Poqueira gorge villages

Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira lie one above the other on the left bank of the Poqueira gorge in the Sierra Nevada: Pampaneira at the bottom, Bubión halfway up, Capileira at the top. Moorish settlers built the terraces and the centuries-old irrigation channels that still carry water to the villages; the houses, with flat roofs, wooden porches (tinaos) and chimney caps, follow the pattern of North African mountain villages. In January 1569 the valley saw the first major battle of the second Morisco revolt. Afterwards the Moriscos were expelled and settlers from other parts of Spain, many from Galicia, took over the villages. The valley is protected as a Conjunto Histórico; its upper part belongs to Sierra Nevada National Park, the lower part to the natural park.

Pampaneira is known for jarapa woven rugs, and Capileira is the base for walks and for Mulhacén (3,479 m), the highest mountain on the Iberian Peninsula. The regional cuisine includes the air-dried ham of Trevélez. The lanes are narrow and steep; with a motorhome, park at the edge of the village. Cars can no longer cross the Sierra Nevada to Granada.