The Genal Valley a Hidden Gem In Andalucia

Written by Philip Burgess, owner of Casa de Llanete
The Valle de Genal lies west of Malaga and north of Marbella. It is approximately two hours from Sevilla, one and a half from Malaga, two from Cadiz and three from Granada. The beautiful city of Ronda is no more than twenty minutes from the nearest villages of the valley. The Genal valley sits between two national parks, Los Alcornocales and Las Nieves. In December 2003 I had never heard of it. Now in February 2008 I live in one of the white villages Alpandeire La Casa Del Llanete the house on the flat place is my home, with my wife Nicky, two cats Neblina and Smokey, Maya the Dog and our two horses Curro and Chenino.

The valley is divided into two sections, the alto or upper Genal and the bajo or lower Genal. Alpandeire is one of the seven villages of the Alto Genal that includes Farajan, Juzcar, Cartajima, Parauta, Igualeja and Pujerra. The Alto Genal is not on any main through route, like the Bajo Genal which is on the road from Algeciras to Ronda, but the upper valley winds its way between that road and the main route from San Pedro on the coast, to Ronda. Until very recent times isolation and the particularly bad roads (some still are) have kept this part of the valley out of the main tourist routes. Road improvements are now well under way and rural tourism is beginning to find its way into the valley.

It's Sunday morning, two Spanish guests arrived last night so I have been up and made a fresh fruit salad for breakfast. It is still dark at 7.30. The sky begins to lighten around 7.45 and the sun peeps over the mountain behind Alpandeire by 8.30. I take my dog and walk to our horses some 15 minutes away from the village, as I do every morning. Every morning the view is different. On clear days the Riff Mountains in Morocco fill the horizon as they gently turn pink with the rising sun. The other morning the whole valley down to the coastal plain was filled with mist and it looked like a giant lake, smooth and flat. At times when there is heavy cloud it pours over the distant mountain tops and crashes into the peaks around us.

Although I don't often see them, there are deer and wild boar in the woods and on the mountainsides. One morning a pair of deer ran across the track , they must have been set up by the dog. She bounded down the hillside after them but she wasn't nearly fast enough to catch them.

Yesterday afternoon whilst we were having lunch Nicky spotted a Griffon vulture coming up out of the valley, and there they all were rising up on the hot air currents until they could lift off over the mountain into the next valley. These rare birds are usually seen in groups whirling around in the hot air. Some time ago a friend was in his last day with us, having come to help with the garden, when he looked up and saw over fifty of these massive majestic birds of prey circling over our house, "they're giving me a fly past!" he said. It has only happened once since but what an amazing sight.

The bird life around the valley is abundant, especially in the spring and autumn, as we are on a direct migration route from Africa across the straights of Gibraltar and on into Europe. I remember one particular occasion when we were riding between Juzcar and Cartajima, there was this Golden eagle floating just above our heads. When summer is on its way the bee eaters come around. They are beautiful with brilliant colours of blue and red and they have a particular chirring call.

Our horses are waiting at the gate when I arrive. They are on a small finca (smallholding) belonging to some extranjeros (foreigners) friends. Close to the villages people have always grown olives, almonds, and had their huertos (vegetable gardens). On my walks around the valley I often come across groves of centenarian olive trees, still lovingly tended and bearing fruit. Although some of the fincas and huertos have gone into disuse there is still a lot of activity around the villages. In the morning walking from Alpandeire I am often passed by locals going to tend their plots with the incongruous mix of donkeys, mules and modern 4x4s.

It is now the 12th of February and the almond trees are in full blossom. The mountain sides are splashed with white, pink and purple, it is a wonderful sight. Later in the year when the nuts are ready to harvest local villagers will be seen carrying long sticks out into the campo. These are used to beat the nuts from the trees, a time consuming business, but it is yet another crop for the larder. Many of the Panditos (people born in Alpandeire) grow most of their food, including their years supply of olive oil, and probably a pig or two.

When I first arrived I was surprised to come across what I thought were wild boar in the campo (counrtyside)however the wild pigs are usually far more secretive. It was the local Black Iberian pigs that are reared all over these mountainsides in the mixed oak forests that cover the valley. There are large estates of cork oaks, gall oaks, holm oaks and wild olive trees. It is fantastic walking and horse riding country. One can go all day without seeing anyone.

At the source of the river lies Igualeja, where there is a major chestnut growing cooperative. The valley from here to Juzcar is covered in sweet chestnut groves that are lime green in the spring and full of orange and reds in the autumn. Other trees in the valley include poplars around valley bottoms, pines and fruit orchards with oranges, lemons, plums, persimmon, pomegranate, walnut, pear, lime and in places avocados and kiwi.

Although there is always plenty of green with the woodlands covering the valleys, above the villages is a very different landscape. A favourite ride for us is the ride through Los Riscos from Alpandeire to Juzcar. This is a massive limestone outcrop, a karst landscape around Cartajima and Juzcar with towers, caves, sinkholes and many other geological formations created by the zones heavy rainfall. As we ride above the villages we have amazing panoramic views from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic including Gibraltar and Africa. Behind us the peak of Jarastepar rises to 1427 metres above sea level.

Well the horses are fed so its back to the village to continue with my day. As I arrive back at the village I see Alpandeire nestled in the mountain below Jarastepar and looking out to Morocco. The sun is now shining and the day is warming up already. A cup of coffee and slice of toast with peanut butter and marmalade!

Verdant forests, among them some of the most precious left in Europe such as the valley chestnuts that have provided a source of food for hundreds of years, majestic Spanish Fir (abies pinsapo) which are remnants from before the last ice-age, along with dozens of endemic mushroom and wild flowers.

The fauna of the area is rarely seen, many species being close to extinction or purposely hiding from people, but if you are lucky you might see roe deer, badgers, otters, mongoose, wild cats, water snakes, or trout.

Birdwatchers and twitchers will love the Genal Valley for its rich and varied selection or local and migratory birds, including Peregrine Falcon, Chough, Alpine, Pallid and White-Rumped Swifts, Rock Bunting, Griffon and Egyptian VulturesRock Sparrow, Rock Thrush and Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, Crossbill, Black Redstart, Eagle Owl, Golden, Bonelli's, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, and Lesser Kestrel.