Dilip Kuner
HIDDEN in the hills of Malaga lies a path straight out of an adventure film – a 256-step stone staircase clinging to the cliffs of Alora’s Sierra de Huma.
Known as the Escalera Arabe (‘Arab Staircase’), the name promises Moorish mystery – except historians say it’s got nothing to do with the Moors at all.
The nickname was a mix-up that stuck, and now locals wouldn’t dream of calling it anything else.
Whatever its origins, the climb is epic.
The staircase hacks through a natural fault in the rock, saving travellers the slog around sheer limestone walls.
Once used by shepherds and farmers to shortcut across the mountains, today it lures hikers, adventurers and Instagram-hunters chasing one of Spain’s most jaw-dropping views.
The so-called Arab Steps form part of Stage 20 of Malaga’s Gran Senda hiking route, linking Campillos with Alora and running past the famous El Chorro gorge.
Start at the little train station, hike up through pine forests, and suddenly you’re facing a vertigo-inducing staircase that looks like it was chiselled for giants.
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The cliffs around the steps – nicknamed Las Frontales – are world-class climbing walls, with vertical faces and caves like the legendary Poema Roca attracting daredevils from across the globe.
Haul yourself up those 256 steps and you’ll be rewarded with a panorama that stops you in your tracks: turquoise reservoirs, the mighty Gaitanes Gorge, even the chimney of an old hydro plant dwarfed by the surrounding peaks. It’s a dizzying mix of wild beauty and human ingenuity.
Forget Costa del Sol beach bars – this ‘Arab’ staircase is Malaga’s real hidden gem. Just don’t believe the name…
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