Day walks in southern Spain
Peak Veleta, Granada mountains
Are you’re looking for some famous hiking trails in southern Spain to add to your bucket list? Then, the Andalusian region is one of the most natural and beautiful areas in Spain, with very diverse landscapes and possibilities -hiking in the Malaga peaks, going through rivers, walking up the second highest mountain near Granada city, or just cultural walks in la Alpujarra area. In this article, we are going to focus on the Peak Veleta walking tour, located in the Sierra Nevada National Park.
Sierra Nevada is a mountain range located in Granada region, known for its appealing cultural background, with places of interest like the Alhambra, or the cathedral. However, we recommend you to explore those hidden places in this beautiful city, such as the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The Sierra Nevada mountain range covers almost 90.000 hectares (900 km2), and contains two of the highest peaks in the whole country, the Mulhacen peak, with 15,548 feet, or the Veleta peak, with 11,148 feet.
Are you up for an amazing adventure? You will love this hike to the second highest peak of Sierra Nevada, after Mulhacén.
Veleta mountain one day walk
To climb up this peak, there are a few options depending on how challenging you may feel. However, we are going to focus on the easiest trail to get you to the top.
This trail starts in Hoya de la Mora, situated 26 miles away from Granada city. You could follow the road, but it is better to cut through and walk the hiking trail, since apart from being safer and faster, you will enjoy it a lot more.
After walking 15 minutes from the car park, you will get to the monument of Virgen de las Nieves, which is a typical attraction for tourists and families.
Then, with the help of our local guide, you won’t get lost during the hike, since there are traces with more than one possible way.
- Location: Sierra Nevada, 18 miles away from Granada city.
- Total distance: 7 miles
- Hike time: 4-6 hours (total)
- Difficulty Rating: Moderate
- Highest elevation: 11,148 feet
- Dogs: leashed. Remember to bring water for them too.
Different walking trails around Veleta
There are other trails walking up the second highest mountain near Granada, but are more difficult, due to the conditions of the way. You will need to climb, scramble, and try not to slide with the iced floors. However, these are amazing experiences for those who love challenges and adventures.
- North Couloir: the path is extremely steep and narrow as it follows the mountainside. It requires some scrambling or even climbing the last bit and can get iced.
- Olmedo: Rises from the end of the North couloir, requires climbing, and can be iced.
- Fidel-Fierro: Involves climbing and scrambling the last bit on the southern face.
- Silvia: Another rocky route that requires climbing with 5 rope pitches on the north cliffs and westwards.
The history about the name
The peak Veleta is well-known for its particular shape, which can be seen from nearby the city of Granada. The last feet to the summit conform to a ship’s bow shape. It is easy to recognize from very far away, and looking at it from all the sides. This sharp end of the cliff has turned into a symbol of identity for Sierra Nevada National Park, being able to see it in a lot of merchandising products of different companies of the area.
What is more, its name has a very simple and curious origin. It comes from the Arab word ‘Balata’, which literally means ‘cliff’.
You may think that this is all the history of this part of Granada. However, there is always more to learn, and our professional local guides will be happy to make your experience unique.
Fauna and Flora
As we said at the beginning of this article, the Andalusian region offers a lot of possibilities in terms of biome and nature. Therefore, we can also find a huge diversity of species: ranging from animals capable of living with cold conditions, such as foxes, stone martens, golden eagles, etc, to creatures that live in those zones in which the weather is not that cold, such as goats, wildcats, or even squirrels.
Furthermore, in this area we can find species from the Mediterranean region and others from Africa and Central Europe. What is interesting about this is that the evolution of these species have led to the creation of new endemic animals.
Regarding the flora, it is really interesting to see how they survive the “bad” conditions, in which the weather doesn’t support their development.
When the snow comes, they survive under the snow cover, in which the temperature is constantly 0ºC. After this, they “wait” until they receive the signs that the conditions are adequate for their growth, depending on the number of sunlight hours, the quantity of the snow, etc.
If you love nature and hiking, this is your place. You’ll get impressed once you reach the top! Click here to book your walking tour.
