Sendero de Las Arquillas is an easy beginner hike in Andalucia in beautiful nature and historical remains.
The trail takes you along an old Roman underground aqueduct that built to transfer water from La Magdalena to Antequera. There aren’t many underground Roman waterways, making this quite a unique walk.
Along the route, you can see several “arquillas” (thus the name of the hike.) Arquillas are small stone structures with an opening to let air flow into the underground waterways.
The trail ends by a 16th-century convent in magical surroundings before turning back the same way.
Read on for everything you need to know to plan and hike Sendero de Las Arquillas in Antequera.
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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
- Length: 7 km
- Time: 2 hours
- Elevation: 70 m
- Route: Linear return
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hiking season: mid-September to mid-June
- Hiking with dogs: You can hike with dogs, in fact, it’s a popular walk among local dog owners. There’s no natural water source during the trail, so make sure you bring enough water for your dogs too.
How to get to Antequera and the trailhead
Antequera is connected by bus with cities like Malaga and Seville. However, going on a day trip to hike Sendero de Las Arquillas from either of these cities might be tough due to bus times, so I do recommend staying at least one night in Antequera.
For such a short hike, I’d honestly combine it with visiting the city of Antequera for a couple of days, seeing the Dolmens, and maybe even hiking in El Torcal de Antequera nearby.
Buses from Seville to Antequera take around 3 hours and are run by Alsa. You can check bus times here.
There are a lot more buses between Malaga and Antequera and the journey takes around 1 hour and 10 minutes. You can take Bus M-253 from Estación Bus Malaga. Check bus times here.
It’s possible to walk to the trailhead of Sendero Las Arquillas straight from the city. We drove there and parked in one of the streets nearby as it’s straight off a local neighborhood. The trail sign is located in a U-turn on an asphalted street taking you up to the trail.
You can find the trailhead easily by choosing “driving route to the trailhead” in this Wikiloc trail description. The GPS will take you straight there.
After following the trail signtowards teh left on the asphalted road, you’ll soon get onto a dirt track that takes you up to the trail. There is a sign at the top and you’re going to the right with the valley on your right side.
When is the best time to hike
Sendero de Las Arquillas is a fantastic hike to do all year round, but in the summer it’s too hot in the daytime so you should either go early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
There’s no shade along the route, so a cap or a hat is essential on a sunny day and so is enough water.
We hiked in spring, and it was absolutely stunning with colorful wild flowers and red poppies blooming!
What to bring
As mentioned, there’s no shade along the route, so I highly recommend wearing a hat or a cap to cover your head from the sun, unless you do like us and walk on a cloudy day.
If your skin is sensitive to the sun, make sure you slap on some sun screen before you go too. Even if it’s a short walk, it’s 100% exposed to the sun.
There’s a mine tunnel along the trail which I haven’t ventured far into as I didn’t bring a headlamp. So if you feel adventurous, I suggest you bring a headlamp too!
Except for this, there isn’t much hiking gear needed to do the hike. Wear some good sneakers and bring enough water. If you hike with dogs, make sure you bring water for them too.
THINGS TO BRING
- fruit, nuts, or other snack
- water
- hat/caps
- headlamp
Where to stay in Antequera
Here are my top picks for where to stay for different budgets and for my fellow hikers who travel with their dogs.
MID-RANGE: Parador de Antequera – As opposed to other Paradores in Spain, the one in Antequera offers modern facilities set in a large park-like area making it an oasis in the city, perfect for relaxing. They also have a seasonal outdoor pool.
BUDGET: Hotel Manzanito – Centrally located at Plaza de San Sebastian, Hotel Manzanito is a great budget option within walking distance of the main attractions in Antequera.
APARTMENT HOTEL: Hotel Apartamentos Antequera – Modern and bright apartments with well-equipped kitchens. I especially loved the views from the rooftop terrace where you can see Lover’s Rock.
🐾DOG-FRIENDLY: Hotel Lozano – Budget-friendly hotel right outside of the city center where you can bring your dog upon request. There’s also a large, free parking you can use.
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Hiking Sendero de Las Arquillas Antequera
Once you reach the path, it goes to the right, but there’s one “arquilla” a few meters on your left that you can see before venturing ahead.
There is no way to get lost on Sendero de Las Arquillas. The trail is wide and easy to walk on and below you, the Arroyo de la Magdalena trickles through the beautiful valley.
If you follow my Wikoloc recording, I’ve marked a few of the “arquillas” so you know what to look for and won’t miss them all, but there are more than the ones I’ve marked.
There’s also an old water mine tunnel along the route which I’ve marked on the track, so if you feel adventurous, don’t forget a headlamp!
There’s a clear mark where the trail ends and if you want to, continue another 100 meters to see the old Magdalena Convent.
It has now been turned into a 5-star hotel which was closed when I was there, but according to other hikers, it has been possible to go inside to have a drink or bite to eat in the restaurant.
OTHER HIKES NEAR ANTEQUERA
Reflections on Sendero de Las Arquillas hike
Summing up, hiking Sendero de Las Arquillas is a leisurly walk with beautiful views of the valley and it’s interesting to see Roman remains along the route.
We really enjoyed it and walked there a few times in the evening after exploring the city of Antequera to walk the dog.
I especially loved the mine along the route too, so don’t forget to bring a head lamp so you can venture inside.
Happy hiking!