Competa Route

Overview

Sierra de Almijara main ridge

Of the two regular routes to Lucero, which both start to the south-west of the mountain, the one starting at Competa is the more panoramic but also more strenuous one. Starting from the mountain village it follows a long ridge towards Puerto Blanquillo, a scenic slope traverse to Puerto de Competa and a final 2h scrambling ascent to Lucero. Though it is exposed to the sun for most of the way it is certainly better to choose this rourte in summer than the Fabrica del Luz one, which runs through a canyon, baking in the heat. Reasonably both routes should only be done in winter, early spring and late autumn.

Highlight of the route are the views of the Sierra de Almijara main ridge, which can be seen from both sides, south and north. It towers above the Costa del Sol as a massive limestone barrier, which can only be scaled in few places, one of them Puerto Blanquillo.

Getting There

See the Getting There Section on the main page for the intineraries to Competa.

Route Description

  - Start altitude: 600
  - Summit altitude: 1779m
  - Prevailing exposure: S
  - Type: Hike
  - Protection: None

Effort: 1500m

Power: 3 - Very long, strenuous, up and down

Psyche: 1 - Easy

Orientation: 2 - Take special care between Puerto Blanquillo and Puerto de Competa. Very confusing signs and tracks.

From the village centre of Competa, head through the labyrinth of little alleyways to the slopes above in north-easterly direction. If you reach the sports field you are in the right place. From the end of the road at the sports fieldd follow a track on its mountain side, which follows its length, then heads north and up towards a notch in the ridge above Competa. Once you reach the ridge turn left on the road that runs across it and head for the first hill to the north, Cerro Gavilan.

Puerto Blanquillo

The road passes Gavilan on its western side, then turns to the eastern one and gets narrower and narrower. Finally it turns into a path, which heads down in a barranco, the Arroyo de Juan Rojo. Here either follow the Arroyo, which heads for Puerto Blanquillo or turn right onto a marked path which follows the slopes above the Puerto, joining the other path several hundred metres above.

Puerto Blanquillo

Here the tracks get sketchy. They follow a dent in the terrain and finally run into the only wooded section of the whole route. Here, right after you enter the forest, look for cairns marking the way to Puerto de Competa. The path turns off sharply to the right (east). If you stay on the ttracks which point straight ahead you end up in a deep rutted section within the forest which you need to steeply scramble out of eastwards. The scramble will take you to a meadow above Puerto de Competa (to the north).

From Puerto de Competa another dirt road heads east- and downward. You pass a big marble quarry and after a while reach a signpost pointing to Lucero. Leave the road and follow the path which will take you to Puerto Llano. The path is easy but runs across the sharp limestone rocks of the range, resulting in the usual karst rockhopping.

From Puerto Llano onwards the path is level until you reach the base of Lucero. Here a steep winding section takes you to a col between main and south summit, from where a perfectly maintained path winds up to the summit.

Essential Gear

Hiking gear, lots of water, sunscreen. Depending on the winds, also something to keep you warm on top.

Images

View Competa Route Image Gallery - 8 Images