About El Torcal de Antequera
Located in the city of Antequera, in the province of Malaga, off A45 road in Andalusia, Spain.
El Torcal has some of the most amazing landscapes.
This landscape was formed, 150million years ago during the Jurassic age when the limestone was laid down in a marine corridor that extended from the Gulf of Cádiz to Alicante between the present Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Due to some movements in the earth’s crust, these seabeds were uplifted to an elevation of over 1300 meters above sea level; during the tertiary era.
Due to climate activities like Karstification, this area into one of the most stunning limestone landscapes in the world.
The El Torcal de Antequera hiking trails are family and beginner-friendly. This is because there are a lot of spots where you can stop to take a rest or eat with your family.
A lot of curious mountain goats who are already used to seeing human beings hiking wander around, and they might even get close to you.
But fear not, because they are not carnivores.
Best Ways To Get To El Torcal de Antequera
El Torcal de Antequera is located in the province of Málaga off the A45 road in Andalusia, Spain
By Public Transport
There is no active public transit that takes people to El de Antequera at the moment; maybe the government will make provisions for that in the future.
This means that if you don’t have a car, you’ll have to hop on a train that will take you to Santa Ana Train Station and then take a taxi, which is a 45 minutes drive.
The train from Malaga to Santa Ana takes about 45 minutes; from Granada it’s around 50 minutes, and from Seville, it takes close to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
By Car
Coming from Malaga, you take the A-45 towards Seville turn towards Villanueva de la Concepción driving along a hairpin mountain road.
As you get closer, you’ll see a road sign to Centro de Visitantes Torcal Alto. There are parking spots at the bottom of the road.
If so many cars are parked there, there is a high probability that the little parking lot at the top beside the visitor center is full.
If you’re coming with your car during the summer holidays, weekend or public holidays, then you’ll have to arrive early in order to get a parking space.
On average, it takes about 2 hours to drive from Seville to El Torcal de Antequera and from Granada it takes 1 hr 30 min.
By Shuttle Bus
If you don’t have a car and also don’t want to take the train, then you can use the shuttle bus.
There is a shuttle bus that transports people between the upper park, You can take the shuttle bus if you don’t want to hike the Orange trail up to the visitor center where the Green and Yellow trail start.
The shuttle bus costs about 2 Euros which you” have to pay in cash to the driver. You can also opt for taking the bus one way and hiking the other way.
Best time to hike El de Antequera
The best time to hike the El de Antequera is during the winter.
Winter is the best season to hike this landscape; this is because, from June to September, hiking El Torcal de Antequera will be way too hot, so I don’t recommend going in that period.
El de Antequera hiking essentials
Hiking El Torcal de Antequera is not that exhausting; however, you’ll need to bring some essential hiking gear.
Despite the fact that hiking this landscape is not that challenging if you struggle with your knees and prefer to hike from the lower car park, I recommend you bring a knee brace or hiking poles.
You don’t need hiking sophisticated hiking boots for hiking El de Antequera.
However, a pair of good hiking shoes or trainers will make the hiking experience less challenging and more enjoyable.
Despite the fact that the terrain is not that bad, this landscape is exposed to the sun and on sunny days you’ll really feel the heat, except if you’re hiking in winter.
So here are essential gadgets I recommend you bring in your day pack depending on the weather.
- Water (min 3 liters)
- Snacks and lunch
- Sunscreen
- Face cap
- Neck gaiter
- Windbreaker
- Hand held CB radio
- Camera
El Torcal de Antequera Hiking Trail
Hiking at El Torcal de Antequera is free for most of the trails. There are three primary trails that you can take, they are:
Green trail
The green trial will give you enough view which gives you the ability to see what this park has to offer.
The green trail is 1.5 km long and takes 45 minutes to complete.
Walking on uneven terrain, it keeps going together with the yellow route for a few hundred meters before it separates, and the yellow goes to the right while the green trail cuts across the opening on the left side.
Basic Info About Green Trail
- Location: Malaga Province
- Mountain range: Sierra del Torcal
- Length: 1.5 km
- Time: 45 min
- Route: Round trip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Starting point: Upper car park
- Cost: Free
Orange trail
You can combine the orange trail of El Torcal de Antequera with either the green or yellow trail.
This trail starts at the entrance to the visitors park and ends at the upper park, where the visitor center is located.
It takes a couple of hours up and at some point you’ll meet the paved road where you can walk the last hundred meters to the upper car park and visitor center.
Despite the fact that the orange trail takes more than 3 hours, this gives you an amazing viewpoint.
Basic Info About Orange Trail
- Location: Malaga Province
- Mountain range: Sierra del Torcal
- Length: 7,1 km
- Time: 3hr30mins
- Cost: Free
- Difficulty: Easy
- Starting point: Entrance to visitors park
Yellow trail
The yellow trail is the second route starting from the entrance to the upper parking lot.
The yellow trail and green trail are joined for the first few hundred meters.
The trails follow a very rocky area, after which the two trails separate: the green one returns to the visitors center, while the yellow one continues upwards.
The view is amazing from the first steps and doesn’t disappoint as you follow the markers.
There are signs and markers, so you won’t get lost.
Basic Info About Yellow Trail
- Location: Malaga
- Mountain range: Sierra del Torcal
- Length: 2.8 km
- Time: 2 hours
- Route: Round trip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Starting point: Entrance of upper car Park
Where to Stay For El de Antequera
El de Antequera is accessible from many places in Andalusia, however, Antequera would be the best place to stay if you plan to go hiking.
Hotel Infante Antequera – Antequera
Located in Antequera, Hotel Infante is a 3-star hotel with an 8.7/10 score on bookings.com
All rooms are fitted with a flat-screen TV that has access to satellite channels.
The guest rooms at the hotel come with a seating area.
The rooms are also fitted with a private bathroom with free toiletries, while other rooms have garden views.
If you’re staying in Antequrera, this hotel is a great place to lodge.
Verona Guest House – Granada
Verona guest house is located in Granada City Center, 18005 Granada, Spain.
The rooms are air-conditioned, and they come with private bathrooms and wooden floors.
Rooms are functional and decorated with dark wooden furnishings.
Verona is a 5-minutes’ drive from the A-44 motorway. Parking is available on site