White Villages

History of Grazalema Village in the Sierra de Cádiz

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Grazalema Village

Almost every visitor to Ronda will hear about the beauty of the nearby village called Grazalema. The village is located within the western reaches of the Sierra de Cadiz that also includes the villages of El Bosque, Zahara de la Sierra, Algodonales, and Olvera, and is the north-eastern tip of Cadiz province.

Grazalema is one of the famous white villages of Andalucia, considered by many to be amongst the most beautiful, and given that it is broadly in the centre of its namesake, the Grazalema Natural Park which is equally as famous, it is hardly any wonder the village has such a reputation.

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Zahara de la Sierra Pueblo Blanco in the Grazalema Natural Park

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Zahara de la Sierra Pueblo Blanco in the Grazalema Natural Park

Nestled under the mountain that gives the village its name, Zahara de la Sierra is one of the pueblos blancos of Cadiz province, and is only 30 minutes drive from Ronda, or an hour from Jerez de la Frontera. Completely within the Grazalema Natural Park, and with the district’s largest lake at its base, as well as the beginnings of the Garganta Verde walk just outside the village, Zahara is rightly quite central to experiencing the Sierra de Cadiz.

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The White Villages (Pueblos Blancos)

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Pueblos blancos

If you are staying in Ronda for a few days and have a car then you will surely want to get out and about to explore more villages in the area. The White Villages (Pueblos Blancos) encompass the north east of Cádiz and north west of Málaga provinces and this area is saturated in history with palaeolithic cave paintings, neolithic dolmens, bronze and copper age remains, Roman roads, Visigoth fountains and Moorish towers.

White village tours from Ronda
Grazalema on the route of the white villages.

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El Bosque Botanical Gardens

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Botanic gardens in El Bosque

Within the Serrania we are lucky enough to have three natural parks, (Grazalema, Sierra de las Nieves, and Alcornocales). El Bosque Botanical Gardens in the village El Bosque is a small botanical garden called “El Castillejo” and it is devoted exclusively to the local and endemic plant species of these mountains.

Due to the Serrania being both Mediterranean and European, many of the tree species are common throughout Europe, whilst most of the shrubs are generally Mediterranean. Most of the flowers and grasses are either Mediterranean or endemic to the area.

Your stroll will take you through several mini ecosystems, each with their own viewing area to sit and appreciate the surroundings.

Why not reserve a hotel in the village?

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The Cork Tree, Quercus suber

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cork tree quercus suber grazalema

In the surrounding area to the west of Ronda, from the Sierra de Grazalema south through the Los Alcorncales Natural Park, you’ll find an unusual tree that locals use for making cork. It is the cork tree Quercus suber, native to the Mediterranean, but harvested extensively in Western Andalucía.

In truth, the casual nature lover might at first glance assume the cork tree is an ordinary oak tree, with a similar dark coloured knobbly bark, at least this is what many travelers tell me when I encounter them. However, if you’re in the area shortly after the bark has been harvested you’ll quickly spot the difference.

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An Excursion to the Genal River and Genalguacil

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Genalguacil, the village of art in the Genal valley

Today I had the pleasure of journeying to the Genal Valley, specifically along the Ronda-Algeciras road until the turn off for Jubrique, and then towards the Genal river to wet my feet, followed by a stroll around Genalguacil admiring the art and relaxing in a local bar with a cold one, before returning to Ronda.

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