Unexpected sights in Andalusia: Hiking in Río Chillar

Rio Chillar

Andalusia is a region in Spain that is as beautiful, historic, and culturally rich as it is hot.

Heat is a serious issue here, especially in August. People like me who like to stroll on the streets and to hike in nature easily find themselves baked in the cruel oven of the Andalusian summer. Luckily enough, there is a hiking trail that you can walk along even in the hottest summer heat. A hiking trail in which nature has built an air conditioner: this is Chillar River.

Its name is very appropriate, one would guess, as it comes from the word “chill”… well, no, of course it has nothing to do with the English word that best describes the mood of this spectacular place. Also, the word “river” is a strong exaggeration, because the watercourse is a mere seventeen kilometres long in total. However, in the middle of this short track, the water carved wonderful canyons into the sandstone, the golden yellow colour of which makes the walking experience quite surreal. As if we were somewhere in the Wild West, or the Arabian Peninsula, or maybe in Australia, the world of colours and shapes is so different from what we are used to in Europe. The narrow parts of the canyon, where we stretched out our arms and reached both rock walls, are sights that we would have liked to see even if we had to fight the Andalusian heat in return.

But we did not have to, and this was the best part of the experience. The cool water of the river created such a wonderful microclimate in the narrow canyon that we didn't notice that we had been walking for kilometres. Humans have a very strong ability to adapt: it had been maybe a quarter of an hour since we reached the canyon, and I almost didn't even remember how hot it was out there in the outside world. In its own little world of the Río Chillar canyon, the air was springy, ozone-rich, like after rain. This freshness was due to the water gurgling under our feet. Or, better said, around our feet – since we waded in the water of the Chillar river up to our ankles.

Preparing for the tour, it wasn't entirely clear to me how to dress, but I was able to ask our tour guide, Manu, and he was happy to provide information. “A light training shoe, preferably made of synthetic material rather than leather, is best”, he said. “What about beach slippers or sea shoes?” – I asked. “You will see why they are a bad choice”, Manu said. And indeed: I saw many hikers with flip-flops on their feet, moving forward with great difficulty, as slippers tended to slide on the stones. So, it is clear: you need shoes, and shoes that don't go to ruin if they get soaking wet. It was a strange feeling to walk in the water, but, as I wrote, the human ability to adapt is very strong. We quickly got used to the fact that we walked in water, with our shoes full of water. But that's what made the experience special.

Between the narrow parts of the canyon, the space opened more, and we could see the mountain sides towering above us. We saw coniferous Mediterranean pines, and wild oleander bushes bending over the water. It was exactly the kind of close-to-nature experience I wanted to have during a hike. Of course, we were not alone, many people hiked in the riverbed, of all ages, both younger children and older people. We had to pay attention to the stones under our feet, however, the walk was not difficult or tiring.

It was good to have a tour guide with us: coming from Nerja, finding the entrance is a bit tricky, and it was also good to have someone who looked after us while we got used to the unusual tour experience. I told Manu that the Chillar River was like a boardwalk, or a forest trail being flooded. Natural stones form an almost completely flat, even surface on which the water spreads. Elsewhere, there are large rocks and pits in the bed of the streams, which makes it difficult to walk through them, but in the bed of the Chillar it is very easy to walk. “It's not always like that”, Manu said. “After heavy rains, the water level rises, and then it is dangerous, and you should not even walk in it.”

In addition to the walk in the canyon, we could also bathe in a small pool behind a dam. It was a great feeling to take a dip in the cold river water after the walk, although I don't think anyone can take a bath like that for more than a few minutes. As long as only my feet were wet, my temperature perception was just fine. As soon as my whole body was submerged in the water, I felt how cold the water was. And when I went out into the sun to dry and got a little further from the water, I felt how warm the air was. But that was nothing compared to what awaited us when we walked back to the canyon entrance and away from the river. We got out of the microclimate and suddenly the cruel Andalusian August was around us again, as if the oven had been turned on.

By the time we got back to Nerja, I just wanted to splash in the sea. I cooled down in the water and looked back towards the coast and the mountains. There, somewhere between the mountains, in a narrow opening that is not even visible from afar, the Chillar river meanders. We were walking there on our air-conditioned hiking trail two hours ago! On the only hiking trail that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone in the heat of the southern Spanish summer.