Los Guajares & surrounding area

Guájar-Alto, Guájar-Faragüit and Guájar-Fondón are three beautiful and as yet largely undiscovered ‘pueblos blancos’ known as Los Guajares. Located in the Guájares mountain range, they lie in a narrow valley beneath Sierra de Los Guájares and Sierra de Río Verde. The valley was formed by the river Toba, which was historically known as the River of Blood, after the ferocious battles fought on its banks between Moors and Christians. The river is a tributary of the Guadalfeo, and flows throughout the year, even in the hottest months of summer. Winding among orange and chirimoya (custard apple) trees, old water deposits and beautiful ravines, all three take us back to Andalusian villages of old, where there is still much to remind us of the Arab inheritance and where the fragrance of fruit trees sweetens the air. An unhurried stroll through the whitewashed streets is the perfect antidote to the stress and rush of modern living.

Guájar-Alto sits at the highest spot on the mountain, the last point on the road that links these three hidden away villages with their steep narrow streets. Guájar-Faragüit is the administrative head of the three with the Ayuntamiento (town hall) and municipal services being located here. Guájar-Fondón is the lowest of the three surrounded by olive and almond trees and watered by the Río de la Toba. It is the perfect place from which to explore unspoilt countryside within a stone’s throw of the crystal clear blue waters of the Costa Tropical

In Guájar-Alto itself you will find a couple of bars and local shops. In Guajar Faraguit you will find a bank, bakery, grocers’ and more bars and restaurants. Beaches are just 20 mins away, as are the towns of Salobrena & Motril, where there are a wide range of shops, restaurants and hypermarkets and a 9-hole golf course. 40 mins drive north takes you to Granada and the ski station in Sierra Nevada.

You will see irrigation canals, created to serve the flourishing production of subtropical fruits. Looking around the countryside, there are thickets and vegas (fertile lowland), olive and fruit trees, almond trees, craggy cliffs and pine woods. All three Guájares are surrounded by beautiful countryside, and all three offer succulent local cooking. Outstanding local dishes include tropical salad, migas and remojón, which is made with cod, tomato and oranges. The local speciality for dessert is fig bread.

The climate of the area is typically Mediterranean, mild in winter and hot in summer. In the hills and mountains it is not difficult to observe the local fauna, including wild boar, mountain goats, foxes, eagles and, above all, many, many squirrels. Among the flora are palmettos, gorse, rosemary, mastic trees, hawthorn and esparto. There are many pines, as well as almond and olive trees.
The whole area is very special, a natural enclave where crops and natural vegetation coexist without conflict: there are thickets and vegas (green lowland), olive groves and fruit tree orchards, almonds, craggy cliffs and pine woods.

Despite the considerable amount of land devoted to subtropical crops, the landscape still reveals the limestone profile of the peaks and ridges, while the pine woods harbour a sizeable number of wild boar. The system of growing crops on steep terraces excavated from the slopes, and the ingenious water-conservation methods applied are largely unchanged over centuries, part of the heritage from the original Moorish inhabitants.