A Walk at Capileira in Spain's Alpujarra

Download Free Directions and Map for a Walk from Capileira to Bubion

Aug 26, 2008

A mountain stream, tumbling waterfalls, a ruined mill, cherry orchards, chestnut woods and scenic villages: this walk gives the true flavour of the Alpujarras in Spain.

Set in the magnificent landscape of the Alpujarras, the trail follows an old mule track down the rocky slope below Capileira into the spectacular Poqueira river valley gorge, returning via the neighbouring village of Bubion.

La Alpujarra lies in the Sierra Nevada, between Granada and Spain's Mediterranean coast, and about 100 km east of Malaga. It is renowned for its towering mountains, including Mulhacen (3479m), Spain's highest peak, and for its fertile, well watered valleys.It also has a unique cultural and architectural heritage with strong Moorish roots.

The Start Point in Capileira

The walk starts at the Tourist Office (Mapa Topografico National de Espana 1:25000 Sheet 1042-1, Map Reference 683098).

Route Directions For the Capileira - Puente Chiscar - Bubion Walk

From the start point, follow the Calle Dr Castilla, continue across the Plaza Calvario into Calle Bubo, and turn right at the end to Carretera de Aldeire at the end of the village. Here, the route doubles back to the left to skirt down the edge of the village, following a road with a large pond to the right. This road soon becomes a newly concreted track zigzagging steeply downhill for about 100 m to its junction with a footpath beside a large map board.

The route now follows this footpath, signed “Puente Chistal” (an alternative spelling?) to the right of the main track. After about 50 metres the path, actually an old mule track, swings right again, away from the village, and levels out (Map reference 679909, distance 0.400km).

The muletrack slants diagonally down across an open grassy slope for about a kilometre, then winds steeply down between the rocks, past a ruined cortijo to the Puente Chiscar (Map reference 679909, distance 1.600km).

Across the bridge, the path swings left to contour along above the river, but after two or three hundred metres bears right to climb more steeply up the slope to a prominent track junction, marked by a wooden fingerboard, in the shade of a large stand of trees (Map reference 679909, distance 2.000km).

Following the left fork, signed Puente Molino and Bubion, the path slants across the hillside well above, but roughly parallel with, the Rio Poqueira for about a kilometre, skirting around wooded side valleys and splashing across springs.

Finally, the path descends to a track junction where a slate mule bridge leads across a small stream (Map reference 674904, distance 3.050km). Here, the route follows the left hand track down the near side of the stream and, after about 100m , re-crosses the Rio Poqueira on the Puente del Molino.

A muletrack continues beyond the bridge, winding steeply up the slope past the ruins of the old mill to a prominent fork (Map reference 677903, distance 3.300km).

Taking the right fork, the path now skirts round the head of a large, wooded side valley and across an open slope into Bubion, continuing through the village to the main road (Map reference 679909, distance 4.800km). From here, its an easy walk back up the main road to the start point in Capileira.

Walk Data

Walking in the Alpujarra - A Caution

Walking in the Alpujarra is a delight but also potentially dangerous, especially in bad weather. Always:

Other Walks in Andalucia

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