About The Area
Food & Drink
The local specialities include freshly caught trout, beautiful goat and ewe cheeses, and with the area being so close to the Mediterranean sea, an abundance of fresh sea food. Also the dry cured hams,’jamon’, from the highest village in Spain, Trevelez, is a delicious and popular tapas.
Local wines are some of the best of the up and coming Spanish wines, with the hills of the Contraviesa covered in ‘copa’ vines. Any beer, wine or grape juice ‘mosto’ is served with excellent tapas, making each drink that little bit more special.
Granada
A visit to this region of Spain would not be complete without a day in the historic city of Granada and a trip to the amazing Alhambra palace. All our guided week itineraries include this cultural day out with tickets to the Alhambra. We can also organise a relaxing couple of hours in the Arab baths or you could explore the rambling streets and bazzars of the Albacin or simply sit and enjoy the historic surroundings with a refreshing drink drink and tapas.
Weather
March to June & September to November is generally dry (although, if it does rain, it pours, so be prepared with waterproofs), with warm/hot sunny days and bright blue skies, perfect for walking at any altitude. July & August is the really hot time of the year which makes for excellent walking at high altitude. December to February are the coldest time of the year with frost at night and chance of rain or snow but there are many bright sunny days which are perfect for walking at low altitudes.
History
The cultural interest of the region lies in its fifty-odd villages, which were the last stronghold of the Spanish Muslims, or Moors. Soon after the Castilians took Granada in 1492, all the city´s Moors were forced to convert to Christianity. Those who refused took to the hills, settling in this remote, inaccessible area. Constant pressure from the Christians led to a bloody uprising, the morisco rebellion of 1568, which was ruthlessly crushed , with the public execution of the leader, Ben Humeya, in the main square of Granada. Soon there followed a royal decree expelling from the Kingdom of Granada all people of Arab descent, since the "new Christians", as the converts were called, were all suspected of being "crypto-Muslims" in secret...The villages of the Alpujarra were resettled with some 12,000 Christian families brought by King Philip II from Galicia and Asturias in north-western Spain. However, these unique hamlets have retained their traditional Berber architecture - terraced clusters of grey-white box-shaped houses with flat clay roofs - which is still common in the Rif and Atlas mountains of Morocco
Flora & Fauna
Most of the Alpujarras falls within the Sierra Nevada National Park, which holds almost one third of the total flora of mainland Spain and with its climate range it is not surprising. There are over 50 species of wildflower, including the sandwort and the Nevada clover, the Nevada violet and the Sierra chamomile as well as more rare varieties, including the blue gentian. Spring is one of the best times to come walking in the Las Alpujarras if you have an interest in wildflowers. There is also a fantastic array of other wildlife to be seen, most notably the Cabra Montes, the Spanish ibex, seen on rocky outcrops, which is a common occurrence and great to see on any walk.