Straddling the Despeñaperros Natural Park and the Cascada de la Cimbarra Natural Park, this hiking trail will allow us to discover the Sierra Morena in all its splendour and in just a little over 8 kilometres.

We are in the municipality of Aldeaquemada, one of the new towns created by Carlos III, and a mandatory stop to regain strength when we finish this pleasant hiking trail. This is a circular trail, travelling in a clockwise direction. Once we walk the first 200 metres from where we left the car, we find a fork in the path we must take the track on the left. From here we will enter a shady area that will show us the best floristic representation of this path, we’ll be impressed by the Quercus pyrenaica mixed with chequers (Sorbus torminalis), especially if we do the route in autumn or in spring. These will accompany us for about 800 metres, mixed with magnificent specimens of cork oak (Quercus suber) and holm oak (Quercus ilex), until we reach another fork that we will take again to the left. If we have been attentive enough, we will have observed that, to our left, we have been able to enjoy some magnificent panoramic views of the town of Aldeaquemada.

Now for 900 metres the vegetation will be primarily black pine forests (Pinus pinaster), accompanied by strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo) and junipers (Juniperus communis). It is quite possible that we have already seen the odd specimen of deer startle and race away upon hearing us, since it is a wonderful area for this species. At this point we will come to a firebreak that we must cross. This infrastructure to defend against forest fires marks the boundary between Mount El Chortal (owned by the Junta de Andalucía, which we had been walking through until now) and Mount Dehesa Navalacedra (owned by the Aldeaquemada City Council). For 700 metres, we will walk through a mixed mass with stone pine (Pinus pinea) dominating at the beginning, and then giving way to quercíneas (with good specimens of Valencian oak, Quercus faginea) when a small stream begins to accompany us on our left.

At the end we come out onto a forest track that we head down to the right, to leave it about 800 metres further on, taking the path that comes out to the right. We have just entered the El Chortal common land mountain again. For approximately 2 kilometres we will be walking along the sunny face of the mountains, in the shade of stone pines which will make the path easier for us. We will be able to see three rocky areas as we pass through, typical of these Protected Areas. Once we reach the wildlife observation tower, our trail will start heading downhill to the bottom of the valley, only to go up again later (the most difficult part of the path).

The Arroyo del Tomadero will delight us throughout the first metres with exuberant riverside vegetation such as alder (Alnus glutinosa) and ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) stealing the show, accompanied by a tangle of undergrowth that is impenetrable at some points. Halfway along the route a (non-potable) fountain will help us refresh ourselves in order to finish the ascent of this valley. A kilometre and a half upstream we will cross the Arroyo del Tomadero, leaving it behind and heading up the path for another kilometre until we reach the main track. Taking the track to the right for 400 metres, it will lead us, to the fork where we started the path. If we are attentive, we will be able to see in this final section, to our right, a fire watch tower looking over us from the top of Cerro Monuera, which we will have circled around for just under 3 hours.