Alpujarra Granadina

Why visit Alpujarra Granadina

Alpujarra Granadina spreads across the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada, a world of deep ravines and terraced hillsides that falls from the high peaks towards the Sierra de la Contraviesa and the sea. Its white villages, with flat grey launa roofs and chimneys topped by little caps, cling to the mountainsides in a style inherited from the Berber settlers of al-Andalus, and it was here that the Moriscos made their last stand in the sixteenth century. Chestnut woods, irrigation channels and mule paths still link one village to the next. It suits walkers, slow travellers and anyone seeking mountain air, deep silence and village life.

Main attractions in Alpujarra Granadina

The Poqueira gorge is the classic introduction, with Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira stacked one above another and craft shops selling the colourful jarapa rugs. Further east, the hamlets of La Taha are threaded by old footpaths, Pórtugos has its iron-rich Fuente Agria spring, and Trevélez, among the highest villages in Spain, cures hams in the cold mountain air. Lanjarón, the gateway town, is known for its spa and mineral water, and Órgiva for its Thursday market. Long-distance walkers follow the GR-7 and the Sulayr trail, and from the Poqueira valley summer routes climb towards Mulhacén, the highest peak on the Spanish mainland. Válor stages a well-known Moors and Christians festival in September, and tables offer the plato alpujarreño, local wines from the Contraviesa and chestnut dishes in autumn.