Hikes in Pampaneira

A hiking route with ever-new views, but the destination Lanjarón takes a very long time to reach.

The famous and lush Poqueira Gorge runs along the southern slopes of the Mulhacèn next to the white mountain villages of Capileira, Bubiòn and Pampaneira.

7 Days on the “Senda Granadina” on the southern slope of the Sierra Nevada The GR-7/E4 long-distance hiking trail crosses the Alpujarra Alta from west to east before crossing the Sierra Nevada to the north at Puerto de la Ragua. This suggested itinerary—which we’ll be following in the opposite direction—provides a general overview of the individual daily stages.

Scenic route on PR-A 70 Pueblos del Poqueira from Pampaneira via Bubion to CAPILEIRA. Pampaneira - Iglesia de la Santa Cruz - Bubión - Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora del Rosario - Museo Casa Alpujarreña - Plaza Doctor Pérez Ramón - Río Poqueira /Puente Molina - Mirador Veleta y Mulhacén - Capileira - Mirador de las Espeñuelas - Mirador Tajo del Diablo - Mirador Barranco Poqueira - Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza - Museo del Campanario - Casa Museo Pedro Antonio de Alarcon

Beautiful route along the White Villages route from Pampaneira to Capileira.

Picturesque Alpujarra villages above a magnificent gorge under the spell of Veleta and Mulhacén The deeply cut Barranco del Poqueira with its three villages Pampaneira, Bubión, and Capileira, which nestle tiered on the terraced gorge slopes — dominated by the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada — is the most impressive valley on the southern slope of the Sierra Nevada. We explore the gorge on a spacious circular hike through an ancient Moorish cultural landscape, discovering village by village the treasures of traditional village architecture.

The historic Alpujarra region lies in the southern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The Río Poqueira, which originates here from the confluence of several streams, is the lifeblood of this otherwise very arid region. Over the centuries, the Berber immigrants in particular have created a cultural landscape extending up to an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters. On both sides of the Barranco de Poqueira, terraced fields and ingenious irrigation systems featuring fruit trees, chestnut trees, and mulberry trees have been developed, which are sure to catch our attention. Along the way, we’ll pass traditional farms, threshing floors, ruins, and old mills. Another highlight of this circular hike is three of the most beautiful White Villages in the Alpujarra. The liveliest of the three is Pampaneira, the starting point of the hike. In Bubión, you’ll experience quiet, largely untouched by tourism, narrow streets. Capileira is the highest village, offering a fascinating view of the Barranco de Poqueira. Afterward, the trail heads downhill to cross the Rio Poqueira and, on the other side of the gorge, offers a different perspective on the three White Mountain Villages.> We leave the parking lot at 01 Pampaneira on the southern edge of town, heading north, and walk into the pedestrian zone. We pass the church on our left, cross the square slightly to the right, and turn slightly right into the alley with the gray railing. We follow the zigzagging course of Calle Príncipe until it forks; here we turn left. From here, you can see the top of Bubión’s church tower in the distance. We turn right in front of a fence. This is where the old Camino Bubión begins—formerly the only connection between the two towns. The Camino leads onto a concrete road, which we leave after a few meters by turning right. We ignore a path branching off to the right. We also do not turn sharply right at the water distribution house. The path is lined with a stone wall in places, and occasionally we walk alongside an acequia until we reach the Fuente Hondera below 02 Bubión. In front of the church, we turn right and, heading slightly to the left, cross the square between the church and the town hall. Behind the building with the whitewashed wall, the Camino del Río los Cortijos begins. At the fork in front of the sports field, we take the path that veers slightly to the right. After crossing a stream, we take the path to the right uphill, up a flight of stairs and along the stream we just crossed. Before a stone wall, we turn left and follow the path to 03 Capileira. After the Fuente de la Pileta, we turn sharply right at the first opportunity and then immediately left onto Calle Escuelas. In front of the church, we turn right and cross the church square slightly to the left. At the fork in the road, we take the path slightly to the left, which passes by a fountain. Where the alley ends, we turn right. At the intersection by the Fuente de Cubo, we walk a few meters to the left (dark cobblestones) and immediately turn left again onto the road that leads steeply downhill. At the next intersection, we turn right. At the sign for the Camino Puente de Cristal and a white-red-yellow marker, we leave the road. After the “Danger of Falling Rocks” sign, we take the path slightly to the left. At the next fork, we take the well-marked hiking trail slightly to the left toward Puente Palo Sulayrund, which leads us down to the Río Poqueira. The path soon brings us to another fork; the path slightly to the left is the correct one. Another fork follows; here, we head uphill slightly to the right, along a stone wall. At another fork, we follow the sign (to the left) toward Puente de Molino, 2 km away. After passing through a wooded area, we ignore the path that leads downhill to the right. We reach the old farmhouse 04 Cortijo de los Majales, which has a threshing floor; behind it, we continue downhill. We ignore the next path that branches off to the left toward the Río Poqueira. We climb back up and, at the fork in the trail, take the path slightly to the left. After a few meters along an acequia, just before a ruin, we turn sharply left. A bridge soon appears in the ravine; we cross it, then turn right behind it and pass by the ruins of the 05 Molino Harinero de Pampaneira. Before reaching the main road, we turn slightly left and walk along the left side of another threshing floor until we reach the road in the lower part of the village of Pampaneira. Here, we turn sharply left and, after a few meters, right into the alley that leads us to the church and, beyond it, onto the familiar route we took on the way there, from where we have only a few meters left to walk back to the starting and finishing point 01 Pampaneira.

4 Pampaneira: The Poqueira Villages from Walk! the Alpujarras (2nd edition 2012) by Charles Davis published by Discovery Walking GuidesFrom: Walk! the AlpujarrasAuthor: Charles Davis