A hike up the Arabic staircase is a classic route and the most popular walk in the Desfiladero de Los Gaitanes Natural Park. If doing one hike in the area, this should be it. So I decided to take my coworking family.
The exact origins of the staircase are unknown. The general consensus is that they were built in the 15C by Mozarabs as part of their trading routes.
Most of the routes up the Arabic staircase are linear. You go up and come back down the same way you came. This particular one is circular. After climbing the Arabic staircase, you loop back around through the woods, going towards the Valle de Abdalajis and onto El Chorro.
This is an easy and beautiful hike that starts and ends at El Chorro’s train station. The route is straightforward and suitable for families. It is, however, 10kms long with around six hundred metres of accumulated height. Although the path leading to the Arabic Staircase has been improved over the years, there are still sections where you can feel “exposed”.
There are plenty of great places to stop off for a picnic en route and on a clear day, the views are unbeatable.
If you want to do this hike yourself, you find clear instructions on my website where this post was originally published.
John has been a coworker at The Living Room since January 2016. John is an accomplished digital marketer with over 10 years experience in organic and paid marketing. He’s worked with both small and large corporations across a wide range of industries. John loves all things digital, but spending time with his family in the Andalusian countryside even more.
