Smugglers Trails of the Sierra de Aracena - 8 Days

Make your own way to Aracena. Time permitting a wander around this lively market town, a visit to the “Gruta de las Maravillas (“cave of wonders”) and a guided tour around the Jamón museum will give you some insight on the journey you are about to undertake. Accommodation: You will be staying two nights in a recently converted mill, which has been tastefully decorated in a rustic style with wonderful little touches. All rooms are ensuite and have air conditioning/heating. Free WIFI.

An easy to moderate morning walk taking in a good example of the area with tracks meandering through small holdings and then the pretty countryside to Corteconcepción. A good place to stop for a breather is up at the church with memorable views across to the reservoir. The return journey begins on a lovely ancient cobbled path which converts into a vehicle track for a couple of kilometres, which makes walking easy before reaching the road taking you back into Aracena. You can spend the rest of the day visiting Aracena and the caves.

A great day’s walk taking you through thoroughly varied countryside. The route mainly follows the GR43.1, the original path that everybody used to connect village to village. You begin through well kept chestnut plantations which changes into cork oak woods, olive groves and also vineyards before you reach Los Marines. You walk through two villages, Los Marines and Fuenteheridos which both have bars in for refreshments. Galaroza is situated in the river Múrtiga valley providing an abundance of water and a thick canopy of vegetation, which has provided a great carpentry tradition in the village. Along the steep and cobbled streets you can find the typical whitewashed houses usually bedecked with flowers. A walk up the hill that dominates the village will take you to the hermitage of Saint Brigit (Ermita de Santa Brígida) patron saint of the vine and all fruit trees. You get a great panoramic view from the top of the village and around. Accommodation: You stay two nights in a 2 star hotel, with good views of the surrounding mountains. All rooms are ensuite, have air conditioning/heating and free WIFI. The hotel has its own restaurant and a swimming pool.

This walk provides a vary varied scenery, passing through small holdings, cork oak forest, mixed woodland and the small town of Valedelarco. This includes the Navahermoso barranco - a glorious river walk where there is plenty of bird life. After heavy rain the streams may be quite high and there are a couple of crossings that don’t have bridges, but are fords or stepping stones so you may need to take your boots off when crossing. Valdelarco is an interesting village dating back to Roman times and had its own Jewish Quarter or ghetto. Today it has only a couple of bars.

Heading to Alájar today you walk to the highest village of the Sierra, Castaño del Robledo which boasts two large churches. The first stage of the walk takes you up the valley to Castaño del Robledo along the Rivera de Jabugo, an area of special interest due to the flora and fauna found along the walk. From there you descend to the outskirts of Santa Ana before heading east to Alájar. It’s one of our favourites, along the valley amongst ancient cork and holm oaks. Life in Alájar revolves around its squares and its narrow cobbled streets radiate outwards from there. Many houses in Alájar have their own unique cobbled thresholds and there are many well-preserved houses here with architectural elements typical of the Sierra. Accommodation: You stay 3 nights at a European Eco-label accredited small hotel. All the rooms are ensuite and have large south facing terraces overlooking the dining terrace, garden and swimming pool. There is under floor heating for the winter months and cooling system for the summer months. Each room is unique and is tastefully furnished with antique furniture. The upstairs lounge has a small bar open to guests and there is WiFi.

The Peña de Arias Montano and its bell tower are the 2nd most visited sites in the park, after the caves in Aracena. This walk takes you up to the Peña and beyond where the views to the south are fantastic. On a clear day you can see the sun reflecting on the sea on the coastline of Huelva. You will visit three viewpoints on the walk but with a couple of shorter options if you prefer to take it a bit easier. The walk through the chestnut groves which are abound with wild peonies in April and May is well worth the climb though!

One of the prettiest cicular walks in the area, following the country path, once cobbled, to the almost abandoned Madroñeros, a tiny hamlet which throws you back in time as you can imagine how people lived until quite recently in humble houses without running water or electricity. The inhabitants moved to Alájar and Linares when running water was supplied to each house in these villages in the mid seventies. Linares de La Sierra is another fine example of a sierra village almost suspended in time with its narrow cobbled streets and the intricate stone “door mats” outside the front doors; originally done to distinguish the front door from the side door, which was the entrance for animals. The return walk to Alájar on the northern route involves a short steep climb before descending along the rivera de Alájar to return to the village.