A trip with my dog to El Torcal de Antequera near Málaga (Spain)

This November, I took a trip with my dog to the Málaga region in Spain. While we were there, we went for a excursion to the nature reserve known as El Torcal de Antequera which is located approximately one hour from Málaga by car.

This fascinating karst landscape is well worth a visit with your dog. For more information on how to visit El Torcal de Antequera, please see the details below.

If you are looking to spend more time in the Málaga region, I can certainly recommend the apartment that I stayed at in the Benalmádena neighborhood. If you’re interested you can find my review here.

THE ROUTE

On less busy days, you can go by car all the up to the parking lot by the visitor center and restaurant of El Torcal de Antequera which is where the different hiking routes through the nature reserve start. On busy days however, the access road up to the mountain gets closed once the parking lot near the top is full. This is done to prevent traffic jams on the narrow mountain road, which is the only way up the hill.

There is an “overflow” parking lot here where you can park instead and take a bus up to the top. However, I would very much recommend coming early. When we visited in November (not exactly high season), the access road was closed and the overflow parking lot was nearly filled as well. The attendant did mention that they would open the road again around 2pm when most early visitors would have left, but I am not sure if this will happen every day. It could be a good option if you are not an early riser though.

We ended up taking the shuttle bus from the lower parking lot. The bus was very comfortable and the ride to the top takes just about 5 mins. It costs 2 EUR for both ways and the good news is that dogs are allowed on the bus too free of charge. The official website mentions them needing to be in transport carriers and traveling in the hold, but this was not the case in practice. My dog was allowed on the bus without a carrier and in the passenger section.

Worst case, you can also hike up the road to the visitor center which is around 3.6km. Going up on foot means you can also enjoy some nice views and meet some mountain sheep along the way if you’re lucky. I’d still recommend the bus if possible.

Once you are at the visitor center, whether by car, bus or on foot, I recommend heading to the viewpoint first before starting your hike. You have some great views over the landscape below, and you can also enjoy a sneak preview of the nature reserve that you are about to hike through.

When you’re ready to start your hike, here are mainly two options: the green route and the yellow route. For a while, they go the same way, but eventually the yellow route forks off and takes a longer route and eventually meets up with the green route again towards the end.

As you start the routes, there is a sign which on first glance looks like dogs are not allowed. Don’t worry! The sign is just trying to tell you to keep your dog on the leash at all times, as you are entering a nature reserve.

The nice thing about having both routes go next to each other for a while is that you can decide spontaneously if you feel up for extending your hike on the yellow route. We ended up following the green route, because even during November the weather was very sunny and warm. Coupled with the very irregular terrain, visiting the Torcal was surprisingly tiring. However, the views of the karst landscape are really fascinating, so I would definitely recommend going. See for yourself!

HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WHO IT’S FOR

The green route is around 1.5km which sounds short, but since the terrain is very rocky it actually took us over an hour at a leisurely pace and with photo stops. The yellow route is estimated to take around 2hours.

I definitely recommend wearing suitable foot wear. The terrain is very uneven and while the weather was lovely during our visit, it had rained the previous day and parts of the route were very slippery, especially when descending.

As a human, I had to pay close attention to where I was stepping. My pup on the other hand had a lot of fun in the rocky terrain, climbing up and down without issues and wondering why I was so slow.

Unfortunately, the routes are not at all suitable for prams or people with mobility aids.

I would definitely recommend taking this hike in the off-season when temperatures are more moderate. There is practically no shade, so I would not suggest it during hot weather.

If you do go in the hotter season, make sure to bring along water for the route. You can also get drinks and snacks at the restaurants at the visitor centre, but in the reserve itself there are no facilities.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This is a really cool place to visit with your dog. The karst landscape is fascinating and the route was a lot of fun for my pup. If you’re in the area, I can certainly recommend taking a trip to El Torcal de Antequera with your dog.