Simancón – Charca Verde Family Friendly Hike

If you are looking for a light  to medium activity level, day trip within the Grazalema National park in the province of Cádiz. Then this blog is for you. 

Funny Enough this fun outdoor activity in Grazalema came about by me mindlessly scrolling through instagram one evening in bed. I happened to come across an instagram account of @yocomoporti who does short reels on restaurants in Spain. The post showed a hike – lunch combo in Grazalema National Park which looked like a lot of fun. to be completely honest the restaurant they ate lunch at is what really piqued my interest and looked like a place I would like to go. Plus my partner in crime (aka boyfriend Julian) had mentioned our lack of hikes in the last months. 

And wallah we had a Saturday plan! 

The Hike in Grazalema National park

There is a parking lot right at the start of the hike right outside of the town of Grazalema and next to the camping Tajo Rodillo. The area has a ton of different routes but we did the loop shown in the picture below.

The loop took us about 3 hours to complete with a couple of photo stops and a snack break about 10,46km or 6.5mi.

The loop is kid friendly. We did this hike a second time with a 10 year old, however I wouldn’t recommend hiking it with children much younger than that. 

With the ten year old the hike (loop) took us a bit longer, about 4hrs. 

To be fair this time did include a picnic stop and several smaller stops to do some 10 year old activities such as, throw rocks at rocks, poke rocks with sticks and climb rocks then jump off said rocks… you know the important stuff. 

The route starts off with a steep climb as you hike under two peeks then it levels off for a bit as you walk through short shrubs in a valley. Within the first  5 min there is a gate you have to go through. (Make sure to close it behind you as there is roaming livestock). After you finish the first climb there is a fork, stay to the right, you will then descend a few minutes before encountering an old well and possibly some goats. 

Then there is another steady low intense incline that will take you to the highest point on the hike. Keep in mind that towards the end of the incline you will find another gate. (Again, dont forget to close it behind you). 

Up there you will find a field of sun bleached lime stone rocks and beautiful views. The views in front of you will be the rolling  hills of  of the Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema, or The Natural Park of the Sierra of Grazalema and If you look behind you, you will see views as far as Ronda.

There is also a really cool rock path, it’s tradition that hikers add a rock to it as they pass by. Don’t forget to add your own rock!

You can also find a couple of rock shelters that are used by Shepard in bad weather. (great for the gram or a picnic)

Stay to the right of the path and as you exit the rock field you will start a  steep descent. It will eventually bring you down towards the pine trees and pop you out where the road A-374.

At this parking lot you will find a small gravel footpath that runs down parallel to the road. This path is about 30 min and will take you right to the parking lot you parked at.

Along it you will see an oddly large picnic table and a pretty little creek with possible frogs and if you look hard enough you can find a nature rock arch.

The Restaurant in Grazalema

La Merina Brasa Autóctona, Sits right at the entrance of the White Village Grazalema.

The restaurant’s mantra and philosophy is ‘eat and Drink Cádiz’, 90% of the menu is locally sourced. Retinto meat (local grass fed beef), fish from Barbate, cheese from the white villages and olive oil from the area are just a few of the menu items. Bonus: The restaurant sites on a clifside providing breathtaking views of Grazalema.

Definitely worth a stop!

Make reservations online here.

The Sunset

For sunset enthusiasts, the road heading back towards El Puerto/Rota offers fantastic views worth capturing.

If you are interested in visit the White Villages of Cadiz, make sure you check out our experience Discover the White Villages of Cádiz