In the Sierra Norte Natural Park, part of the immense Sierra Morena, are some of province's prettiest villages, often in stunning settings, overlooking the undulating slopes of the Sierra clothed in holm and cork oaks and Mediterranean shrubs.
Like neighbouring Cadiz province, Malaga is sprinkled liberally with pretty pueblos blancos, or white towns and villages, the most well-known of all these being Ronda. Malaga is inundated with visitors to its famous Costa del Sol and the pueblos blancos nearest this coastal strip are the most popular.
Andalucia´s great waterway, the Guadalquivir River - used by the Phoenicians and Romans to sail up into the heartland of Seville and Cordoba - is born as a mountain creek in the lovely wildlife preserve known as the Sierra de Cazorla.
Part of the rugged Sierra Morena mountain range, the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche is a protected natural park of extensive woodland dotted with small whitewashed villages. The rolling hills have a network of footpaths, which make it excellent walking and horseriding country. In the spring, the area is awash with wildflowers.
The best way to discover the villages of Granada is by car many of the whitewashed villages of Granda are impressive historical monuments in themselves. The province of Granada also has a coastline, the Costa Tropical, inland cave duelling villages, skiing in the Sierra Nevada.
In the Sierra Morena north of Cordoba city is a wild mountainous landscape where deer and wild boar roam the pine and oak forests. This region is little visited by tourists, but there are many rewarding places to explore here: from remote coal-mining towns in dramatic locations, such as Espiel and Bélmez.
The rugged hills known as the Sierra de Cádiz are densely wooded with pine trees and cork oaks. Here, clinging precariously to the edges of deep river gorges or perched on rocky cliffs, are a series of fascinating fortified towns, with whitewashed houses lining narrow, winding streets.
Like neighbouring Granada, Almeria province is famous for its troglodytic villages, where many homes are dug out of soft sand-coloured cliffs. These "casas-cuevas" (cave-houses) provide excellent insulation from the dry, desert-like fierce heat typical of this province.
