Capileira Mountain Trail

Hiking from Capileira (1436m) to Pico Mulhacén (3456m) - and back again

Yesterday, I climbed Mulhacén (3456m) from the house I'm renting in Capileira (1436m) -- and walked back again. A total distance of 40 kilometers / 24.8 miles, according to Endomondo.

I walked along the Poqueira river (Rio Mulhacén) which originates near the peak of the mountain. It's all part of a Sierra Nevada region called La Alpujarra.

Mulhacén is the tallest mountain in mainland Spain and the third highest peak in Western Europe. There's a moonscape at the summit.

Music: All Mixed Up by Red House Painters.

LA ALPUJARRA OFFICIAL VIDEO - CAPILEIRA,BUBION,PAMPANEIRA

The three most picturesque villages of the Alpujarra are set in the stunning Poqueira Gorge. They are the gateway to the Sierra Nevada National Park and a great base for hikers, horse-back riding, cycling, regional foods and crafts. The area is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

La Alpujarra Capileira to Poqueira Mountain Shelter Capileira - Refugio del Poqueira

From Capileira (1429m ; 4688 ft) village you may ascend to La Cebadilla Power Plant (1540m.; 5052 ft) and there, to take the footpath which ascend to the Poqueira mountain shelter (2480 m ; 8136 ft). You will watch to left the Veleta peak ( 3396 m ;11141 ft), and the Mulhacen peak (3479 m ; 11414 ft) in front of you. This year they had snow even in August.

2 días en Capileira y subida al Mulhacén (2018)

ES - Escenas del pueblo de Capileira, en la Alpujarra de Granada, y también de la subida al Mulhacén (el pico más alto de la península Ibérica y el segundo de España).
Agosto, 2018.


ENG - Scenes from the village of Capileira, in the Alpujarra of Granada, and also from the climb to Mulhacén (the highest mountain in the Iberian Peninsula and the second in Spain).
August, 2018

Capileira - Day 2

Morning Single Track Loop (Si, Al, Ricardo, KJ) and afternoon Bubion downhill when Dave and JT arrived.

Capileira Spain January 2012

Visiting the town of Capileira Granada Spain. Walking along beautiful streams just outside of the town. Extremely high up in the sierra nevada.

Capileira MTB Trip - Day 1

Singletrack downhill to Bubion with a fall, Rick's strange poses and a horse.

The Alpujarra: An unlikely cosmopolitan hub in Spain’s Sierra Nevada

Órgiva, Spain, Feb 24 (EFE).- (Imagen: Pedro Pablo Pérez) Spend an hour in the shade of an orchard in the Alpujarra valley, a lush network of gorges hemmed in between Spain's often-snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea, and analogies of paradise will naturally spring to mind.
Such is the undeniable natural beauty of this corner of Andalucía that a steady stream of predominantly northern European expatriates has made its way here since the late 1970s, transforming rural farming villages with once dramatically dwindling populations into unlikely cosmopolitan hubs focused on organic agriculture and an ecologically sustainable existence.
“I would not recommend this life to everybody,” Lore Ruegg, a Swiss woman who settled in the Alpujarra 18 years ago, told EFE. “If you come with romantic ideas you are going to be disappointed because a lot of work is required, it’s hard at times, and making a living isn’t easy.”
She fiddled with an orange that had dropped from one of the trees on her property just outside the town of Órgiva, the nerve-center of western Alpujarra valley, while her golden retriever, Estrella, snoozed in a patch of sun.
“But, if you are interested in the experience and in new things, and if you like to live close to nature, then yes, I would recommend it,” she added.
Lore and her husband Jordi, originally from Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, relocated to the Alpujarra after spending three years in Findhorn, an eco-village in the north of Scotland.
They now run a small organic bakery, La Espelta, which opens four days a week and services a predominantly international clientele in Órgiva.
Their decision to trade in the cooler climes of the Scottish Highlands for blue skies in southern Spain set them on a path well-trodden by droves of like-minded people.
Nowadays, the town of Órgiva boasts of 70 distinct nationalities among its 6,000 inhabitants in a region that has seen a 50 percent drop in its population since the 1960s.
The new arrivals have somewhat tempered this downward trend and regenerated much of the land by purchasing abandoned farmhouses.
It makes for a fascinating demographic.
An alternative, hippy ethos that sprouted in the 1970s remains intrinsic to the fabric of this vibrant community, but there are also spiritual New Age groups, a well-rooted Sufi Muslim society, aspiring young agriculturalists, travelers, punks and others who simply feel rejected by the norms of mainstream culture.
“Normally you’d have to live in a city to have so many people from different cultures, countries and religions. It enriches the zone and is a factor that continues to bring people here,” Lore remarked.
Yet the Alpujarra is no stranger to intrepid foreigners.
British author Gerald Brenan settled there in the 1920s. His retrospective autobiography “South from Granada,” published in 1957 regaled an international readership with tales of mysterious traditions, poverty and descriptions of a sublime n

Kaliyoga Hill Walking Retreat - Capileira Waterfall, Alpujarra, Granada, Andalucia, Spain

Kaliyoga Hill Walking Retreat - Capileira Waterfall, Alpujarra, Granada, Andalucia, Spain

Hiking in the Alpujarras

This video is about a hiking trip in the Alpujarras June 2016. Leaving my girlfriend at Baile en el Aire, I went on my own to the summit of Mulhacen, and returned a couple of days later to meet her and we then we hiked together along the southern flanks of the Sierras to Capeleira and on to Lanjaron.

Bubion Spain 2015

Mountain biking with switch-backs.com

Capileira-La Cebadilla-Capileira Ruta circular por el río Poqueira.

Capileira - The Alpujarras - Short circular 9.5km wam up walk from this beautiful Alpujarras village

Capileira, Las Alpujarras, Southern Spain

This is a short circular walk from the beautiful village of Capileira, one of the highest villages in the area at 1432m. The walk provides great views of the Poqueira valley and the surrounding mountains. It is a short introductory walk to the Las Alpujarra area. We had driven here from where we were staying in Malaga and checked into Hostel Rural Las Terrazas de la Alpujarra in the small village of Bubion for 4 nights.

We parked on the very full free car park in the middle of the village at 1.45pm. I would imagine that this village would always be busy, as it is so pretty, but more so due to it being Sunday lunchtime. From the centre of the village, we headed past Bar El Tilo, along the paved road, and walked past 2 Eras, along a cobbled road, then followed a sign for Camino De Abuchite. An Era is an area with a flat stone floor, which is used for threshing wheat, and is usually circular. We have seen many on our walks all over Southern Spain. The path descends into a valley, then after 10 minutes we forked left following white and yellow markers, reaching a bridge over the river at 2.15pm.

We sat enjoying the peace and quiet of the river and ate our lunch. We crossed the river, climbing gradually, now tracking north along the easy path, which runs parallel to the river. We passed an old ruin and another Era. It was a hot afternoon, for mid-October, fortunately some shade was provided by the trees. We passed a couple more run-down farms before arriving at a bridge crossing the River Poqueira. This is as far up the valley that this walk goes. We walked round the corner at this point just to look at the buildings of an old HEP power station, before turning round. There is a route here to a refuge that people stay in if approaching mainland Spain's highest mountain Mulhacen from this direction. We met a group who had just accomplished the climb, looking worn out.

Returning to Capileira on the other side of the valley to where we had walked up, we walked through the now deserted village of La Cebadilla. This is where the workers of the power station once lived, it is a shame to see the buildings falling into disrepair. After passing under electricity pylons, and a sign saying Capileira 2km we branched right. The path continues in the same southerly direction, along tracks, with some marker posts, passing 2 white huts. We had stunning views over the village of Capileira and Bubion where we were staying. We arrived back in the village at 4.45pm after a leisurely walk. It is a very pretty walk, our first one away from the traffic on the Costas. As usual on our many walks in Spain, we didn't meet many people.

Distance 6 miles (9.65km)
Duration of Walk 3.15 Hours
Average Pace 31 Min/Mile
Steps 18628
Elevation Gained 1804 feet (550m)

Information/Advice
As usual wear boots, take a phone, take sun hats, sun tan lotion and plenty of food and water as after leaving the start there is nowhere to replenish supplies.
Check the weather forecast before setting off.
This area of Southern Spain is accessible from England either by driving through France and Spain, or flying to Malaga then hiring a car or catching the reliable, cheap public transport or the route that we took driving from our home in Manchester then catching the 24 hour relaxing ferry from Plymouth to Santander, then touring through Spain.
Resources Used
Walking in Andalucía by Guy Hunter-Watts Walk 26 Cicerone press

Andalucía and the Costa Del Sol by John and Christine Oldfield Walk 23 Sunflower Press

Websites used


where we stayed

Hike to Mulhacen in Spain

Sound track credits to Imagine Dragons

RideSouthernSpain, Capileria to Pico Veleta summit by mountain bike

With roughly 75km and 2000m of climbing its a fairly big day on the mtb, but as you can see from the edit its pretty epic! Check out @ridesouthernspain or ridesouthernspain.com for more info.

Wandelen in Andalusië - Alpujarras en Capileira

Wandelen in Andalusië: wandelen in de Sierra Nevada. Wandeltocht bij Capileira in Las Alpujarras (zie ook ). Vanaf het witte dorp Capileira vertrekken enkele mooie wandelroutes. Bekijk het filmpje voor een impressie van een wandeltocht op de zuidelijke flanken van de Sierra Nevada. Film Wim van Schaik - Meer informatie over de Sierra Nevada vind je op

Capileira-Mulhacén-Veleta con ChurriBike 2019

Ruta desde Capileira-alto de Trevelez-base del Mulhacén-base del Veleta-Hoya de la Mora y bajada por las Sabinas hasta Granada con el club de Mountaimbike los ChurriBike de Churriana

Highest Mountain in Mainland Spain - Mulhacen

The Western Flank route, this is typically a 2 day ascent. Jake and I accomplished this in a total of 12 hours.

Mulhacen is the highest mountain in mainland Spain at 3,479m getting a practice ascent in for Mount Elbrus.