DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA
The village of Grazalema, one of the "pueblos blancos" has 4 airports nearby, Jerez de la Frontera, Malaga, Sevilla and Gibraltar. It is a small village of 2000 habitants at an altitude of 800m. Principally an Spanish holiday resort, especially in the winter, for the good walking and the occasional snow. It offers two 4 star hotels, a 3 and 2 star hotel and a family pension. It is becoming increasingly popular with northern Europeans for its wildlife and large variety of flora in Spring and its traditonal summer fiestas and good selection of bars and restaurants surrounding the central plaza. Its Name derives from the Berber name "Ben Zulema" when the muslims occupied the area and actual now forms part of the recognised moorish route from Gibraltar to Granada. The situation of Grazalema is ideal to use as a base to visit the major cultural centres in Andalucia, including the beautiful and historic cities of Granada and Cordoba ( 3 hours drive). Seville (1,30 hours) and Malaga and Cadiz with their Mediteranean and Atlantic coasts, which are only a 2 hour drive away. It is also a 30 minute drive to Ronda. The Sierra is famous for is enormous rich wildlife and diverse range of landscapes from cork oak forests to barren mountain tops. There are plenty of traditional walks from village to village, one of which leads to Benamahoma crossing the north facing slope of " El Torreon" the highest mountain in the area (approx. 1600 m). The track passes through the forest of the famous Pinsapo trees, an ancient tree from the ice age. Which are found in very few sites in the world, one being in the recently linked Park Natural of Northern Marroco. The area also offers various sport activities including rock climbing, hand gliding and caving, geologcally and archaelogical important sites such as the prehistoric paintings in the caves of "Cueva de la Pileta", the Roman ruins and amphitheter of Acinipo and the Arab baths of Ronda. |
