La Matilla Trail

 Vallebrón The hiking route that we propose today is one of the so-called historical paths. It was traveled for centuries. The path, barely 6 kilometers long, was, in the past, the fastest and most direct way to go from La Matilla to Vallebrón. The other means of communication involved a journey of several hours. 

Start of the route La Matilla – Vallebrón

The route begins in the town of La Matilla, on the slopes of the Muda mountain. Although it is possible to access by private vehicle to the vicinity of the military observatory, we prefer to park at the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora del Socorro

Those two extra kilometers that we will cover on foot, will allow us to discover historical ethnographic and heritage elements of great value. 

Hermitage of Our Lady of Socorro 

In the center of the town of La Matilla is the hermitage of Nuestra Señora del Socorro, an excellent place to park your vehicle. If you have the chance, do not forget to visit the sanctuary. 

The temple with a single nave, with a three-sided tile roof, was built at the beginning of the 18th century by the residents of La Matilla. Later the Calvary was added, located in front of the hermitage, the sacristy and the bell tower. 

From the hermitage of La Matilla you have to go to the main road, the Fv-10, and cross it. The access begins from La Vega Nueva towards the Montaña de la Muda. So that you don’t get lost, here we leave you the link of the street that you should look for.

Once you have started to ascend the narrow and zigzagging road you will discover, at your feet, a village dedicated fundamentally to the primary sector. Agriculture and goat farming have been, since the 16th century, the livelihood of La Matilla. 

On the right side of the road you will see a “taro”, a circular building no more than 3.5 meters high, with a single door and no windows.

What is a taro? 

The taros are constructions, in general, with a circular floor plan and a frustoconical development, which were intended to cure and preserve cheeses. This type of building was already erected by the Mahos before the Franco-Norman conquest. 

The small taros, like the Matilla, had a single hole: a door facing south. In this way they were protected from the prevailing wind, and the entrance of light into the interior of the taro was guaranteed. The larger ones had, on the outside, holes in the form of arrow slits that favored air circulation.

A little further from the taro several maretas can be seen. The largest one is known as the “mareta del pueblo”. The maretas are the artificial adaptation of small natural hollows in which rainwater stagnates. The maretas constitute one of the oldest water storage systems on the island. 

After two kilometers of having started the route and about 200 meters of ascent, we reach the first sign of the Red de Senderos de Fuerteventura. These indicate La Matilla and Tefía in one direction, and Vallebrón and Tindaya in the opposite direction.

Vallebrón Protected Landscape.

 We will take the path towards Vallebrón, which borders the mountain of La Muda on its southeast slope. We will have the valley and the Valhondo ravine on our right. Despite being an enclave with little rainfall, it is one of the places where the greatest amount of water is collected in the area, thanks to the fact that the earth extracts the humidity from the clouds that remain encased in the Muda mountain. This characteristic has meant that, from pre-Hispanic times to the present day, the people of Fuerteventura have sharpened their ingenuity to make the most of the filtered and surface waters carried by runoff. Around the Montaña de la Muda there are a dozen wells. We can see two of them on our tour today.

La Degollada del Renegado is an excellent place to make a stop along the way, even a little longer. From here we can better appreciate the shape, in knives, of Vallebrón. To the east and north, a fertile valley opens up whose main protagonist is the town of Vallebrón. Towards the opposite side, a large part of the municipality of Puerto del Rosario can be seen. The Degollada del Renegado connects the mountain of La Muda with Morros Altos and the Pico de Don David.

Throughout this ridge it is common to find vestiges of the Maho culture, whether in the form of petroglyphs, ceramic remains or even constructions that served as shelter.

From the Degollada del Renegado, a comfortable and narrow path descends that will take you, in just 30 minutes, to the Fv-103 road near Vallebrón.

Fauna and flora on the La Matilla – Vallebrón route 

On the route proposed today you will find Altabacas, Bushes, Tasaigos, Joraos, Sea Buckthorns, and Turmeric, among other species. However, the bonsai wild olive trees may be the most curious vegetation you will see. These olive trees are characterized by their very small size. They are normal olive trees, which the browsing of the goats has prevented them from growing much. We have been able to see long-lived olive trees that barely exceed 50 centimeters in height.

In terms of fauna, birds are the most significant. You will have the opportunity to observe the Canary calandria, the road pipit, the stone curlew, the ortega sandgrouse, the runner, the Moorish partridge, the great bustard, the hoopoe, the blue tit. Hovering around the area you will not fail to see kestrels, eagles, guirres, and the omnipresent crows.

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