PueblosBlancosDiscoveryTours: Marbella

A Walk alongside the river Guadalpin and

to the Hermitage "Ermita de los Monjes"

Prologue:

The Walk to the Hermitage of the Monks "Ermita de los Monjes" from the Urbanisation Xarblanca/Marbella, is a fairly easy walk along the stream of Guadalpin. It can be done at anytime but after heavy rain you might find the river crossings difficult due to high water-level and no bridges. We prefer late spring April/May, it is the time you will see wild Orchids in bloom.

The Hermitage was built in the 16th century by the Franciscan monks, they were the defenders of evangelical poverty and lived in remote and solitary places.

The trail of "Camino de Monjes" used to start at the church "Iglesia de la Encarnación" in the centre of Marbella and anyone who wanted to do penance, would spend some time by the monks in solitude. In those times it was a hazardous walk through the forested area, and wolves used to roam in the Sierra Blanca region.

Today the solitude of these mountains makes a welcoming break to the busy urban life of Marbella and the Coast.

You find this trail very close to Marbella town, Málaga Province, in the Sierra Blanca region. La Concha (the Seashell) 1270 m. is the emblematic peak which overlooks Marbella and the Costa del Sol. It is the 2nd highest summit of the Sierra Blancas mountain range. Pico Lastonar (1275 m) is the highest followed closely by Salto de Lobo (1225 m) and Cruz de Juanar (1178 m).

The Sierra Blancas (white mountains) are so named because of the pale grey limestone rock which forms the massive.

A great variety of flora and fauna can be found in the valleys and on the slopes. Cabras del Monte (Spanish Ibex) roam the higher rocky slopes, many types of birds can also be found here including Bonelli eagles, Buzzards, Kestrels and many more.

Directions:

On the highway Ap-7 driving west in Marbella take exit 184 towards the bus station and Shell petrol station.
At the roundabout take 1st exit and at the next roundabout 3rd exit towards Calle de la Florida.
Follow road for approx. 1km/5 minutes until you reach the public school CEIP Xarblanca, where you find a large car park near by.
The hike starts left of the gate of the Mirador de Sierra Blanca community.
It is a 2,5 km fairly easy walk to the hermitage "Ermita de los Monjes". The altitude difference is 167 meters.

Click link: Wikiloc: Ermita de los Monjes trail

Note: The Arroyo de Guadalpin is an ideal river to do canyoning, but after heavy rain the water level might be high and therefor the crossings might be difficult when walking along the trail.

We started the walk to the left of the Community Mirador de Sierra Blanca.

A gravel road leads down to the stream of "Arroyo de Guadalpín",

and here we cross it for the first time.

On the other side we follow a small rocky footpath upstream.

The path leads us through dense shrub vegetation and a forest of some very old trees.

You can say that the first 200 meters are the hardest, because we had to walk uphill on a slope, over rocks and large tree roots.

What a lovely waterfall with crystal clear water!

The smooth rock makes an ideal water slide.

The sweet scent of the wild oleander bush is in the air.

From May/June you will see oleander bushes in bloom on the river banks. The sweet scented flowers brighten up the Andalusian countryside when the surrounding area is already starting to turn brown.

All parts of Nerium oleander (Adelfa) are toxic, and it withstands drought and poor soil. The wild variety`s flowers are usually pink whereas in the gardens you can find whites and deep reds.

In the undergrowth large ferns grow in damp shady areas.

We had to climb over some fallen trees.

Eucalyptus trees, native to Australia, have become a common sight in the Iberian peninsula, in ravines and valleys especially near water.

The water cascades gently downwards.

We follow the path uphill, with the stream on our right side.

Along the way we notice many fallen decaying trees, which have been left to nature.

Mediterranean dwarf palm are found throughout the Sierra Blanca region.

Mediterranean Dwarf palm, Palmera enana (Chamaerops humilis)

Also called the European Fan palm, it is a shrub like cluster palm and the northernmost naturally occurring palm in the world and the only native one to the Iberian peninsula and the Balearics. It is a very hardy slow growing palm (2-5m), drought tolerant and can withstand cold temperatures (up to -12ºC in the high elevations of the Sierras of Southern Spain and the Atlas mountains/Morocco), but does prefer hot summers.

In the Sierra Blanca a great variety of Wildflowers can be seen.

Grey leafed Rock-rose, Jara blanca, (Cistus albidus)

In the province of Málaga, approx. 46 species of orchids are found, of which 32 are present in Marbella and the surrounding areas.

We believe this is a Bee orchid, Abejera, (Ophrys apifera).

The track levels up and we walk on through an ancient pine forest.

Someone has made a shelter between the trees.

Do remember that this area is at high fire risk, especially in the dry summer months!

The European black pine (Pino negro) is a variable species of pine to be found across the southern Mediterranean, from Spain in the west, to the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey in the east, also including Corsica, Cyprus the Crimea and the high mountains of the Maghreb Morocco North Africa. It can reach a height of 40 meters.

The markings on the tree indicates that you are on the right track.

The sound of gently cascading water, the twittering of birds,

makes us feel at ease with nature.

A noble carob tree (Algarobo)

A view through the foliage.

The carob tree is full of green bean pods. The fruit takes a whole year to ripen and eventually fall to the ground.

We noticed various carob trees, (Algarrobo) which grow wildly here. They are native to the Mediterranean region, North Africa and the Middle East. In some area they are cultivated for their edible bean pods, and were formerly used as animal fodder for donkeys and horses. For human consumption the dried toasted pods are ground, and in hard times it was a good substitute for cocoa powder.

We follow the sign directing us to "Los Monjes".

A cross section of a fallen old tree.

Amazing to see this cut down old tree and it's age and history, for all to see!

The flower of the Giant fennel (Ferula communis)

Slowly we plod on!

The path takes us to another river crossing.

Carefully we step across the water

and follow the trail along.

High above us the bare rocks of the Sierra Blanca massif.

As we look towards the ridge, we notice some birds of prey soaring in the sky.

A group of Eucalyptus trees between the pine trees as they try to outgrow each other in height.

At this point the the flow of water has disappeared underground.

The rocky path follows close to the river edge.

A view up stream. and along the dry riverbed.

Further up stream the water reappeared again.

The flow of water beneath our feet!

We follow the arrow uphill.

Ahead of us we notice a strange formation of rock.

The works of nature, as water dripped through the rock over time.

A view upstream.

We master another crossing with ease.

Signs directing you to various destinations.

In front of us the ruins of "Ermita de los Monjes".

The hermitage remains standing amongst these natural surroundings,

so peaceful in its solitude.

Slowly and with time the vegetation takes over.

Some weathered road signs on the wall.

Someone has made this site a memorial.

Somehow ..... idyllic!

A view along the steep valley upwards.

From the ruins we followed a track towards the left alongside the hill.

At a steep stretch of the path, a chain gives you some support.

Esparto grass covers the dry hill side.

After we leave the forest, a view along the valley towards the coast.

We carried on for about 200 meters or so, and then retraced our steps.

The treeline gives away to shrub and the bare rock.

We leave the peaceful setting of "Ermita delLos Monjes" to its lonely self.

There are many routes along these hills, but we take the same way back .

The route GR 249 connects the town of Marbella with the village of Ojen, which is stage 31 of the Great Málaga Path (Gran Senda de Málaga).