Discover Cáñar: Nature, Culture and Holiday Apartments

From Cáñar town centre, a signposted path leads uphill towards the Sierra and reaches the Sulayr hiking trail after 9.8 km, following the forest track from Puente Palo. The circular Tajo de los Machos y Cerrillo Redondo route starts and finishes at the Puente Palo Recreational Area. This circular route is considered very demanding and covers 19.60 km with 1,422 metres of ascent. The different distances and elevation gains make it easier to compare the routes.

Nature and Trails

A large part of the municipality of Cáñar lies within the Sierra Nevada Natural and National Park. Puente Palo is a pine grove surrounding the source of the Río Chico above 1,700 metres. The Puente Palo recreational area is located next to Cáñar’s forest track, on the right bank of the Río Chico at an altitude of 1,750 metres.

The Robledal de Cáñar is a forest on the Loma de Cáñar that persists thanks to moisture rising from the sea. The Cueva de Sortes is considered one of Cáñar’s two natural monuments and takes its name from a former settlement that has since disappeared. The Mirador de Las Eras is located beside a rectangular threshing floor paved with stone slabs, south of Cáñar town centre.

One trail connects Casas de Tello with the Puente Palo recreational area and passes by the Río Lanjarón, the Loma de Cáñar, the Acequia de las Encinillas, the Hoyas de Cabrera, the Robledal de Cáñar and the Casa Forestal de Cáñar. A route from Cáñar to Lanjarón follows the Camino de las Viñas and passes through the Barranco de las Peás and the Barranco de los Jarales; it then follows the Camino del Mimbrón to Lanjarón. Dique 24 is considered to be 30 metres high and features a waterfall; one route passes between chestnut and walnut trees and the remains of old mills.

Culture and Local Traditions

Cáñar has traditional Alpujarran architecture with white houses, flat roofs and tinaos as characteristic arcades. The Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Ana was built at the end of the 16th century over an earlier rábita; it houses a Baroque altarpiece made of polychrome wood, created between 1753 and 1755, and has a Baroque organ built by Tomás Pabón in 1799.

The Casa del Pueblo houses the Museo del Pueblo, the Aula de Música de Cáñar, a rehearsal room and a multipurpose hall. The Mirador de África is located on the roof of the Casa del Pueblo, offering views of the Rif Mountains in Morocco on clear days.

The Museo del Pueblo displays photographs of traditions from Cáñar, including Música de las Mozuelas and La Pelota. It also displays the mechanism of the church’s first clock tower clock, dating from 1883, as well as esparto items associated with “Pepillo el Bayaquero”.

La Pelota is a local tradition played by hand, in which the ball is played against the eastern wall of the nave of the Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Ana. The Fiesta de la Música de las Mozuelas begins before dawn; the young people gather at midnight to prepare for the serenades. At around 4 a.m., the fiesta’s nighttime procession takes place through Cáñar’s narrow streets, during which serenades are sung to unmarried women.

The Fuente de la Plaza de Santa Ana is an 1883 drinking-water fountain with an octagonal plan, built from limestone blocks and featuring four bronze spouts.

Local Cuisine

Cáñar’s local specialities include almond soup, fennel stew, migas and game dishes; notable sweets include roscos, pestiños and buñuelos.

More Destinations

Other travel destinations include Moraleda De Zafayona, Pulianas, Juviles, Benamaurel, Picena, Jerez Del Marquesado, Bubión and Lanteira.

Cáñar can be reached from the A-44 via Lanjarón and then along the A-4132 and A-4201 roads.

To the overarching travel overview: Granada.