Local information on Orgiva & Lanjaron, Las Alpujarras
Orgiva & Lanjaron (the Low Alpujarra)
Chris Stewart’s whimsical tale of settling in the Alpujarra mountains provided a stimulus for many to come and sample the unhurried lifestyle that characterizes the local Andalusian culture.
Quite a number of people have since moved to the area, often after spending a week or two’s holiday at one of the private country villas dotted around the folds of the mountain, or secluded in the broad valley among tall bamboo, olive, orange and, yes, lemon trees. From Orgiva, the longer you drive up to the mountain road to the High Alpujarra (Bubion, Capileira & the Taha), the more quaint and smaller the villages become and more traditional. The climate cools noticeably. Down in valley of the Low Alpujarra, however, the two small towns of Orgiva (pop. 5,500) and Lanjaron (pop. 4,000) enjoy very long, warm summers and mild winters. Swimming pools are often open in May and October, a full two months longer than in the High Alpujarra where the corresponding season is June to September. Orgiva Orgiva, where roads from Granada and the coast meet, is the natural capital of Las Alpujarras. Its small town atmosphere make it an easy place to shop, have language lessons, send mail at the Post Office or simply have a coffee on a terrace at one of the several bar-cafés. It may not be as irrepressibly pretty as the high mountain villages, but a leisurely wander round town may bring a waft of jasmine your way – and it’s got everything you need by way of facilities. Thursday is market day and the town swells with market sellers, local housewives and a mixed bag of foreign residents, from relocated stockbrokers to unconventional travellers: there’s a place for everybody here. The interesting places to stay are just outside the town, where delightful semi-tropical gardens often surround the country villas. These are ideal places to rest, relax and enjoy Andalusia at its laid-back best. Roads lead off in four interesting directions from Orgiva. In less than an hour, you can be at the Alhambra palaces in Granada, a beach on the Costa Tropical, a good country hotel restaurant higher up the western valley (we’ll send you recommendations with your holiday documents), or hiking a mule path up in the High Alpujarra. We will send you detailed Rustical Recommendations for restaurants, activities and day trips
for Orgiva and Lanjaron with your Rustical Travel Booking Confirmation. A short Orgiva video Lanjaron The spa town whose name is synonymous in Spain for mineral water lies on the same high valley road (there’s only one) that joins Orgiva and the rest of the Alpujarra to the motorway between Granada and the Mediterranean coast. Lanjaron water is one of the best in Spain. It’s a quiet town whose main activity centres around the spa baths, where people come to be pleasantly pampered, and the bottling of water for distribution all over the country. Water is everywhere in Lanjaron and everyone has the favourite fountain. Some claim the water gives health and long life: whether or not the water is reponsible or just the quiet life people lead here, a World Health Organization survey found that Lanjaron inhabitants enjoy one of highest life expectancies in Europe. There are a number of craft shops selling wickerwork for which the town is also well-known and the main street of the town has become a relatively quiet zone since Lanjaron got its own mini-bypass. As you drive along this, you will see the impressive ruins of a Moorish fortress on a promontory: a rare reminder of the special history of the Alpujarras. On the eve of Saint John, 24th June, when the rest of Spain celebrates the saint with fire rituals, the people of Lanjaron cool off the hot night with a no-holds-barred water fight in which getting drenched is compulsory. Locals from other Alpujarra villages know better than to attempt to drive through Lanjaron that night! The town is built on the lower slope of the mountains, where holiday homes enjoy good views out over the broad Guadalfeo valley. Opposite the spa centre is a park of high eucalyptus trees, which evidently draw their fair share of water from the locality. The main street is now closed to through-traffic and parallel with runs a very pretty, typically Andalusian street where the local women sell produce from the market gardens on their doorsteps. Lanjaron is the first place you come to when after leaving the highway that runs between Granada and the coast. Some denizens of the Alpujarra dispute Lanjaron's claim to be the "Gateway to La Alpujarra," since in olden times it distanced itself from La Alpujarra when the area was poor and neglected, only to change its mind and declare itself an Alpujarra town once the mountain world's tourist potential began to be realized: naturally, the townspeople wanted to be a part of the success! Like Orgiva, Lanjaron is well-communicated with Granada, the coast and villages of the High Alpujarra. Find out more Read our: Alpujarras guide Getting here By plane to Granada and hire car (1 hr from the airport). By plane to Malaga and hire car (2 hrs from the airport). By plane to Almeria and hire car (2 hrs 30 mins from the airport). A limited bus service also exists between Granada and Lanjaron & Orgiva |
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