Cover picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Cover picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit

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Sierra de Cazorla; Camping & hiking into nature

3 minutes to read

As I wrote in the previous part about the Sierra de Cazorla, I am back to give you more information and suggestions about the biggest Spanish National Park. There are many possibilities and ways to discover the protected area and its richness in flora and fauna. We did it by bike in spring – being connected closer to nature while enjoying the fresh air. Being either on a bike, on foot or in the car, plan your vacations at the Sierra Cazorla National Park well and choose your best suiting way. Go ahead to get to know more about outdoor activities, highlights, places to stay, and restaurants.

Arriving in Arroyo Frío

Coming from the birth (Nacimiento) of the Guadalquivir or having skipped it, you will arrive in Arroyo Frío. The place is a bit touristic – having a lot of restaurants and bartenders eager to get you inside to have food. Anyway, they weren’t annoying instead polite, although we didn’t give in and chose by ourselves. The quality of food is in general high in Arroyo Frío. So don’t be too selective and just follow your instinct and what you are up for. If you want to go for a full menu, many restaurants have lunch offerings. There is potable water available, and in a small supermarket, you can refill your provisions. If you want to stay overnight and don’t want to sleep in a tent, Arroyo Frío provides several casas rurales (cottages) and has hotels to stop off. At following pictures, you can see Arroyo Frío from the Puerto de las Palomas outlook – beautifully situated in the valley, streamed through by the Guadalquivir and surrounded by the mountain range of Cazorla.

Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Arroyo Frío
Arroyo Frío
23478 Arroyo Frío, Jaén, Spanien

One of many highlights – the River Borosa Walking Track

As I said, there are many highlights in La Sierra Cazorla, and you have to give in and admit that you can’t make them all. One sight I highly enjoyed was the River Borosa Hiking Route. Although it is the most popular hiking route in the National Park and therefore it can be quite crowdy, it is well deserved to be that busy. The hiking route is even and follows the Guadalquivir River through a gorge. Furthermore, the walking track is quite extensive and well prepared; that is the reason why we did the route by bike. The color of the water is amazingly crystal clean – coming directly from the river source just a a few kilometers away.

Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Río Borosa Walking Track
Río Borosa Walking Track
Borosa River, Jaén, Spanien

Keep going and look for a place to stay

Because the River Borosa Walking Track is a bit off the main route, we returned, continued, and in the way, we were looking for a place to stay overnight. There are several campgrounds in the Sierra Cazorla if you are looking for a more economical way of traveling or want to get a camping feeling. We chose Camping Chopera to build up our tent; it is close to the main street through the National Park and situated just next to the Guadalquivir River. Over the nearby bridge, you will reach a small village with a tiny market with fresh, tasty local food.

Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Camping Chopera
Camping Chopera
Camping Chopera, Carretera del Tranco A-319 Km. 53, 23478 Coto-Ríos, Jaén, Spanien

Waking up the next morning in the tent is great because you get for a long time shade provided by beautiful colorful trees - being able to sleep in and recover strength for the next day. The camping ground has cottages to offer as well a more comfortable mattress in case needed.

Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit

If you keep going, don’t be in a rush and enjoy the scenery. There are a lot of outlooks from the main road and many more outdoor activities to do. Being on the road by bike, we just enjoyed very much taking the main road and stopping at the many outlooks while being at the fresh air and listening to the sounds of chirping birds and rustling trees. We were only forced to stop once– in need to fix a tire, but actually, with a panoramic view like that, you really don’t mind.  

Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit
Picture © Credits to Christian Stascheit




The author

Christian Stascheit

Christian Stascheit

Hi. My name is Chris, currently living in Valencia. I love to travel and take photos. My passion is to discover nature (through campfires and fishing), cities, culture and get to know the people living there.

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