The Walkway to the Mines of
"Minas de Buenavista"
Prologue:
You find this trail very close to Marbella town, Málaga Province, in the Sierra Blanca
region. It starts at the forest of Nagüeles Park, and just below and towards the right of the "Starlight" auditorium, in the foothills of
the Sierra Blanca. It is approx. 2 km walk to the Minas de Buenavista The trail leads you through a mature and untouched pine forest steadily uphill and alongside the stream Arroyo de Piedras. Especially in springtime many wildflowers as well as rare orchids can be seen here.
The Mina Buenavista was one of the Lead mines in the Sierra Blanca region. Marbella's
lead mines were once the most productive in the Málaga Province during the second half of
the 19th century, and at that time Spain was a global leader in lead production.
Map of the trail
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| Click on link: Wikiloc: Sendero Minas de Buenavista |
Directions:
- From Marbella drive westwards on the A-7 Ap-7. Take exit 182 to Nagüeles, and then take the road which leads you towards the Auditorium of Starlite.
- It takes approx 4 minutes/2 km from the motorway exit, to the start of the walkway.
- In Calle Albinone you will find a small car park at the edge of the forest of "Piñar de Nagüeles", and an information board plus way-signs which indicate the start of the trail.
- The Hike we took was 2.6 km to the mines, and on to a panoramic view point.
- Thee elevation covered was 367 meters to an altitude of 500 meters.
- We took a comfortable 4 hours, allowing for various stops and a picnic.
Note: The pathway is fairly easy to follow, but very rocky at times and good shoes are recommended as well as to take a drink along with you.
At the start of the trail an information board shows you the various trails in this region,
also you will find some information about the Sierra Blancas themselves.
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| Click on link: Sierra Blanca, maps and descriptions |
Sierra Blancas are part of the southern foothills of the Baetic mountain range and is located between the municipalities of Istán (north/west), Ojén (north/east) and Marbella to the south.
It is a small mountain massif that stands out on the Costa del Sol due its greyish-white colour and the characteristic shape of one of its highest peaks "La Concha", the Shell.
Some of the information taken from the board.
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 mountain) 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.
The photo above shows the start of the trail and the view towards the coast of
Puerto Banus and Nueva Andalusia.
We left the car nearby and followed a sign into the forest.
In the forest are various tracks, but take the broader one which leads uphill.
You will find signposts along the way.
Through the trees we get a glimpse of the iconic peak of "La Concha".
In springtime you can see the yellow bushes of the Broom (Genista) everywhere and the countryside is filled with their sweet aroma.
The beautiful lilac flower of the rock-rose bush.
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| Rockrose, Jara blanca (Cistus albidus) |
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| Sea Squill/Dirimia ma(Urginea maritima) |
An unusual parasitic growth (1 m in diameter), high in the branches in one of the pine trees, commonly known as dwarf mistletoe.
The pathway was washed away in places.
Steadily we walk upwards.
Along the way we saw some processionary caterpillars.
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| Procession Caterpillar (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) |
TheProcessionary caterpillar (Procesionaria del Pino) is a moth and is mostly found in wooded forests. The caterpillars are orangey brown and covered with thousand of poisonous hairs. Take care in the spring time if you are allergic or if you have pets. Read more: Pine processionary
The pathway gets rockier and steeper.
Now we have reached another crossroad.
We follow the sign to "Mina Buenavista".
High above, the white peaks of the Sierra Blanca.
The iconic peak of La Concha (1270 m)
Delicate blue flowers between the rocks.
In the crevices you find various succulents.
Dwarf fan palms can be seen nearly everywhere throughout the Sierra Blanca region.
Carefully we walk on the narrow path.
To our right the deep ravine of the stream "Arroyo de las Piedras"
The pathway leads straight through a ruin.
In front of us a furnace of the Mine Buenavista.
We leave the mine behind us and walk further on.
We have reached the stream of Arroyo de las Piedras.
An Ideal spot for a rest!
We carry on in search of the track and carefully we walk along the rock wall.
We find a small footpath which leads above the rock.
Here we find further ruins.
A view across the valley towards the coast.
We found that a modern day hermit had made himself a home!
From here we had fantastic panoramic views.
High above us, the limestone peaks of the Sierra Blancas.
We retrace our steps back down to the riverbed,
and follow another footpath further uphill.
A huge fallen tree, how old it must've been!
A view upstream,
I like to imagine the water gushing over the rocks in the rainy season.
Now we stand above the imaginary waterfall.
The higher we walk, the better the view of the coast, and the town of Marbella appeared.
The track is getting steeper now.
We follow the path in a zigzag manner upwards.
The Mediterranean and Marbella, are more visible now.
We tramp on for another 50 meters or so.
This view compensates for the hard work of walking uphill.
We can make out some of Marbellas landmarks.
The summit looks touchingly near, but we will leave it for another day.
The sweet scent of the Genista more commonly known as Broom, fills the are in springtime.
A delicate small lavender plant in the shadow of a rock.
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| Iris/Pé-de-burro (Gynandriris sisyrinchium) |
We took the same route back past the Mine of Buenavista.
A last look up towards this unique ragged and quite untamed region of the
Sierra Blanca.
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