Road trip | Madrid & Andalusia | Spain
Visit the best places in Andalusia & Madrid
Text | Anninka Kraus
Photography | Tobias Kraus
Spain Andalusia
When winter holds Central and Northern Europe tightly in its grasp, the southernmost Spanish territory, Andalusia, is the perfect place to escape for some much need sun. It’s not just better weather that awaits you but also delicious tapas, fabled Moorish architecture, culture and history unique to this part of the Iberian Peninsula and the distinctively fruity smell and peppery taste of extra virgin olive oil.
The Spanish capital is Europe’s third largest city and easily accessible from most European countries. Madrid was the starting point of our weeklong trip before we explored Andalusia further south. We decided on a mix of the major cities – Madrid, Córdoba and Granada – with destinations off the tourist track that offered a deeper insight into Andalusian local culture.
My personal highlights were our road trips; to Granada through extensive olive tree plantations via Baeza and Úbeda, and to Ronda through the whitewashed villages of Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
jump ahead.
Andalusia 8 day Itinerary & Map
Day 1:
Explore the Spanish capital’s historic city center, Old Madrid, centered around Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor with its beautiful architecture and have some delicious tapas.
Day 2: Walk or run in El Retiro Park, Madrid’s green oasis with magnificent fountains, statues and the filigree Glass Palace, an iron and glass structure dating to 1887.
Day 3: Visit Córdobas famous Mosque-Cathedral – Mezquita – that became became a shared place of prayer for Muslims and Christians with the arrival of the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula in 711.
Day 4: Explore the city on a self-guided walking tour, passing by Iglesia del Santo Ángel, Iglesia de Santa Marina, Palacio Marqués de Viana, Monasterio de Santa Maria, Iglesia de San Pablo, Templo Romano, Palacio del Corregidor and Plaza de la Corredera.
Day 5: Make your way to Úbeda and Baeza in Jaén province, east of Córdoba that accounts for 80% of national production, about 885,000 tons of olive oil. Then stroll through the two neighboring country towns, which were both awarded World Heritage status for their beautifully preserved Renaissance churches and palaces, whitewashed walls and cobbled streets.
Day 6: Visit the Alhambra and fabled gardens of the Generalife, the former summer residence of the Nasrid rulers. Then enjoy some tapas and live music in El Albayzín, the old Moorish neighborhood of Granada, which is a great mix of Islamic architecture and culture with elements of the Spanish Renaissance and Baroque period.
Day 7: Visit Gaucin and Ubrique, two pueblos blancos (white towns) in Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, south of Ronda.
Day 8: Explore Ronda, the largest of Andalusia’s whitewashed villages perched atop two steep cliff faces to either side of El Tajo gorge and its famous Puente Nuevo (New Bridge).
our favourite hotels, sights & restaurants in Southern Spain
Hotel Balcón de Córdoba – Gorgeous boutique guesthouse situated next to the Mezquita. The balcony is the best place to watch the sunset over drinks. Note: Do not book rooms 1, 2 or 7. Also breakfast and dinner at the hotel didn’t meet our expectations.
Recomiendo Restaurant – Fun haut cuisine with vegetarian menu available on request
Mezquita – Free entrance when groups are not allowed 8:30-9:30am
La Libélula – Nice vegan coffee shop with great wraps at Calle del Cande de Cardenas 3, 14002 Córdoba
Hotel Casa 1800 Granada – Nice 3-star hotel in the city center
Al Sur de Granada Calle Elvira 150, 18010 Granada – Small store and tavern serving tapas and sandwiches; organic, local produce
Viewpoints – Mirador de San Nicolás offers stunning views of the Alhambra complex. I highly recommend watching the sunrise instead of the sunset when it gets very crowded. The view from Mirador de San Cristóbal is also nice but entirely different.
Hotel la Fuente de la Higuera – Luxury rural retreat in the countryside, 5 miles out of Ronda, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves; excellent dinner (gluten-free and vegan friendly); large outdoor pool; no TVs
Restaurante Bardal – Excellent Michelin star restaurant with vegetarian menu option
Tip – At Plaza de Maria Auxiliadora, a footpath, which at the time was unfortunately closed for maintenance repairs, leads down into the gorge to various viewpoints below the bridge.
The Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Tree Courtyard) of Córdoba’s great mosque, the Mezquita, is paved with river pebbles.
what to expect.
Andalusia is the perfect place to escape for some much need sun when winter holds Central and Northern Europe in its grasp
A mix of the major cities – Madrid, Córdoba and Granada – with destinations off the tourist track that offer a deeper insight into Andalusian local culture
A culture and history unique to this part of the Iberian Peninsula with a fascinating Arabic influence and beautifully preserved Renaissance churches and palaces, whitewashed walls, and cobbled streets
Olive trees running in straight lines across the hillocky Mediterranean landscape towards a blurry mass of silvery leaves in the distance
A strong presence of the Middle East
A very brief history of Spain
Spanish history is exceptionally rich, and comparable with Germany and Italy in that all three countries saw the Roman Empire rise, shine and fall. Kings and queens seceded one another, oftentimes intermarried in a struggle for power, and reigned until their countries all brought forth the most ruthless fascist dictators.
While the plight of Italy and Spain at the hands of their barbaric rulers pales in comparison with the magnitude of Nazi terror; which was the most savage individual – Hitler, Mussolini or Franco – is debatable. Stalin also comes to mind. He was no less cruel but a communist rather than a fascist despot. ‘The Leader’ all three were called – ‘Il Dulce’ Mussolini, ‘Der Führer’ Adolf Hitler, and ‘El Caudillo’ Francisco Franco – and in a combined effort they killed millions and millions of people in World War II. This includes about 200,000 soldiers and a great many civilians in the Spanish Civil War (to whom Paul Preston in ‘The Spanish Holocaust’ adds 200.000 executed in Spain during the war and tens of thousands, who died in concentration camps).
They destroyed not only life itself but also a great deal of heritage, architecture and art before these countries eventually managed to find their way to democracy. Way back at school, I was surprised by how closely each country’s history mirrors the others’.
And it is frightening now, to watch the nationalist movements in many European countries gaining support, yet again at the same time. But Spain, especially the south, differs significantly from other European countries in the strong Arab-Muslim influence evident most notably in the magnificent buildings dating from 711-1492. That the remaining Moorish architecture is still breathtakingly beautiful today and reminiscent of the rich culture and social progress during the Islamic Golden Age, is a miracle!
After all, it survived the Reconquista (reconquest), a period of military campaigns between the Christian kingdoms and the Arab-Muslims for control of the Iberian Peninsula that lasted about 780 years, the Spanish Inquisition, and later wars waging in the country for decades.
This strong presence of the Middle East in a European country is a distinctive feature of Spain, as are ever-present olives and orange trees in Jaén province in Andalucía. The juxtaposition of hideous, high-rising apartment blocks scarring the coastline like thorns against a wild and deserted mountainous hinterland also comes to mind.
Although this striking contrast in tourist regions is not unique to Andalucía, I was very much surprised by its scope. Take Córdoba and Ronda for example. They’re small places but nonetheless a target of mass-market tourism. Personally, I preferred the whitewashed villages that cling to the barren slopes of Sierra de Grazalema National Park to the better-known cities.
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Local food
The art of eating tapas in Madrid
I loved Barcelona when we visited in 2017 despite its controversial and evident struggle with tourism. I didn’t feel that way about Madrid. The Spanish capital’s historic city centre, Old Madrid, centred around Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor has beautiful architecture defying the dominating presence and monotony of international chain stores.
Yet I missed the vibrancy and Mediterranean charm of the cosmopolitan seaside metropolis 50km to the northeast. What I particularly liked about Barcelona was its sun-drenched waterfront boulevard. Landlocked Madrid obviously doesn’t have one. Madrid does however tell a fascinating account of Spanish history.
The country’s capital was ruled, amongst others, by the Romans, Moors, French invaders, the ‘Catholic Monarchs’ – a title bestowed upon Isabella of Castille and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon by Pope Alexander VI, the House of Habsburg, Bourbon monarchs and dictator Francisco Franco. Traces of some of these epochs are to be found all over the city. One finds statues (particularly impressive is the Statue of Felipe IV on a horse reared on its hind legs in Plaza de Oriente), the Muslim Walls of Madrid built in the 9th century BC, medieval plazas and even an ancient Egyptian temple, the Temple of Debod, dating from the second century BC that was donated to Spain in 1968.
Also, Madrid serves some seriously good food. In Central Europe ‘eating tapas’ is synonymous with great food and the easy-going South European lifestyle. If that was the case, I expected a delicious selection of small titbits blending local produce with exotic Spanish flavours. Instead, most tapas bars served plates of meat and fish, breaded and fried, and seafood drenched in olive oil. Being a vegetarian with a dislike for greasy fried food, I expected to go hungry for our stay in Madrid. Good tapas, even the locals agree, are hard to find but then they’re even better than first expected.
You may be advised to eat your tapas standing up shoulder to shoulder with other guests at the barra (counter), where the tapas are cheaper. You may also be recommended a place strongly reminiscent of the aftermath of carnival celebrations with white napkins, toothpicks and olive pits littering the floor up to your ankles. If the latter – apparently a sign of good food – is not what you had in mind for dinner but you still value authentic, local food, consider our restaurant recommendations at the end of this post. What is very common is a small plate of olives, olive oil and bread served before the meal. You usually won’t be charged for the olives but the bread, just like the Italian ‘coperto’ (service charge).
One night, at Recomiendo restaurant in Córdoba, we sampled four different oils and were surprised by their distinctively different and fruity flavour. I was never a great fan of olive oil on its own, eaten with bread, but our latest visit to Spain changed that. Maybe it was the around-the-clock exposure to olives on our trip south through Andalusia. More likely though, I had finally tasted really good olive oil.
We’ve bought Italian extra virgin oil for years but upon learning that 80% of that oil on the market is fake apparently – mixed with cheaper oils or incorrectly labelled ‘extra virgin’ or ‘produced in Italy’ when in fact it’s not (Forbes) – we’ll now be buying Spanish oil instead.
I love train rides (not the daily commute of course) and high-speed train travel is the fastest mode of transport between Madrid and Córdoba. The monotonous landscape flashing past outside the window at 300kmh was flat and barren. Barren, except of course for the omnipresent olive trees. In the vicinity of Madrid, little more than shrubs were sustained by the brown, sun-parched soil.
As we drew closer to Córdoba, shrubs increased to the size of proper trees that stretched for the horizon in all directions. An ‘olive grove’ has an artisanal connotation of a small family-run farm. The olive tree plantations that in the whole of Spain cultivate more than 300 million trees, don’t (prodosol). They’re huge. Half of the worldwide production of olive oil originates in Spain (International Olive Council), much of which is intended for the local market as the Spanish consume on average 10 litres a year themselves.
Madrid | Spain
Run | Loop trail | 10km
Sightseeing run in Madrid
On our last day in Madrid, we needed to work off a few too many tapas dishes from the night before and headed into El Retiro Park for an early morning run. That run, quite unexpectedly, turned into my highlight of Madrid.
The city’s green oasis covers 125 hectares and even this early winter morning was popular with the locals for doing sports. The park is filled with magnificent fountains, statues and the filigree Glass Palace, an iron and glass structure dating to 1887. Set on a small lake, the first rays of sunshine that flooded the glass panes and reflected off the water lend a magical airiness to the palace. The construction was fully immersed in the trees coloured vibrant reds and yellows by the brisk autumn breeze.
Running back, we skirted around the semicircle of pillars framing the Monument of Alfonso II on the eastern shore of the large lake. The blue rowing boats from the day before were not dancing on the water yet, but a street musician struck up a merry tune on his accordion, cheering the runners.
track details.
Start/End: URSO hotel (Calle de Mejía Lequerica)
Route: URSO hotel – Paseo de Recoletos – Plaza de la Independencia – Parque de El Retiro – Palacio de Cristal – return the same way
Distance: 10km
Time: 1 hour
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The filigree Glass Palace, an iron and glass structure dating to 1887 in El Retiro Park.
Córdoba | Spain
Walk | Loop trail | 3.9km
The best of Córdoba in 2 days
In Córdoba, the Arabic influence on Spain was particularly noticeable in its famous Mosque-Cathedral (Mezquita). Every evening, we sat on ‘Balcón de Córdoba’, the balcony of the hotel of the same name, with panoramic views of the monumental site and listened to the melodious tolling of the church bells. Late at night, when the Juderia, the old Jewish quarter, had emptied, it was the only sound breaking the silence.
It is widely believed that the site of the Mezquita was originally a Christian church. Then in 711, Arab-Muslims crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and started conquering the Iberian Peninsula, which, at least in some parts, was under Islamic rule until the Nasrid dynasty’s Emirate of Granada was eventually defeated in 1492.
With the arrival of the Moors, the church became a shared place of prayer for Muslims and Christians. Until Emir Abd al-Rahman I bought the Christian half, demolished the existing structure and built Córdoba’s great mosque. The city was reconquered by King Ferdinand III of Castille in 1236 and in the 16th century, a church was erected inside the Mezquita. Those who dared alter this magnificent, elaborately decorated structure filled with hundreds of red and white striped arches purportedly regretted their actions later on.
The reconstruction robbed the mosque of its airiness and simplicity but at least the Catholics couldn’t bring themselves to destroy it entirely. What they unintentionally created – a place of prayer featuring elements of different religions – is an interesting and inspiring concept at a time when different religions are again violently at odds with one another. However, Muslims are not allowed to worship there alongside Christians.
The Catholic Roman Church has already denied their request several times, which to me demonstrates their ignorance of the different roles this site has played in history. The underlying conflict this controversy reflects, the question of what constitutes national identity, is hotly debated in almost every country in Europe at the moment.
In winter the sun didn’t beat down relentlessly on the cobbled streets nor push the dry heat up to 50° Celsius and thus enforce the Spanish siesta. We still avoided the Juderia at midday when it was crowded with tourists, and visited the Mosque-Cathedral in the early morning, before the building was opened to tour groups. When we walked through Puerta del Perdon, the Gate of Forgiveness, the early light on the high arch built of limestone ashlar in distinctive Mudéjar style on the north side of the monument was still pale. The Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Tree Courtyard) was deserted except for a street cleaner sweeping up leaves.
This rectangular courtyard is paved with river pebbles and derives its name from almost a hundred orange trees planted in neat perpendicular rows.
Tired from an early start to capture the sunrise from the far end of the Roman bridge, I sat on the stone wall of a large pool that feeds water into a grid of channels connecting the trees.
Dominating the square is a belfry, Córdoba’s tallest building standing at 54m. We climbed the narrow trodden staircase inside this tower shortly afterwards and were rewarded with panoramic views of the city. The belfry itself thanks to its different roles in history has a unique identity much like the Mezquita.
A former Muslim minaret, erected during the reign of Abd al-Rahman III, the city’s first caliph, it was turned into a Baroque bell tower after the Christian conquest.
track details.
Walking Tour Córdoba
To get a feel for the city away from the tourist crowds follow this walking tour. You’ll pass by Iglesia del Santo Ángel, Iglesia de Santa Marina, Palacio Marqués de Viana, Monasterio de Santa Maria, Iglesia de San Pablo, Templo Romano, Palacio del Corregidor and Plaza de la Corredera. We recommend La Libélula coffee shop where we stopped for lunch towards the end of this walk.
Distance: 3.9km
Time: 1:30 hours
Elevation gain: 55m
Córdoba's famous Mosque-Cathedral (Mezquita), a magnificent, elaborately decorated structure filled with hundreds of red and white striped arches.
Andalusia road trip
Road Trip to Baeza and Úbeda
Córdoba even in November was crowded, but minutes out of the city, on our way to Úbeda and Baeza in Jaén province we were again engulfed by olive trees. I mentioned Spain accounting for half of the global olive oil production. Well, Andalusia especially the region of Jaén, east of Córdoba and northwest of Granada, accounts for 80% of national production, about 885,000 tons of olive oil.
Centuries-old gnarled trunks, thickening towards the ground, ran in straight lines across the hillocky Mediterranean landscape towards a blurry mass of silvery leaves in the distance. These large-scale plantations – a ‘grove’ doesn’t conjure a picture of this expanse of olive trees stretching as far as the eye can see – account for almost 90% of cultivated land in Jaén (Unesco).
The production of olive oil is very much commercialized nowadays. Yet it still speaks of the passion for quality and traditional craftsmanship that we experienced at Oro Bailén, a family-run farm and oil production. The Gálvez-González family offers guided tours by prior arrangement and also seemed happy for us and a local family to drop by unannounced and sample their produce. The Spanish family, I noted with surprise, bought roughly 50 litres of olive oil in shiny square aluminium cans. Glancing at the two minuscule glass bottles of Picual and Arbequina extra virgin oil we took home with us, there’s certainly room for improvement in our consumption of olive oil, I thought.
Baeza and Úbeda are two neighbouring country towns with Islamic roots allegedly locked in an ongoing beauty contest. Both were awarded World Heritage status for their beautifully preserved Renaissance churches and palaces, whitewashed walls and cobbled streets, so I believe it’s a draw.
We visited during the siesta when Baeza and Úbeda had succumbed to deep slumber. The narrow streets were deserted and I was immediately taken with the tranquillity and genuine modesty palpable in both towns. They were a curious contrast to the grandeur and extravagance of their Renaissance heritages sites. In Plaza Vázquez de Molina in Úbeda, an elderly lady, stooped on her walker and wearing a full-length blue frock, diligently walked the length of Collegiate Church of Santa María de los Reales Alcázares.
I believe this was her daily exercise and couldn’t imagine a more splendid place for a stroll. If you’re seeking an off the beaten path experience rich in Renaissance architecture, history and local culture, these two small Andalusian towns will provide just that.
Baeza and Úbeda in Jaén province were both awarded World Heritage status for their beautifully preserved Renaissance churches and palaces, whitewashed walls and cobbled streets.
Moorish architecture
Granada
We actually skipped a visit to the Alhambra and fabled gardens of the Generalife, the former summer residence of the Nasrid rulers. This palace and fortress complex is the only surviving palatine city of medieval Islam. It’s unrivalled in its exquisitely decorated palaces in Moorish style, known for its horseshoe arches, delicate columns, geometric colorful tiles and paradisiacal gardens.
The Alhambra is the only reason most tourists come to Granada. So why did we skip it? Plainly put, reading that entry to the Alhambra is restricted to ‘only’ 6,600 visitors per day put me off. Admission to the Palacio Nazaríes is further limited to a one-hour window printed on the ticket. You miss that, you don’t get to go.
That just isn’t the kind of experience we’re looking for.
Did we, therefore, miss out on an unparalleled immersion into Arab-Muslim architecture and culture? Quite possibly. But I’m still glad we strolled through the chaotic labyrinth of haphazardly cobbled streets and small squares lined with open-air restaurants winding uphill in the residential district of El Albayzín instead of shuffling past water fountains with thousands of other visitors.
El Albayzín is the old Moorish neighbourhood of Granada. It was declared a World Heritage Site along with the Alhambra in 1994 and is one of the best illustrations of Islamic architecture and culture blending harmoniously with elements of the Spanish Renaissance and Baroque period. A major tourist attraction in Granada, this barrio (neighbourhood) was surprisingly quiet. Either the busloads dreaded the steep climb on cobblestone through narrow alleys, or a two-hour visit to the Alhambra was all that their busy schedule allowed for Granada.
We didn’t miss out on the Alhambra entirely though. There’s this one famous view of the fortress and palaces from St Nicolas viewpoint we couldn’t skip. We expected the place to be busy but willingly accepted that to watch the setting sun cast a reddish glow across the beige stone. To capture the Alhambra in deeply saturated colours during the blue hour, just before nighttime sets in and strong spotlights illuminate the impenetrable walls. And this was a beautiful view indeed! Once we’d pushed our way through hundreds of people crowding on the small square on the western border of El Albayzín neighbourhood. In the surging, jostling crowd, stuck between handicraft stalls and a local band, we did get that view. We just missed the magical feeling we had falsely attached to the place.
Early the next morning, we strolled through Puerta de las Granadas and up Cuesta Gomerez into the woods, Bosque de la Alhambra, surrounding the fortress. It was very quiet and only two groups of mountain bikers passed us, who were headed into the hills east of the city, I believe. You can walk much of the Alhambra grounds for free and we entered the fortress through the Justice Tower (Torre de la Justicia) located on its southern rampart. The Tower houses three gates, the entry and exit gate and nested within the others, the inner gate.
Their size was staggering and a foretaste of the vast proportions of this complex. Even the freely accessible areas revealed a wealth of history that was truly enchanting and offered panoramic views over the city. Standing in the circular patio of the two-storied Charles V Palace, I almost regretted our decision not to get tickets. Its circular design and colonnades strongly reminded me of the Colosseum in Rome.
Then minutes later on our way to Parador de Granada hotel, the first of many massive tour groups frantically started rushing towards the palace and us. It was an endless, unabating caravan of hurrying tourists. In their haste, they were completely oblivious to their surroundings and through their indifference destroyed this remarkable glimpse of the past.
Irrespective of our decision, the Alhambra is unique and if you want to go, you would be well advised to plan your visit in time. Even in off-season, tickets sell out days if not weeks in advance.
Also be aware that the first hit on google when searching for online tickets is an ‘informational’ website, hiding the URL to the official website in flow text. Instead, visitors are (mis)directed to more expensive guided tour sales with a red button at the very top where it says “Buy Alhambra tickets”.
The exquisitely decorated palaces in Moorish style of the Alhambra, known for its horseshoe arches, delicate columns, geometric colorful tiles and paradisiacal gardens.
Nature and rural villages
Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park
Gaucin and Ubrique are two pueblos blancos (white towns) in Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park south of Ronda. On the day we crossed the national park from south to north, it was raining and the leaden clouds touched the valley floors. The rugged mountainscape was impressive, but in this weather quite monotonous. The monotony was broken by the whitewashed villages, which stood out against the surrounding landscape, lit up like fairy lights through the easing rain. This place left no cliché of authentic, rural life in Andalusia unturned. Ten minutes before the start of the Spanish siesta at 2 pm, shopkeepers packed up, and by the first chime of the bells at the very latest, shop doors banged shut. Then for three hours all local life on the medieval streets ceased to exist.
Needless to say, no tourists had strayed this far off the beaten track to meander around the streets either. The place was deserted. The only sound was the crackling rain on some plastic tables spilling into a plaza in front of a dark, wood-panelled cerveceria – a tapas bar serving quite a lot of beer as the name suggests. Here locals will still flash you an open, honest smile, not the phoney grimace reserved for visitors elsewhere.
On your way to Ronda keep an eye out for vultures! The park is well known for the scavengers and we spotted at least a dozen birds circling high up in the air.
Pueblos blancos (white towns) in Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park south of Ronda.
Andalusia road trip
Ronda
The town in the Ronda Mountains is perched atop two steep cliff faces to either side of El Tajo gorge and overlooks hills of olive groves and Spanish firs rolling towards the Sierra de las Nieves peaks. Ronda is the largest of Andalusia’s whitewashed villages, extraordinarily pretty and home to the famous Puente Nuevo (New Bridge). The bridge in my opinion is both a blessing and a curse. Dating to 1793, it’s not really ‘new’ but newer than Puente Viejo, the old bridge of 1616, and still a very imposing structure nowadays. It spans a 100m deep ravine carved out by the Rio Guadalevin and for the narrow cleft seems almost exaggerated.
Unfortunately its popularity has condemned Ronda to a stop on many bus tour routes. Surprisingly few tourists however ventured further than Mirador de Aldehuela and Balcon del Cono viewpoints and into the maze of cobbled alleys of La Ciudad, old Ronda. South of the bridge, we strolled past handsome mansions, Moorish palaces and out of one alleyway stumbled into a cobbled square, Plaza Duquesa de Parcent. This plaza is allegedly the loveliest in Ronda. Orange and palm trees and bushy cypresses rose from neatly laid out patches of greenery separated by black and white floor mosaics, stone benches and a water fountain in the middle of the square.
We returned to Plaza Espana via the old bridge and Jardines de Cuenca Park that boasts views of all three bridges, Puentes San Miguel, Viejo and Nuevo.
It was turning dark by then but we hadn’t quite seen enough of the bridge yet and headed to one of several viewpoints at the bottom of El Tajo gorge. Standing below the bridge, the might of the massive pillars stepping down into the deep canyon appeared far greater than from above, leaning over the balustrade into the sheer drop. After daylight faded then floodlights turned the beige stone orange and white, the view was almost daunting but absolutely spectacular.
Ronda, perched atop two steep cliff faces to either side of El Tajo gorge overlooks hills of olive groves and Spanish firs rolling towards the Sierra de las Nieves peaks.
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