If you’re looking for fall colors in Andalucia, Bosque de Cobre (Copper Forest) in Valle del Genal, Malaga is the perfect place. But the window for fall colors is very short at mid-November before the rain sets in.
If you manage to time it, though, you’re up for a treat! The chestnut farms cover the valley in an orange (or copper-colored) cape making it one of the most picturesque landscapes in Spain at this time of the year.
There are many different hikes you can take from short to longer. We parked in Igualeja and hiked to Parauta, and through the Bosque Encantado (Enchanted fairytale forest) on the way back.
While I absolutely recommend going for the fall colors, it’s a beautiful hike at other times of the year too.
In this post, I’ll share this route and everything you need to know to do the same.
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I’m Linn Haglund, the face behind Andalucia Hiking. I’m an avid hiker and after calling Andalucia home for over 10 years, I’ve covered my share of peaks, ravines, rivers, and valleys across all 8 provinces. I’m here to help you navigate this incredible region with thorough hiking guides, hiking tips, and gear recommendations.
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Table of Contents
Practical information
- Province: Malaga
- Mountain range: Valle del Genal, Serrania de Ronda
- Length: 12 km
- Time: 4 hours
- Elevation: 600 meters
- Route: Circular
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Hiking season: mid-September to mid-June (mid-November for fall colors)
- Hiking with dogs: You can hike this route with dogs all hiking season, but make sure you bring enough water for them too. There are no pine trees on the route, so it’s safe even in Pine Processionary Caterpillar season.
How to get to Igualeja and the trailhead
The public bus service to Igualeja is very bad, as it is to most small white villages in Andalucia. There is an interurban bus service with Autocares Lara that offers one daily bus.
But the times don’t match up to make it a day trip, so in the case you must travel by bus, you’ll need to stay the night in either Igualeja or stop halfway on the hike in Parauta for the night.
You can check out the bus times here.
It’s a lot easier by car. If you need a rental, make sure you book in advance to get the best prices.
Driving time from nearby cities and towns:
- Ronda to Igualeja: 30 min
- Marbella to Igualeja 1 hour
- Malaga to Igualeja: 1 hr 30 min
- Antequera to Igualeja: 1 hr 30 min
Finding parking in Igualeja by the Nacimiento del Rio Genal and Igualeja sign is possible if you come early.
We’ve stayed over in the van a couple of times to secure a spot in the morning and we haven’t been the only ones. But this is in the fall color season.
Other times of the year it’s not so crowded, so it’s easier to find a spot. But I’d still recommend coming early because there aren’t that many parking spots.
Starting the hike in Parauta is probably even more crowded as you’ll also get all the families taking their kids to walk the Bosque Encantado from Parauta.
From the Nacimiento del Rio Genal (which means the birth of the Genal River and is a small recreational area where the river starts), go to the road, cross the bridge to your right, and take your left just after the bend.
You’ll get to a narrow road with vegetation on one side that soon takes you through the village to the trailhead.
DOWNLOAD WIKILOC APP AND FOLLOW THIS TRAIL
I suggest you use this Wikiloc trail that I recorded to guide you on the way to the trailhead. I really don’t know why I didn’t start recording as soon as we left the parking because I found it pretty hard to find the right way, but this is what I got for you until I record a new one!
Here are some pictures on the way to the trailhead sign in the village so you have some waypoints that might help you on the way.
When is the best time to hike
As I mentioned before, mid-November is the best time of the year to see fall colors in Valle del Genal. That’s when the chestnut trees change their color to a deep orange and copper color which has given the valley the nickname “Bosque de Cobre” meaning Copper Forest.
It’s very popular and gets pretty crowded the last two weeks in November until the rain starts falling and the leaves fall off.
If you go before mid-November, it’s too early for the fall colors.
So if this is what you’re after, make the weather forecast sites like El Tiempo your best friend in the days leading up to mid-November.
Because you don’t want to go when it rains (trust me, I tried and with a rain jacket that I found out was just a water-repellent windbreaker I didn’t get far! It was also hard to enjoy the surroundings with the amount of water bucketing down.)
You also want to go before it starts raining for the winter, but you also want to go after the 15-16th of November. Considering it very often rains at the end of November, your time window for this experience is very short.
I’m warning you because I’ve tried many years and failed at going there at the right time.
I did get there once after a rainy period and though most of the leaves had fallen off the trees, there were still some, and the ground was covered in orange. So it was somewhat magical anyway.
If you don’t care about fall colors or can’t make it at that time of the year, the trail between Igualeja and Parauta is amazing through the whole hiking season which is from mid-September to mid-June. The summer months get too hot for an inland hike at a low altitude like this.
What to bring
When hiking Bosque de Cobre in Valle del Genal between November and March, make sure you bring layers of clothes so you don’t get cold.
It gets to freezing point during the night, so mornings are pretty cold while the sun warms up pretty well later in the day.
Don’t get fooled if you travel straight from Malaga or Costa del Sol in the morning, there’s a huge temperature difference from the Genal Valley.
I saw a few people using hiking poles. Personally, I didn’t feel the need for them, but if you struggle with knee pain it can be a great relief in the hills.
If you’re hiking in the warmer months, I also recommend wearing a hat or cap to cover for the sun where the trail is disposed to the elements.
THINGS TO BRING
- lunch
- fruit or other snack
- water
- layers of clothes for the colder months
Where to stay
If you’re looking for a place to stay in Igualeja, I can warmly recommend Casa Pepa, a charming townhouse in the center of the village with beautiful valley views.
It’s at the town square, so you have restaurants and bars nearby unless you prefer to cook inside.
Hiking from Igualeja to Parauta
Once you find the trailhead by walking through the village of Igualeja, it’s easy to follow the trail. There’s a big sign saying Sendero de Igualeja a Parauta.
This trail will take you into a forested area which soon opens up on your left to beautiful views of the valley. Continue on this trail.
When you get to a large junction at Alto de la Loma, continue straight and a short walk further down, continue around the right bend.
Next, when you reach a fork, keep left and the road will take you to Parauta in a few more minutes.
Parauta is a very cute little town, so it’s worth walking around a bit and maybe even stopping for lunch or a drink before continuing back to Igualeja.
Hiking from Parauta to Igualeja
When looping back to Igualeja, you’ll exit Parauta through the Bosque Encantado, which is a 2-kilometer fairy tale forest trail made for children (and adult children like myself!)
It’s a wide dirt track with fairytale figures along the way and a fun diversion from the normal forest trails. But it also gets extremely crowded with families and kids running around on the weekends.
After the Bosque Encantado is finished, just continue on the same track. Just after the ruins of Molino del Real (a mill), we got lost in the forest with hills on both sides.
If you follow my Wikiloc recording, you will see that we were supposed to not go into the valley, but stay on the left side. There’s a trail there you’re meant to follow but we didn’t exactly see it so we had to freestyle up the heavily vegetated hill to get there.
The rest of the trail is easy to follow back to Igualeja as there are signs further down.
OTHER HIKES IN MALAGA
Reflections on hiking Igualeja to Parauta in Valle del Genal Malaga
Summing up, this is a lovely hike and I’d do it again any time of the year (except summer of course!) but the fall colors are truly spectacular.
Mohammed keeps telling me that it’s one of his absolute favorite hikes of all time. I might not put it that high on my list, but I definitely love it as a walk to see fall colors!
Happy hiking!