A Great River Walk Around Nerja on the Costa Del Sol
This Nerja Walk is a shortened version of a longer walk that becomes progressively more difficult the further you go.
The route is simple, just follow the course of the Rio Chillar.
If you are starting the walk on foot in Nerja, you need to access the track that runs along the bank of the Rio Chillar.
There are several ways to do this but the two easiest are as follows: walk to the end of Calle de Joaquín Herrera, which is behind the bus station on Calle de Pescia, and follow the path down to the river.
Alternatively, walk along Calle del Puente Viejo (off the roundabout near the Super Sol on Calle de Antonio Ferrandis) which leads directly to the riverside road.
If you have a car and wish to skip the first couple of KMs, access the riverside road via Calle Del Puente Viejo, as above, and drive for 2 KM until you reach the cement works.
Just past the main building you can park next to a solitary eucalyptus tree.
If you are a non-driver you will have a pleasant if uninspiring walk to the cement factory, but don't give up.
Always staying on the right hand side of the river you will pass smallholdings, builders yards, avocado groves, cortijos and caves, some of which are occupied.
In amongst the scruffiness nature still flourishes, with birds, insects, wild flowers and grasses to be spotted along the river.
Once you reach the cement factory, and the scar in the Cliffside, the walk becomes much more interesting and wild.
The river valley narrows and the vegetation increases.
High caves are home to many bird species, shady pools house amphibians, and the forests of the Sierra Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama National Park rise up the steep slopes.
It is not possible to lose your way! Follow the river, dodging the river if you like, but getting wet cannot be avoided indefinitely.
The amount of water flowing will vary dependent on the time of year and recent rainfall, but eventually you will reach the point where riverbanks disappear and you are forced to wade.
The river passes through narrow canyons, where the depth and the speed of the water increases.
The canyon in the photographs on this page shows the approach to the first set of rapids, or cahorraas on the river.
These rapids are easily negotiated, and just beyond there is a quiet pool, which makes a good spot for a picnic, and the end of this easy walk.
From here onwards the amount of wading required increases, and it is at least an hour to reach the furthest point along the river which can be accessed.
However it is well worth the effort if you are up to it, as there are two more rapids, each bigger and more impressive than the last, and at the furthest point there is a waterfall and plunge pool.
However far you go along the river the return journey is simple.
Retrace your wet steps! DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WALK AFTER, DURING OR WHEN THERE IS A FORECAST FOR HEAVY RAIN
The route is simple, just follow the course of the Rio Chillar.
If you are starting the walk on foot in Nerja, you need to access the track that runs along the bank of the Rio Chillar.
There are several ways to do this but the two easiest are as follows: walk to the end of Calle de Joaquín Herrera, which is behind the bus station on Calle de Pescia, and follow the path down to the river.
Alternatively, walk along Calle del Puente Viejo (off the roundabout near the Super Sol on Calle de Antonio Ferrandis) which leads directly to the riverside road.
If you have a car and wish to skip the first couple of KMs, access the riverside road via Calle Del Puente Viejo, as above, and drive for 2 KM until you reach the cement works.
Just past the main building you can park next to a solitary eucalyptus tree.
If you are a non-driver you will have a pleasant if uninspiring walk to the cement factory, but don't give up.
Always staying on the right hand side of the river you will pass smallholdings, builders yards, avocado groves, cortijos and caves, some of which are occupied.
In amongst the scruffiness nature still flourishes, with birds, insects, wild flowers and grasses to be spotted along the river.
Once you reach the cement factory, and the scar in the Cliffside, the walk becomes much more interesting and wild.
The river valley narrows and the vegetation increases.
High caves are home to many bird species, shady pools house amphibians, and the forests of the Sierra Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama National Park rise up the steep slopes.
It is not possible to lose your way! Follow the river, dodging the river if you like, but getting wet cannot be avoided indefinitely.
The amount of water flowing will vary dependent on the time of year and recent rainfall, but eventually you will reach the point where riverbanks disappear and you are forced to wade.
The river passes through narrow canyons, where the depth and the speed of the water increases.
The canyon in the photographs on this page shows the approach to the first set of rapids, or cahorraas on the river.
These rapids are easily negotiated, and just beyond there is a quiet pool, which makes a good spot for a picnic, and the end of this easy walk.
From here onwards the amount of wading required increases, and it is at least an hour to reach the furthest point along the river which can be accessed.
However it is well worth the effort if you are up to it, as there are two more rapids, each bigger and more impressive than the last, and at the furthest point there is a waterfall and plunge pool.
However far you go along the river the return journey is simple.
Retrace your wet steps! DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WALK AFTER, DURING OR WHEN THERE IS A FORECAST FOR HEAVY RAIN
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