School Blog

After the hot summer now it's time to begin with our fantastic hiking tours. Last week our guide Teresa from Sierra & Sol company accompanied our student Irina to the Acequia Montalbán in Lanjarón (Alpujarra Mountains). 

This route explores the hills and irrigation channels above Lanjarón. The walk is 10.2 km long and takes about 4 hours to complete.

 You need to cross the village of Lanjarón to reach the car park and the start of the walk. The route begins at the Fuente de los Ojos fountain. There is a fairly steep climb to almost 1,200 metres with fantastic views of Lanjarón, the Rules dam and the coast. We also see many chestnut trees, one of the most spectacular being the Castañar de Patatún. We then cross the Lanjarón River and join the Acequia Montalbán. Following the irrigation channel, we pass a couple of waterfalls before descending to Lanjarón and returning to the starting point, passing through the Barrio Hondillo neighbourhood.

The network of trails in the Sierra Nevada National Park attempts to capture the extraordinary variety of landscapes and ecosystems of the mountain massif.

Sierra Nevada is the only Spanish Mediterranean mountain that contains all the bioclimatic levels typical of this region, which gives it a great biodiversity in flora and fauna. The different routes proposed bring us closer to these unique areas.

The trails in the National Park, on the other hand, try to maintain the link between the people and their traditional activities in the mountains. It is a privilege to walk along one of these paths from the municipalities themselves, with their popular architecture perfectly integrated into the landscape, and to observe the ethnological richness of the agricultural uses: terraces, irrigation channels, threshing floors, farmhouses, etc., as we ascend the mountain.

For further information regarding our programme Intensive 20 + Hiking visit our website.

Today our teacher Paco has offered a hiking tour to Prado Negro Village. 

On this route through the heart of the Sierra de Huétor Natural Park we combine the route along the Acequia del Fardes, which starts at the Fuente de los Potros recreational area, with a visit to the Cascadas de Prado Negro waterfalls and to this district of Huétor Santillán. The surroundings are beautiful, among pine, holm oak and gall oak forests and wide meadows, under cliffs with vultures.

The Cascadas de Prado Negro route starts from the Fuente de los Potros recreational area, a great place to spend the day, especially when the summer heat is intense. Leave your car in the car park at the back of the area, next to the children's play area.

From here you just follow the signposted path through a beautiful holm oak forest next to the irrigation channel. This is one of the most beautiful spots in this mountain range.

The mountain range of the Sierra Nevada National Park is situated in Andalusia. More specifically in the province of Granada. With its 3000-meter high peaks, it is one of the most famous mountain ranges in Europe. Sierra Nevada is full of various hiking trails and breathtaking scenery. The Sierra Nevada National Park is a popular tourist destination as it has something for everyone.

One of the best and easiest hike is the "Cañada del Sereno" trail in the Huetor Santillan Natural park.

This trail is long with 12 kilometers. It is well-equipped for groups, as you have benches and shades on the way where you can take a break and rest. If you want to do a picnic you can also do that in an idyllic mountain setting there. Also, there is a water fountain so you do not have to bring a lot of water bottles with you. During the winter the road is snowy but for any other season, it is convenient and great.

Granada is a cultural hot spot and a famous university city. It also has a diverse and exuberant nature. Granada is home to the Sierra Nevada mountain range with more several peaks over 3000m high. At the same time, the proximity to the sea makes possible the existence of warm valleys where, even in winter, the temperatures are mild and the days are sunny. The Alpujarra, on the southern face of the Sierra Nevada, is a region full of beauty with magnificent conditions for hiking.

Enjoy a different kind of holiday, hiking around one of the most beautiful cities in southern Spain: Walk along medieval paths through deep valleys in La Alpujarra, a region full of history south of the Sierra Nevada. Discover the valley of the Güájares, the "hidden garden" of the last Muslim inhabitants of the Nasrid kingdom. Enjoy Granada, a city full of charm and street life.

Throughout the year we offer Spanish & Hiking programmes in cooperation with the company Sierra y Sol.

The Trevenque Peak is one of the most spectacular peaks in the Sierra Nevada Natural Park. The mountain is steep on both sides, but there are several ways up to it’s summit of 2079m

Ascend the peak from Collado Sevilla on the well worn track and the arid badlands in the valley of Las Arenales. Then it’s a climb up to the summit by-passing incredible pinnacles and rock formations. It is steep, but on a simple path where the hands are not really required. The summit is on a steep sided pinnacle with views in all directions as the mountain is isolated.

A return is made initially the same way and then by using the undulating ridge with views to the Cerro Huenes group. This gives better views and is more interesting than the dirt track running alongside.

On our half day tour of today we crossed the sandy gorge below the Trevenque.

The Sierra de Huétor is a Natural Park to the north-east of Granada, which can be accessed directly from the A-92 motorway. We offer the Cañada de Sereno trail often to secondary school groups. It is a great walk with a lovely meadow where you can stop for a picnic half way round. Stone benches with fantastic views mean that there are plenty of places where you can stop for breather.

In October our students from the Sct. Knuds Gymnasium from Odense (Denmark) and from the Berufliche Oberschule Amberg (Germany) have participated in this activity.

The end of the winter season does not mean that there is no life in Sierra Nevada. The National Park and its ski resort offer a wide variety of activities with which to continue discovering this unique landscape during the summer. From taking a dip at an altitude of over 2,000 metres, enjoying the sunshine of the mountains, to entertaining the little ones, not forgetting the hiking and cycling routes with ascents to the main peaks during the months of July and August.

In summer, the peaks of the Sierra Nevada national park change colour from white to green, brown and blue. This is the time to discover its fauna and flora, see its lagoons, walk through the lofty places of these spectacular mountains, and enjoy their tranquillity at the end of the ski season.

If what you like is hiking, you can explore the Sulayr trail, which crosses the Sierra Nevada. This route is divided into 19 sections which can be covered over several days, although there are other, smaller paths that you can cover in a single day. You can also do horse-riding and mountain biking.

We recommend visiting the Dornajo visitor centre, where you can obtain information on many different footpaths, and on accommodation and restaurants in the area. There you can also take a leaflet or route map of the Sierra Nevada.

Beginners can rent their material from Borreguiles, located at the top of the Sierra Nevada, adjacent to the beginners' area.

The Sierra Nevada never sleeps. At night, the atmosphere is impressive in the tapas bars, pubs and clubs. There are activities throughout the year, even when there is no snow. Don't miss it!

Paseo de los Tristes literally means Promenade of the Sad. This square runs parallel to the River Darro and owes its name to the fact that funeral corteges used to pass through here on their way up to the cemetery behind the Alhambra.

Both the square and the original fountain were built in 1609 when the area was redesigned and it has always been a very lively place. In times gone by, fiestas and celebrations would be held here and at one time the River Darro itself was covered over with boards to act as a stage for small bullfights.

The first bridge you reach is called "Puente de las Chirimias" or the "Pipers' Bridge" and although there may have originally been an Arab bridge in this same spot, the bridge you can see today was rebuilt in 1882.

Next to it is a small, three-storey square house (also built in 1609) which sheltered the musicians who played at the various celebrations. The bottom floor was used by bailiffs and minor officials, and the town council would occupy the second floor, with the musicians on the top floor. It was later sold in the 18th century, and used for accommodation. It has now been restored and is the headquarters for the Historical and Cultural Association of Granada.

At the end of the square there is another bridge: the Puente del Aljibillo and refers to the aljibe or water cistern that used to exist on the promenade on the other side of the river.

If you cross over the bridge you can take a left and go for a walk along the Camino del Avellano to the Fuente del Avellano. This walk offers some magnificent views of the Sacromonte and Albaicín areas. The fountain was also the meeting place for a literary group headed by Angel Ganivet.

Our training courses for Spanish teachers are aimed at those who want to start teaching Spanish as a foreign language or those who have already taught and want to perfect or refresh their technique with new points of view.

The programme has an emphasis on practical approaches, giving teachers the tools to achieve dynamic and effective classes. We focus on skills need to facilitate work for oral and written production, provide Spanish teachers with the techniques for effective and cognitive management of Spanish learning/teaching resources, contrast different teaching methods and reflect on the importance of  oral expression.

The course is broken into two modules: theoretical training and cultural activities.

A important part of the cultural activities and visits are our hiking tours in local natural parks.

In Granada province you will find one of Andalucia's two national parks, the Sierra Nevada, a mountainous region containing the two highest peaks in the Iberian Peninsula and whose summits are often snow-capped.

The province of Granada has also many different natural areas including many places of great environmental value.

In all of them you can find a wide variety of plant and animal species, many of which are native to the area.