Pizarra: Hiking Trails, Culture and Nature

Hiking and Trails

The SL-A 213 hiking trail network runs through the Sierra de Gibralmora. It connects Pizarra with Cerralba and Cerralba with Zalea and El Santo.

The El Santo section is a 5,868-metre-long linear trail from the Área recreativa Raja Ancha to Calle Ermita, with an estimated walking time of 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Along the SL-A 213, the Área recreativa Raja Ancha offers a viewpoint and a recreational area with barbecue facilities, tables and benches.

The PR-A 118 “Contrastes y Azahar” is a circular hiking trail through Pizarra, approved and signposted by the Regional Government of Andalusia. Its total length is 52 kilometres, divided into four sections.

The route passes through riverside gardens with citrus trees, as well as dryland areas with carob and almond trees and typical cortijos.

Information boards along the PR-A 118 highlight Pizarra’s monuments and archaeological remains.

Culture and History

The Museo Municipal de Pizarra is located in the Cortijo Casablanca, also known as Cortijo del Arte. It displays archaeological and ethnographic pieces, as well as works by the American painter Gino Hollander.

The Ermita La Fuensanta was built in the 16th century over an old Mozarabic church that was partially built into the rock, and has a single nave carved into the rock.

The Ermita La Fuensanta serves as a natural viewpoint overlooking the citrus-covered Vega, the bridges over the Guadalhorce and the Sierra de las Nieves.

At Castillejos de Quintana, remains of a Mozarabic settlement have been preserved, including numerous dwellings partially recessed into the rock, tombs carved entirely into the rock and a former quarry.

The necropolis of Castillejos de Quintana comprises around twenty tombs carved into the rock.

Castillejos de Luna is home to a Bronze Age necropolis with burials in stone cist graves.

The Torre Árabe de la Cruz in the Sierra de Gibralmora served as a surveillance and communication point between the castles of Álora and Cártama.

The Iglesia San Pedro Apóstol is a single-nave Mudéjar church with an elaborately decorated artesonado wooden ceiling.

Its tower has a square floor plan and consists of three storeys: the first two are made of masonry, while the third is made of brick.

The baptistery of the Iglesia San Pedro Apóstol houses a painting of Saint John the Baptist from the first third of the 17th century by an unknown artist.

Nature and Birdwatching

The “Subida al Santo” birdwatching trail is 5,290 metres long and can be explored on foot or by mountain bike.

Between May and August, European nightjars that breed in the area come to El Santo at night to feed on insects attracted by the artificial lighting.

The “Gibralmora” birdwatching trail is an 11,000-metre-long linear route. It leads to the summit of the Sierra and offers views of the surrounding landscape.

The “La Charcuela” birdwatching trail follows a section of the middle and lower reaches of the Guadalhorce, where waterfowl, birds of prey, insectivorous birds and granivorous birds can be found, among others.

The “La Charcuela” circular birdwatching trail is 3,300 metres long, can be explored on foot or by mountain bike and takes an estimated one hour.

The surroundings of Paraje El Santo are characterised by Mediterranean scrubland and wild-growing trees such as carob trees, wild olive trees, holm oaks, kermes oaks and hackberries.

The Sagrado Corazón de Jesús monument stands at one of the highest points of the Sierra de Gibralmora and overlooks Pizarra and its Vega.

Festivals and Local Cuisine

The “El Santo” Romería takes place every year on 28 February; numerous participants arrive on foot or horseback.

The Ruta de la Tapa has been held in Pizarra since 2007 and is recognised as a “Fiesta Singular de la Provincia de Málaga”.

During the Ruta de la Tapa, a route map guides visitors through participating bars and restaurants in Pizarra, where they can sample various local tapas.

Holy Week in Pizarra is coordinated by three brotherhoods responsible for the processions.

The traditional “Rifa” of Nuestra Señora de la Fuensanta takes place on 15 August and is recognised as a “Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Andalucía”.

Mobility and Stages

The Autobús Municipal connects Pizarra during the day from Monday to Friday with the districts of Cerralba, Zalea and Gibralmora.

Stage 03 runs from Pizarra to Estación de Cártama.

For the overarching travel overview: Málaga.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Coín, Totalán, Fuengirola, Arriate, Cañete La Real, Parchite, Los Puertas.