Seven things not to miss this summer during a visit to Alto Genal

They are small towns, but with interesting attractions even in summer. Pujerra, Igualeja, Parauta, Cartajima, Faraján, Júzcar, Alpandeire, and Atajate make up what is also known today as Alto Genal, where you can do everything from canyoning to visiting a forest full of fantastic characters. Sculptures, murals, or decorations with crochet or even wicker chairs are some of the elements that surprise in their respective urban centers.

There is a very special route next to this small town in the Serranía de Ronda. From its streets, you can connect to what has been dubbed the Enchanted Forest, a section of a trail that in recent years has been filled with mythological characters and animals related to fairy tales or fantastic stories.

Although the chestnut trees provide plenty of shade at this time of year, it is advisable to avoid the hours of greatest solar incidence. The best thing is to try to do this section in the early hours of the morning or just before sunset.

For lovers of extreme activities, Alto Genal also has a very special plan, to descend what was baptized just two decades ago as the Sima del Diablo. There is no need to be afraid, because this proposal involves doing it with some of the active tourism companies that operate there, such as Sport Mountain.

It involves descending with all the relevant safety systems through one of the waterfalls of a tributary of the Genal in the municipality of Júzcar. Pure and hard adrenaline for the most daring.

The image of this town is very linked to the Copper Forest, but it is also worth reserving a morning or an afternoon in summer to stroll through its streets, which, in recent years, have been filled with attractions.

First, were the crochet decorations made by a group of women from this town. Then, came the spectacular sculptures created by Ricardo Dávila to be left in its streets.

It has the fewest inhabitants of the Serranía de Ronda and is the second least populated in the province, but, despite this, this town attracts attention for its dining options, as it has three restaurants for less than two hundred residents.

Specifically, they are El Paisaje, Audalázar, and Mesón La Sierra, which surprise with good value for money, a commitment to traditional cuisine, and, in the case of the first, for its panoramic views. Additionally, at the Rocío bakery, you can buy one of the most curious sweets in the province, almond cheese.

He is buried in Granada, where he lived much of his life, but Fray Leopoldo was born and spent his childhood and youth in Alpandeire.

From there, it is perfectly understandable that there are several sculptures and monuments that allude to him or even a future interpretation center. However, what is most surprising is, without a doubt, his birth house, which can be visited for a modest price.

This town of Alto Genal is known for being the highest in the Serranía de Ronda or even for having part of Los Riscos in its territory, but for the past five years, it has also been known for its murals.

It all started in the summer of the pandemic, when under the name 'Creative Facades', a group of young women from Cartajima began to fill the white walls of their town with murals themed around landscapes, agricultural products, or traditions.

These small towns of the Serranía see the birth and feed the Genal in its first steps. Several streams converge in this river and do so spectacularly.

This may be the case of the so-called Nacimiento del Genal, where the tributary known as río Seco truly originates. In summer, however, its flow tends to be very reduced. More vertiginous are the Chorreras de Balastar, two spectacular waterfalls located in the lower part of Faraján.

In addition to these enclaves, there are others like the waterfall of Sinaí and several pools of crystal-clear waters.