Capileira
....... is the highest and most northerly of the three villages in the gorge of the Poqueira river in the La Alpujarra district of the province of Granada, in Spain.
Its altitude is officially recorded as 1436 metres, though there is a
considerable altitude difference between the oldest part of the village,
which is at the lower, southern end, and the highest part.
Although the Sierra Nevada Highway runs through Capileira and out across the Sierra Nevada mountains towards the city of Granada,
motor traffic is no longer permitted to continue across the mountains;
Capileira is therefore the highest village that public traffic can
reach, although you can continue to a car park where the National park
begins and the road is barred to normal traffic. The National Park runs a
limited bus service
on the now-closed road (reservations handled by office in the village)
in summer. A track leads northwards from the village to the abandoned
settlement of
La Cebadilla, built to house the workers who developed the
hydro-electric installation at the upper end of the Poqueira Gorge.
Capileira has developed a significant tourist trade, acting as a centre for walking and for accessing the mountains especially
Mulhacén, generally treated as a two-day climb from Capileira with an overnight stop at a mountain refuge en route. A bus route connects the village to
Granada (via
Lanjarón and Órgiva) and
Alcútar (via
Trevélez and
Juviles); as of 2011
there were 3 services per day in each direction. The village has good
facilities for visitors including a number of restaurants,a market on
Tuesdays, hotels and apartment blocks, but retains a typical Alpujarran
character especially away from the main road.
On
Calle Mentidero is the village′s museum, the
Museo Etnológico
Pedro Antonio Alarcón, which has exhibits of local handicrafts and dress
and a display on the 19th-century writer
Alarcón, from
Guadix, who
published an account of the Alpujarras, Viaje a la Alpujarra. It′s open
11am-2.30pm Tuesday to Sunday.
For the most outstanding views of the village and the
Poqueira gorge,
head north towards the river and you′ll come to the
Eras de Aldeire, a
series of old threshing floors that were used for wheat and barley. On
the southeastern edge of the village is a viewpoint (mirador) from where
you can see down the
Poqueira valley to
Bubión and
Pampaneira and north
to the
Veleta peak.
At the top of the village is the best hotel in Capileira, the
three-star
Finca Los Llanos, with magnificent views from all of the
rooms and apartments and from the attractive swimming pool. Just beyond
Capileira is
Cortijo Catifalarga (958 343 357), a stone guesthouse on a
farm with fabulous views and occasional live music in its bar. There are
also several basic accommodation options in the centre, including
Mesón-Hostal Poqueira. There are good restaurants at all these hotels.
If you′re vegetarian, eat at the
Casa Ibero on
Calle Parra.
For a truly away-from-it-all experience, you can stay in the mountain
refuge beyond Capileira, the
Refugio Poqueira (958 343 349). Located at
2,500m en route to Mulhacén peak, there are spectacular views of the
Sierra Nevada and the Alpujarras.
If you want to hike up to
Mulhacén you can take a bus from Capileira
(in summer only) to the
Mirador de Trevélez. From here (2,700m) you can
climb up to the peak (3,479m) and down, in time to catch the return bus.
For tourist information, contact the village hall (ayuntamiento) on 958 763 051.
