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Alpujarra Mountains Travel Guide

Travel to Alpujarra Mountains - Spectacular Landscapes and Exciting Outdoor Activities

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The region of mountain villages known as Las Alpujarras lies on the southern flanks of the Sierra Nevada with breathtaking valleys and gorges which run down towards the Mediterranean coast.

Alpujarra, sometimes called Las Alpujarras, is a mountainous district in Southern Spain, which stretches south from the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada. In older sources, the name is sometimes spelled Alpuxarras wich is believed to derive from Arabic al Busherat meaning "the grass-land".

The region consists principally of valleys which descend at right angles from the crest of the Sierra Nevada on the north, to the Sierras Almijara, Contraviesa and Gador, which separate it from the Mediterranean Sea, to the south.

La Alpujarra was successively settled by Ibero-Celtic peoples, by the Romans and by Visigoths before the Moorish conquest of southern Spain in the 8th century. The region was the last refuge of the Moors, who were allowed to remain there for nearly 150 years after the fall of Granada in 1492. Following the Morisco Revolt of 1568, the Moorish population was forced from the region after the Moriscos used it as a military base. By order of the Spanish crown, two Moorish families were required to remain in each village in order to demonstrate to the new inhabitants, introduced from northern Spain, the workings of the terracing and irrigation systems on which the district's agriculture depends.

The cultural interest of this region lies in the small cluster of villages, which were the last stronghold of the Moors. Soon after, the Castilans took Granada in 1492, forcing all the Moors to convert to Christianity and those who refused to leave for the hill, settling in this remote, inaccessible area.

Attractions in Alpujarra Mountains

You can enjoy visiting some of the region's villages. Among them, there is Lanjaron village with its ruined castle and chalybeate baths; Órgiva village; Ugijar village; Laujar village and Berja village.

The Alpujarras are also famous for their stunning variety of wildlife and they are a birdwatchers' paradise. Birds of prey and hoopees can be seen in the region. Visitors may also spot the Cabra Hispanica, a mountain goat.