Hiking in Sierra Nevada - Alpujarras

Arrival in Capileira, situated at an altitude of 1436m. This beautiful Alpujarras village still displays its charming history as a former Moorish settlement: whitewashed houses clinging to the slope, small squares with fountains, and a mysterious network of steep, narrow alleys.

Accommodation in Capileira

Circular walk along the Río Poqueira valley, from Capileira via Bubion to Pampaneira. Walk through the remains of old farmsteads lost in time and pass ancient threshing circles as you walk among fields overlooking the Sierra Nevada's magnificent higher peaks. In Pampaneira, colorful art and craft shops together with small cafés make a great halfway rest stop.

Accommodation in Capileira

Today you follow old trails that connected the Poqueira valley with the small villages of lower Alpujarras. You walk from one whitewashed village to another, enjoying the varied landscape. The scenery gradually changes from an ancient Mediterranean oak forest, then pine plantations, and finally irrigated fields approaching the "Taha" de Pitres; an old water council center dating back to Moorish times.

Accommodation in Mecina Fondales

South of Mecina, the Trevélez river has carved a deep gorge in the landscape, which you will cross twice today if you choose the long circular walk. First you descend 200 m to a medieval bridge spanning the ravine and then climb 400 m up to a forest plateau where the remote cortijo de Panjulia is located. Then you go down via an old main path (the so-called escarihuelas) back into the ravine and walk back to the hotel via the village of Ferreirola. Along the way you can visit the remains of a Mozarabic settlement with a mosque from the 11th century via a small detour. If this route seems too strenuous, you can take a shorter walk along the villages that together make up the Taha: a kind of administrative unit that managed the use of the irrigation channels.

Accommodation in Mecina Fondales

Route through the Trevélez valley with fantastic viewpoints. A long but scenic route, not too difficult and quite entertaining. You follow a road to the highest village in Alpujarras and the cradle of the delicious Serrano ham; don't miss tasting it as you relax after a pleasant day's walk!

Accommodation in Trevélez

Trevélez has a lot to offer, so there are various hikes to choose from today; a spectacular longer route high into the Sierra Nevada, a circular route in the interesting area around Trevélez, and a shorter walk along part of the Camino de Granada, the route that pilgrims followed as they came from the south on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Accommodation in Trevélez

As you leave Trevélez, the day begins along a pleasant path through a shady forest along narrow trails. The last part will offer expansive views of the African continent visible, on clear days, from the highest point - El Portichuelo.

Accommodation in Berchules

In the morning there is still the opportunity to walk along the Río Grande valley, north of Bérchules, following an irrigation channel or "acequia" and discovering the ruins of a Moorish silk-washing house from the 13th century, which takes you back to the historical significance of this area within the textile industry of that time. In the afternoon you take an afternoon bus to Granada.

Departure from Berchules