Western Sierra Nevada - Alpujarra property Map - Andalucia
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Western Sierra Nevada & Alpujarra (Granada Province)
is the territory of the Valley of Lecrin, the Sierra Lujar, and the Contraviesa and has the highest peaks with perpetual snow. The main town and administrative centre in the valley is Orgiva - close to Granada and on the north side of the Sierra Nevada where the snow lies thick are the ski slopes which provide world class skiing.
Also here are the picturesque villages of Pampaneira, Bubion and Capiliera who cling to sides of the Poquiera Gorge. Due to the excellent national roads and extensive local road network there is easy access to Granada city and to the Costa Tropical as well as Almeria and Malaga, this area is also easily reached from Motril.
Chris Stewart author of "Driving over Lemons" and "Parrot in a Pepper Tree" lives in a remote but enchanting part of this area of the Alpujarra.
The Alpujarra boasts the highest mountain in mainland Spain, Mulhacen (3,478 metres), which towers above the village of Trevelez (1,476 metres).
Trevelez is said to be the highest inhabited village in Spain and is famous for its jamon Serrano (Cured ham), which is dried "in the wind of the mountain", and for the trout streams provided all year round by the snow melt of the high peaks.
The Central Alpujarra area is best reached by La Rabita and it provides a wealth of history in its many villages one of which is Yegen where the writer Gerald Brenan spent some years and wrote "South from Granada".
The highest point of this area is at Puerto de la Ragua (2000 metres), which, in the winter provides cross-country skiing and dog sledging; all year round it is perfect for walking, mountain biking, trekking and horse riding.
The Costa Tropical, just an hour away, is warmed by the warm winds from North Africa and with the backdrop and protection of the Sierra Nevada this area enjoys a microclimate of more than 320 days of sunshine a year, thus encouraging the growth of subtropical fruits, and Mediterranean plants