Capileira: Barranco del Poqueira and Sierra Nevada

At 1,435 metres, Capileira is the highest village in the Barranco del Poqueira. This natural setting is crowned by the highest peaks of the Iberian Peninsula: Veleta at 3,394 metres and Mulhacén at 3,482 metres. The Barranco del Poqueira is designated a Historic Site and connects Capileira, Bubión and Pampaneira with cultivated slopes, stands of oaks and holm oaks, and the Poqueira River.

Hiking

The Pueblos del Poqueira route is a 9.4-kilometre circular trail with an estimated duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes and a moderate difficulty level. It begins in Capileira on the old Camino Real del Poqueira and descends through terraced fields towards Bubión. Along its course, the route crosses a cultural landscape with terraced cultivation and irrigation channels. These channels have been used since the Middle Ages to irrigate and supply the land and villages.

The route to La Cebadilla leads to the settlement at the Poqueira hydroelectric plant, crossing three bridges along the way, and continues to the Naute River. From Capileira, access to the mountain refuge initially involves driving to La Cebadilla or the Poqueira hydroelectric plant, followed by a walk along the Acequias del Poqueira PR-A 23 path to the Cortijo de las Tomas; from there, a branch trail climbs to the refuge in about three hours.

Culture

The Iglesia de la Virgen de la Cabeza was built in the 18th century over an earlier building dating from 1502, which in turn replaced an earlier mosque. The church contains a Baroque wooden altarpiece from the 17th century.

The Casa-Museo Pedro Antonio de Alarcón is an ethnological museum. It presents the writer’s life and work through objects, household utensils, handicrafts and agricultural tools in the atmosphere of a typical Alpujarra house.

The church and museum highlight different aspects: the altarpiece forms part of the sacred furnishings of the 17th century, while the Casa-Museo collection conveys everyday life through household utensils, handicrafts and agricultural tools. Thus, architectural history, the writer’s life and the working world of a typical Alpujarra house stand alongside one another in separate cultural contexts.

La Mauraca is Capileira’s recurring chestnut festival, held around the All Saints’ Day holiday. Chestnuts are collected and roasted over a campfire, while traditional music is played and people dance. The two bakeries in Capileira use sourdough. The municipality describes sourdough as a traditional method of making bread from the Alpujarra.

More local pages: Brácana, Cuevas Del Campo, Alcudia De Guadix, Los Tablones, Guájar-Alto, Polopos, Alfacar, Fonelas

The Environmental Interpretation Service of the Zona de Altas Cumbres offers guided minibus tours during the summer months. They provide information about the history, natural features, landscape and biology of the Sierra Nevada.

To the main travel overview: Granada.