Area
Cortijo del Sueño is ideally situated for discovering many of the delights that Andalucia has to offer. Within easy driving distance you have a fantastic choice of places to visit.
Culture
Iznájar
Rute
Rute is best known for its manufacture of aguardiente de Anís, an aniseed-flavoured liqueur. In the museo Anís you can find out how Anis has been produced throughout history. There is also a museo del Jamón (ham). The Museo Artesanal del Mantecado, Turrón and Mazapán offers a guided tour of the museum, with displays of traditional methods of manufacturing sweet delicacies traditionally served at Christmas such as nougat and marzipan, together with a display of the old-fashioned equipment used. If all this wasn’t enough for a short visit, the town also has a ruined Moorish castle and a fine Baroque church.
Antequera
Antequera, with its hilltop castle dating back to the 13th Century, busy market, Roman ruins and wonderful architecture throughout the city make a visit here a must. Near Antequera you ‘ll find LOBO PARK (wolf park) a unique nature, experience and study park in the heart of Andalucia. Four large enclosures are home to European wolves, Timber wolves and the rare white Alaska - Tundra wolves (polar wolves) and Iberian Wolves. The 40-hectare protected and untouched nature park has innumerable rare plant and animal species. Andalucian horses are available for you to ride in this wonderful landscape, either as a riding tour or on riding facilities. Playground facilities and donkey rides are available for children. A worldwide unique wolf museum will be opened in the near future.
Located near to Antequera, the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra is the biggest natural lake in Andalucia and one of Europe's two main breeding grounds for the spectacular greater flamingo (the other is in the Camargue in France). After a wet winter as many as 16,000 pairs of flamingos will breed at the lake. They share the lake with thousands of other birds of some 170 species.
Granada
The Arabs gave Granada its current name. One of the most brilliant jewels of universal architecture is the Alhambra, a series of palaces and gardens built under the Nazari Dynasty in the 14th Century. This mighty compound of buildings – including the summer palace called Generalife, with its fountains and gardens - stands at the foot of Spain's highest mountain range, the Sierra Nevada, and overlooks the city below and the fertile plain of Granada. Do not forgot to get your tickets on the Internet before you come over. (www.alhambra-tickets.es)
Córdoba
Córdoba was the capital of Al-Andalus, the name used to describe Moorish Spain. In its heyday it was Europe's largest city, a centre of learning and culture and was considered the Mecca of the west. The magnificent Mezquita dominates the historical centre, but there is more to see like the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, Puente Romano & Torre de la Calahorea.
Seville
Seville is one of Europe’s most fascinating and exciting cities. Crammed with elegant shops, bars and restaurants, yet still retaining the patios and village like character within the old quarter. The great monuments of the Cathedral, the Giralda and the Reales Alcazares apart, Seville has numerous other superb attractions.
Málaga
Málaga, the birthplace of Picasso, has a renovated centre with an old Cathedral in the middle. Furthermore you will find the Alcazaba, museo de Picasso and beautiful botanical gardens. Of course there are lots of possibilities to go shopping.
Nature
Sierra Subbética
The small town of Rute, located on the edge of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, has some great local walks, several of which are well signposted, such as the footpath through the pine forest of Pinar de la Sierra and a section of the long-distance footpath that crosses Spain, the GR7 Gran Recorrido (long Journey).
The Via Verde Subbética, Subbetica Greenway, runs for 58 km through the south of the province of Cordoba following the route of the old Olive Oil Train. Today this trail allows cyclists and walkers to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park and passes close to picturesque towns and villages, such as Luque, Zuheros, Doña Mencía, Cabra, and Lucena and is dotted with majestic castles and one or two mysterious caves.
El Torcal
El Torcal Park Nature Reserve is known for its unusual limestone rock formations. Millions of years of wind and water action have sculpted this 1,326m mountain south of Antequera into some of the weirdest, most wonderful rock formations you'll see anywhere. A 12-sq-km area of gnarled, serrated and pillared limestone, formed as seabed 10 million years ago, constitute the protected Paraje Natural Torcal de Antequera. There are some deep ravines and cliffs on most sides. From the Visitor Centre there are signposted walks available for all abilities.
El Chorro is a nature reserve known as el Desfiladero de los Gaitanes a 4 km long, 400 metres deep limestone gorge with the Caminito del Rey. It is also one of the most famous rock climbing areas in Europe. With more than 650 climbing routes it is an El Dorado for climbers.
A little further you will find the Embalses de Guadalhorce, magnificently shaped lakes of the purest water in which you can take a refreshing dive.
After many years of deterioration El Caminito del Rey, Kings´s little pathway, has been renovated, reconstructed and reopend in March 2015. The pathway now is safe to walk on and offers spectacular views of the beautiful and dramatic landscapes surrounding the gorge. To walk the Caminito del Rey, you have to book in advance. For reservations / information visit http://www.caminitodelrey.info
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada, meaning "snowy range" in Spanish, is a mountain range in the region of Andalucia in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3,478 metres (11,411 ft). It is a popular tourist destination, as its high peaks make skiing possible in Europe's most southern ski resort. Parts of the range have been included in the Sierra Nevada National Park. The range has also been declared a biosphere reserve.
This is only a small selection of the many things to see and do in this area of Andalucia. (To the top)
