Murtas, viewpoint of the Contraviesa

Not all our guests can or like to make long walks. We therefor want to give a suggestion of a tour by car through the Contraviesa. This is a mountain range we look at from ´El Paraje´ and where most of our wines are made. From Bérchules you drive down to Cádiar from where you climb up the Contraviesa. On the top you turn left towards Murtas. While you drive on this quiet country road you have an excellent panorama of many Alpujarran villages and the summits of the Sierra Nevada to the left and the Mediterranean Sea to the right. After having passed bar-restaurant and winery Cuatro Vientos you arrive at a crossroads Venta del Chaleco with a sign of the Cerrajón the Murtas, the second highest top of the Contraviesa. Passing a cheese factory it is possible to drive up almost to the very top at 1,507 metres; you need to walk about fifteen minutes (see our map).
People that would like to stretch their legs for a little bit longer, could consider the short local walk ´La Solana´ (see our post Sendero Local La Solana in Murtas). To get to the starting point of this circular waymarked walk of four kilometres, you pass through Murtas and continue until you see a sign ´centro the población´. To your left you see a wooden bench (if it is still there) and a marker post of the Sendero Local. The changing scenery during this short stroll, of the Sierra Nevada, the Sierra de Gador, the Mediterranean Sea and the Cerrajón de Murtas is really unique. On the way back you pass through Murtas which has a bar at the back of the church that serves good food.
Continuing the tour, we pass Mecina Tedel and Cojáyar. These two villages are connected by a waymarked Sendero Local, a local walk with a considerable height difference. (see details of this linear walk on the web of the Mancomunidad de los municipios de la Alpujarra Granadina)  The next village that we pass is Jorairátar. This a picturesque village with a pleasant bar, La Maruja, right at the entrance. It has a very interesting museum, but this can only be visited on appointment. To get back to ´El Paraje´ from Jorairátar, we follow the A-4348 back to Cádiar. This Contraviesa tour of 66 kilometres is highly recommended in February and March when the almond trees are blossoming (see our post Almond blossom in February).
This tour is also a suggestion for people who like road biking.



P.S.The small white dot at the far right of the photo is our casa rural El Paraje.

Related links: map of the Alpujarras.