Discover Válor: Sierra Nevada, Culture and Trails

The Sendero del Agua runs through the protected Sierra Nevada area and is closely linked to historic irrigation channels, springs and washhouses. When comparing holiday apartments in Válor, you can consider natural and cultural highlights alongside short trails and routes with different themes.

Hiking

Route F connects Válor with the Fuente de Las Primeras Aguas and begins near the centre of Válor. The Válor–Nechite section of the GR-7 is an approximately 1.5-kilometre hiking trail that follows the service path of the Acequia del Lunes. For planning purposes, the routes therefore differ in theme and starting point and, in the case of the GR-7 section, in an explicitly approximate stated length.

Landscape

Alto de San Juan is a 2,788-metre-high peak on the northern municipal boundary of Válor. The Río Nechite rises in the Sierra Nevada and has holm oak stands and riverside vegetation on its middle slopes.

The Río Válor flows from the local peaks of the Sierra Nevada through steep sections partly bordered by rocky cliffs. Its gallery vegetation consists mainly of willows and poplars. Thus, different landscape elements occur alongside the water, without reducing the river course to a single type of terrain.

The Castaño de la Cebadilla is a chestnut tree more than 200 years old. It stands on a rock, grows on the right bank of the Río Válor and is one of the largest specimens in the municipality.

The Mirador de La Jarea consists of two threshing floors arranged in terraces and offers views over large parts of the Sierras de la Contraviesa, Gádor and Nevada.

Culture and History

The Casa de Abén Humeya dates from the 16th century and belonged to Fernando de Córdoba y Válor, known as Abén Humeya, the first leader of the Morisco rebellion in La Alpujarra from 1568 to 1570.

The Iglesia de Válor was originally built in the mid-16th century and preserves the oldest camarín in La Alpujarra. Another trace of everyday religious culture is the Vía Crucis de Válor: it consists of wrought-iron crosses on the façades of various houses and is one of the few Stations of the Cross in the comarca that still preserve original elements.

Castillejo de Válor preserves the remains of the walls of a fortified settlement from the early Islamic period, which was inhabited from the 9th to the 11th century. The Barrio de Cantarranas is a medieval quarter dating from the 10th to the 15th century and preserves features of the comarca’s medieval Muslim architecture, including porches, tinaos and adarves.

Tajo de las Ventanas is a medieval group of caves carved into the rock and connected to the former castle above. The caves may have been used to store grain. The Ermita de la Virgen de Lourdes is located in the centre of Válor; a small cemetery is attached to its southern side.

Puente de la Tableta is a Moorish brick bridge made of reddish bricks, with a single, slightly pointed arch opening. It lies on the GR-7 section between Válor and Yegen and can be reached from the western side of Válor or from the Ermita de la Virgen de Lourdes.

Festivals and Traditions

A performance of Moros y Cristianos takes place in Válor on 15 September, based on the uprising of the Granada Moriscos at the end of 1568. During the Baile de las Ánimas, people walk through the streets with their instruments on 25 December and collect donations for the patron saint festivals.

At the Fuente de Cuesta Viñas, people from Yegen and Válor celebrate traditional festivals on 25 July and 15 August. When comparing a holiday apartment in Válor, you can consider the travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions on each listing page alongside your preferred focuses on nature, history, trails or festivals.

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