2,6 km después, tras el paso canadiense (1.154 m). Allí solo caben 3 coches; hay más aparcamiento al final de la carretera.
Opening hoursOpen natural area. Refugio de los Reales: drinks and snacks on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
About
- Natural Site of 1,236 ha with the only pinsapo (Spanish fir) forest in the world growing on peridotite, a reddish rock rich in iron and metals
- Paseo de los Pinsapos: stony trail, first downhill and then rolling, to the Plazoleta de Genalguacil (1,135 m)
- Demanding option: 2.2 km from the Plazoleta to Pico Los Reales (about 1,450 m), with a plaque to the botanist Edmond Boissier
- Mirador Salvador Guerrero, a few hundred metres from the final car park, with views over Estepona and the coast
- Wildlife: Spanish ibex, roe deer, Egyptian mongoose, golden eagle and peregrine falcon
Good to know
- Narrow road, limited to 30 km/h with a drop on one side: take it slowly
- At the Puerto de Peñas Blancas, about 30 min from Estepona, the views are already spectacular; at km 8.8 is the 'Mirador Ciclista'
- Refugio de los Reales (1,257 m): Domingo, +34 690 858 936
- Barbecues banned from 1 June to 15 October; the track to the summit is closed to cars in summer, but you can walk or cycle up
- It's noticeably cooler up top and sometimes foggy: bring a warm layer and water
Near here
Drive up to Puerto de Peñas Blancas and Mirador Salvador GuerreroHiking · Estepona (Sierra Bermeja) · 25 minThe "no-hiking" version of Sierra Bermeja: in under an hour you can drive almost to the top
Corominas Prehistoric Necropolis (dolmens)Culture · Estepona · 15 minNeolithic necropolis of about 5,000 years discovered during the studies for the toll motorway and excavated in 2001–2002
Venta GarcíaVenta (roadside inn) with home cooking and meat · Casares · 15 minVenta (roadside inn) on the road up from Estepona to Casares, with a terrace, a classic of the area.
Sierra Crestellina: route to the refugeHiking · Casares · 30 minOfficial 8 km route of about 3 h through the Sierra Crestellina, a protected area above Casares