La Alpujarra of Almeria

The Sierra Nevada is a dramatic, rugged and extensive mountain range, the highest in Europe after the Alps and the most significant section of the Cordillera Penibética. The protected area encompasses 86,208ha of torrential rivers, sheer-sided gorges, stony scree slopes, glacial lakes between snowy summits and, in the foothills of the Alpujarras, cultivated terraces of almond trees and vegetables.

The major international car rental companies have offices in most Andalucian cities and at the airports such as Málaga Airport, Seville, Jerez. The smaller local car rental companies tend to be less expensive. It's advisable to reserve a rental car online before arriving, particularly during peak periods. On arrival follow the instructions in your rental confirmation.

The Tourist Office is located in the Town Hall of Láujar de Andarax, opening from Monday to Friday.

Festivals in Láujar de Andarax are Cabalgata de Reyes Magos, San Vicente Mártir, La Candelaria, Día de Andalucía, Los Quintos, Semana Santa, Romería de San Marcos, Feria Vitinícola de La Alpujarra, Cruces de Mayo and Fiestas en honor a Nuestra Señora de la Salud.

Láujar de Andarax occupies a hillside position at 920m. With a backdrop of rocky peaks and dense pine forest, it has stunning views over the fertile plain of the Andarax River. The town is famous for being the residence of Boabdil, the last Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Kingdom of Al-Andalus, who sought refuge in Láujar in 1492 after he was expelled from Granada following the city’s capture by the Catholic Monarchs.

The Tourist Office is located in the Town Hall of Ohanes, opening from Monday to Friday.

Festivals in Ohanes are Cabalgata de Reyes Magos, San Antón, Día de Andalucía, Semana Santa, San Marcos, Fiestas Patronales en honor de la Virgen de Consolación de Tices and Octava.

The first evidence of human presence in the area dates back to the Neolithic era, in the so-called Culture of the Caves, where the Nieles and Almecena caves particularly stand out. Ceramic and imprint remains from the fifth millennium BC have been discovered. The Argar Culture and the progressive Iberian, Phoenician and Carthaginian hordes gave way to Roman domination.

The Tourist Office is located in the Town Hall of Padules, opening from Monday to Friday.

Festivals in Padules are Cabalgata de Reyes Magos, San Antón Abad, Día de Andalucía, Semana Santa and Fiestas de Santa María la Mayor.

The Tourist Office is located in the Town Hall of Paterna del Río, opening from Monday to Friday.

Festivals in Paterna del Río are Cabalgata de Reyes Magos, Día de Andalucía, Semana Santa, Fiestas Patronales en Honor de la Virgen de los Remedios, Fiestas en honor al Santo Cristo de las Penas and Fiesta de la Castaña.

The name of Paterna seems to originate in Paternum or Paternus, although the remains of Iberian swords found in the Gaviarra mines cast doubt on this assumption. The dramatic and challenging landscape of La Alpujarra meant that its Arab occupation took some centuries, but the Mozarabic population was very important in the times of the Caliphate. In 913, the young Caliph Abd al-Rahman III had to cross Sierra Sulaira.

The Tourist Office is located in the Town Hall of Instinción, opening from Monday to Friday.

Festivals in Instinción are Cabalgata de Reyes Magos, Fiestas Patronales en Honor a San Sebastián, La Candelaria, Día de Andalucía, Semana Santa, Cruces de Mayo, Divina Infantita and Romería de San Saturnino.

The name Instinción is believed to be of Latin origin, dating from the time of Augustus, in Romanized Hispania. However, is has also been argued that Instinción was the name of a Muslim Princess from the Nasrid family. The town was a Muslim farmhouse during the Middle Ages, sitting in a privileged enclave next to fertile and strategic land on the Alpujarra road.

This Museum was founded in 2006 by the Terque City Council and the Asociación de Amigos del Museo. The Uva del Barco Provincial Museum was provisionally located in the Manuel Galiana municipal theater hall, in Plaza de los Barrileros, while its current building was in construction. Its objective is to reconstruct the social and economic history of the city and province of Almería.

The Historical Ethnographic Museum was founded in 2002 by the Terque City Council and the Asociación de Amigos del Museo. It is located in one of the many nineteenth-century bourgeois houses in the town square. Following its rooms across two floors is a tour of local trades, many of them now disappeared, as well as domestic settings and religious.

The Tourist Office is located in the Town Hall of Íllar, opening from Monday to Friday.

Festivals in Íllar are Cabalgata de Reyes Magos, Día de San Antón, La Candelaria, Día de Andalucía, Jueves Lardero, Semana Santa, Cruces de Mayo, Día de San Isidro, Día de San Juan and more.