Hotels in Sierra Nevada
After the official expulsion of the Moors from Spain in 1492, refugees retreated into La Alpujarra, an inaccessible region of steep valleys in the southern Sierra Nevada, where they survived in isolated pockets for a further 150 years by cultivating the fertile silt washed down from the mountains. Today some 70 'white villages' are testimony to the Moorish cultural roots of the inhabitants. On a hike through this beautiful rugged country the Moroccan Berber influence can be seen all around - in the inimitable terracing of the fields, intricate irrigation techniques and cubic architecture.
The land is so steep that the quaint whitewashed houses with fiat roofs and crooked clay chimneys seem to be piled on top of each other, each village an idiosyncratic jumble of narrow streets. The beautifully tended terraces of olive, fig, mulberry and nut trees are constantly watered by melting snow, directed down the mountains along acequias (irrigation channels). A network of ancient walled trails and mule paths takes you along ridges dotted with cacti, down into rocky wooded gorges, through almond groves and wildftower meadows, always with breathtaking views of the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
From Mairena, a typically picturesque white village, you head westwards to the charming village of Yegen, leaning precariously on a narrow ledge. The twisting trail leads through several hamlets up to the pretty village of Mecina Bombaron and then across ridge and river to Berchules in the high mountain grasslands. A steep descent through pine forest followed by another climb through flower-filled meadows takes you to your destination - the village of Trevelez.
Toppling over a frighteningly steep gorge, it is arguably the highest village in Spain. Here you can reward yourself for your long trek with what is indisputably the best-tasting Serrano ham in the country.
HOW
On foot
WHEN TO GO
March to May for the wild flowers or September to October for the autumn colour.
TIME IT TAKES
Six to seven days
HIGHLIGHTS
Moorish cubic architecture.
Outstanding natural scenery.
Trevelez - highest town in Spain with a church at 1,476 m (4,840 ft).
Yegen - village made famous in the 1920s and 30s by the Hispanophile English writer Gerald Brenan, a friend of virginia woolf who came here to stay with him.
YOU SHOULD KNOW
This is a moderately easy trek for anyone reasonably fit. La Alpujarra is excellent walking country, criss-crossed by trails of varying difficulty, but can equally well be toured by car, bike or horse.
