Vantage points in Granada

Granada is a city full of famous vantage points that have been celebrated by poets such as Ibn Zamrak (from Granada in the 14th century), Lorca, and Machado. They have all praised its extraordinary views, its hazy lights, and the backdrop in which the distant and invisible barking conspire with the vanishing line of the horizon: "No silver light in their crown / the trees have grown, / and a horizon of dogs/barks far away from the river". The province Granada is no less: it boasts vantage points in balconies, rooftops, and watchtowers where the world, believe it or not, is transformed into belvederes, as the Italians call those elevated vantage points, offering the most beautiful way to appreciate the view. Shall we take a walk by vantage points in Granada?

 1. El Puntal de don Diego

In the municipality of Gorafe stands this emblematic vantage point of Granada's Geopark, which transports the traveler to a landscape worthy of Moebius 'The Airtight Garage' or, even more imaginatively, to a different planet as yet unexplored. From El Puntal, a spectacular and extensive diorama of clay gullies opens up which, in the area of Los Coloraos, compete in surreal tones - reddish, sometimes crimson, sometimes pinkish, sometimes chestnut with saffron folds - and transport the observer to an unknown dimension.

2. El Fin del Mundo

This promontory of the Geopark seems to be taken from the Apocalipsis of St. John. It is located in Beas de Guadix and from its natural peak, with the immense backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, you can admire the valleys of the rivers Alhama and Fardes, as well as the misty profile of its municipalities: Cortes y Graena, Beas, Marchal, and Purullena, with their badlands and bulbous, dark brown mountains that transform with the light. It is best to get there by foot from Beas, along a one-kilometre track that leads to the End of the World.

3. El Jabalcón

The summit of Jabalcón hill, another of the elevated jewels of the Granada Geopark, is part of the Guadix-Baza basin. It is a 1,492-metre carbonate massif formed by limestone rocks that allows a prodigious 360-degree view and covers more than 4,000 square kilometres, combining the brownish roughness of the earth with the dark green of the vegetation. Something akin to a prodigious summary of the geological and geomorphic characteristics of an almost supernatural space.

4. Mirador de National Geographic

It offers magnificent views of Montefrío from the Tocón road and its name is an offering of gratitude to the publication which, thanks to a highly publicised report full of well-deserved praise, revitalised tourism in the district of Poniente Granadino. Montefrío is steeped in history. The castle, which was the site of a fierce battle during the conquest of Granada, is now a very popular place of fascination from the vantage point, just like its round church and its network of streets.

 5. La Magdalena de Guadix

If Guadix, at ground level, is an admirable town full of history and monuments, when viewed from the vantage point of La Magdalena, from a bird's eye view, it reaches even more spectacular heights.  The Cerro de la Magdalena is its most characteristic promontory and is an attraction in itself. From its summit, the view takes in the Cathedral and the Alcazaba, the historic quarter, the Cuevas district and then disappears into the fertile plain.

 

 6. Tajos de Alhama

If there is a romance that enhances the admiration that Alhama de Granada and its gorges have aroused throughout history, it is the Romance of the Moorish king who lost Alhama, whose plaintive echoes still resound in books and memory. To visit Alhama is to look into history and turn the pages of the books of romantic travellers. The Tajos were formed by the erosion caused by the river Alhama and their clefts reach a depth of 50 metres. The Huerta de Santa María is the natural entrance to Los Tajos. At the confluence of the Aserradero ravine there are three vantage points to choose from.

7. Mirador del Embrujo

The conversion of the municipality of Soportújar, known as the balcony of the Alpujarra, into a centre dedicated to highlighting the history of witchcraft for family tourism, has also transformed its stunning natural vantage point into the Mirador del Embrujo. On the threshing floors, in the age of covens, was where the sorceresses kept their concoctions.

 

8. Enrique Morente

The Albaicín vantage point in Salobreña changed its name to Enrique Morente in 2012, two years after the death of the brilliant flamenco singer. Since then, the impressive view of green landscape and sea has been adorned with a sculpture designed by Javier Arteta. The cantaor "looks towards infinity, looks towards the sea, towards the fertile plain of Salobreña and looks towards the future".

9. Isabel de Castilla

This newly designed, avant-garde vantage point offers a complete and beautiful panorama of Loja. The contrast between the striking design of the watchtower and the view of the Alcazaba and other monuments with their old stones and centuries-old history captivates the visitor.

 

 

10. Cueva del Gato

In the Sierra de Huétor Natural Park, the Cueva del Gato vantage point is a privileged and breathtaking place. Valleys, holm oak groves and dense scrubland characterise this spot where you can glimpse the minimal flow of the Darro River against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada. On the right, on the Cerro del Maúllo, trenches from the Civil War survive next to the Cross of Víznar, an iconic element of this location.