Information for Capileira, Bubion, Pampaneira

The 3 villages of the Poqueira Valley, Las Alpujarras, Andalucia.

The River Poqueira lies in the valley of the Poqueira - an all year round mountain stream slashing deep into the heady heights of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at a height of 3,200m above sea level.
It is a part of the Sierra Nevada Natural Park and is renowned for its incomparable and diverse landscape.
For most of the year the summits of the Sierra Nevada are snow-capped and dominate impressively the panoramic landscape of the Poquiera valley below. The views are spectacular and far-reaching - on clear days, even to the Rif Mountains of Morocco.

Barranco de Poqueira and Pico de Veleta (3390 Metre)

Much of the landscape around seems barren but on closer inspection there is a plethora of wild flora and fauna and the slopes are dotted with stone farmhouses and small whitewashed villages. The three most attractive of these are Pampaneira, Bubion and Capileira, well known in Spain for their unique beauty.

PAMPANEIRA, 900m above sea level, is a lovely place to wander around with its winding lanes and Berber style architecture. There are plenty of shops selling local produce such as cheese and mountain ham(jamon), as well as arts and crafts such as paintings, tapestries and ceramics.

BUBION, 1,200m above sea level, is an ideal starting point for treks into the Poquiera Gorge and also has some friendly bars and restaurants where visitors can relax, eat and enjoy the views over the valley. To the western side of the gorge there is a Tibetan Monastery - "Osel Ling" (Place of Clear Light) - founded in 1982 and where, a few years later a local Spanish boy was acknowledged to be the reincarnation of a Tibetan Lama.

CAPILEIRA at 1450 metres above sea level, is the highest of the three villages and the portal to treks up to the Sierra Nevadas´ highest peaks, Veleta and Mulhacen. There is a bus that runs in the summer, taking visitors up into the Natural Park where other vehicles are prohibited.

View south from Capiliera

The pine forest

There are two swimming pools in the area, one in the campsite at Capileira and another in the Pitres campsite (summer only). The coastal resorts are approximately 75 minutes drive away

Eating out:
Many restaurants, Cafe's and bars to choose from in all three villages

Entertainment:
Flamenco, riding routes, paragliding, 4x4 routes, mountain biking

Visiting other places:
Costa Tropical 50 km, Granada 75 km, Malaga and Almeria 200 km

Shopping:
All three villages have a small supermarket, chemist, banks or cash point machines.