Las Palomas - White Villages

This tour follows the same route as our Zahara Lakeside day tour up as far as Grazalema village, along miles of small country roads which twist and turn through a rocky gorge and amongst cork oak forests. But then it is the climb through the mountains up to Las Palomas and the descent down into Zahara which will stay in your mind for many years to come. The climb is around 7km heading up from the village of Grazalema; if we are lucky, we may see mountain ibex hopping between the rocks on either side of the road or vultures soaring overhead. From the top of Las Palomas Pass, the views in both directions are incredible. Then we enjoy a 14km descent which twists and turns around the mountain, giving incredible changing views of the mountains all around and the lake below. Time for optional refreshments here before we return to Ronda in our minibus.

The three villages you will pass through date from Arab times but all have a distinctly different look and feel: Montejaque is small and sleepy, Grazalema was a wealthier village, built on a large blanket weaving industry, so contains some grand old houses, and Zahara sits dramatically above its startlingly blue lake, with the remains of an Arab fort still dominating the skyline above the village.