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This route joins the towns of Ojén and Monda on the long distance trail GR 243, passing through one of the most beautiful and emblematic parts of the Sierra de las Nieves Biosphere Reserve, the Juanar area.
The route uses roads and paths, passing through different types of pine forests, areas of Mediterranean scrubland and even chestnut trees, which gives views over a great variety of landscapes and environments. The route also passes through places of interest such as the Cañada del Cerezal, the viewpoint of Corzo and the Llanos de Purla.
On Carretera street in the town of Ojén there is a signpost where the path starts up a stairway, to continue along the road that leads to the house of Cerezal, an old forest house. After about a thousand meters you come to a fork where you take the path on the left leads via an iron gate, to the El Cerezal Botanical Park, a space classified as the Mediterranean Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve.
The place is surrounded by a lot of vegetation and even tables and benches where you can picnic and observe a great variety of vegetation: Palms, mastic trees, wild olive trees, carob trees and holm oaks.
After crossing the park you take a path to the left that leads into a dark tunnel under the main road. From there you start the climb to the Refugio de Juanar.
Ascend to the path that at the beginning runs next to the channel of a dry stream "Arroyo Almadán". During the walk you will observe masses of centennial cork oaks along with others, such as pine forests, lentiscales, acebuchales ... and very leafy green vegetation, due to the humidity.
This section of the path is one of the most pleasant parts of the route, as you begin to climb, entering a pine forest area with sandy soil. From here there are impressive views of the mountains that surround you, such as Cerro Nicolás, at 1,022 m, it will serve as orientation, and if you look down, you can see the Mediterranean coast.
On reaching the Juanar, and the end of the first part of the route, you will arrive at a post with several signs, one of them indicated the way to follow to start the second part of the tour. Turning to the right, you go down to the Hotel-Refugio de Juanar.
At the beginning of the second section that leads to Monda there is a panel with a map showing the route to follow. This section starts on the José Lima path northward, passing through the Arroyo de Juanar, a beautiful environment due to the diversity of vegetation and trees.
This path descends to a dry stream that runs parallel to the road, after which it begins to climb, somewhat steeply, from where you can see the municipality of Ojén and behind the Valley of Olivar.
The following stretches alternate between trails and tracks through the vast pine forest of the Llanos de Purla, until you reach the old road from Monda to Marbella, next to the old bridge, where the path takes a detour, passing under the large metal bridge. Soon after you reach a complex crossroads. At this point, the GR 243 presents two options: one that would take you to Istán, and the one that you will take towards Monda.
Follow the track between farms to reach the only stretch of path that is preserved from the old layout, where the typical cobblestone still remains. The surrounding terraces were once cultivated and the pools fulfill their function as reservoirs of water intended for irrigation of some orchards on the banks of the stream. Continue descending until you arrive at Monda a beautiful town at the foot of the hill of the Veleta declared Picturesque Place, Historical Site and Property of Cultural Interest.
© 2019 Graham G Hawker
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