Navachica Hike from the Fuente del Esparto

Navachica (1,832 m) is the highest peak in the Sierra de Almijara and lies within the municipality of Nerja. The most direct route from the coast climbs the Barranco de los Cazadores to Pico del Cielo and follows the ridge of the sierra north, over white dolomite rock and sand, to the Navachica trig point. From the summit you see La Maroma, El Lucero, Sierra Nevada and the sea.

Trail map

Trail facts

• Start: Fuente del Esparto spring (570 m), 5.8 km from the Nerja Caves along the Pinarillo track.
• Distance: 10.5 km one way; 21 km there and back from the spring (about 32 km from the caves).
• Elevation: 1,260 m from the spring to the summit; about 1,900 m of total ascent there and back, as the ridge goes up and down.
• Time: 9–10 h there and back from the spring.
• Difficulty: very hard: high-mountain path with unmarked stretches.
• Water: only at the Fuente del Esparto, at the start.

The route, section by section

Fuente del Esparto – Pico del Cielo (km 0–4.1). You enter the stony bed of the Barranco de los Cazadores, leave it up a scree slope, and a steep path takes you to the ridge and the cross on Pico del Cielo (1,508 m).

Pico del Cielo – Collado de la Nava (km 4.1–9). The ridge continues north over the Mina Herrera pass, the Alto de la Cuesta del Espartal, the Cerro del Barranco del Pino (1,619 m) and the Puerto de la Orza. Some stretches have a clear path; on others you follow cairns and the track.

Collado de la Nava – Navachica (km 9–10.5). The final climb up the summit ridge leads to the trig point. You return the same way: keep energy and daylight for it.

Getting to the Fuente del Esparto

From the Nerja Caves car park (paid) along the Pinarillo track: 5.8 km, see the Fuente del Esparto walk. The track has a barrier that is usually closed to cars in summer and whenever there is a fire risk, and open in the cooler months depending on the rain: if it is closed, the day becomes more than 30 km.

Shorter alternatives

Climbing just Pico del Cielo on the PR-A 477, or El Almendrón from the Fuente del Esparto, is already a big mountain day with less commitment.

Downloads

• Navachica map and guide (PDF).
• GPX track of the route.

Sources: Wikipedia ("Navachica": 1,832 m, highest peak of the Sierra de Almijara, municipality of Nerja); OpenStreetMap trail line and difficulty grading with elevations from Open-Meteo; mountaineers' accounts (Picobarro, 2025). Checked in October 2026.