traveldk.com

This mountain chain and its national park are home to Spain’s highest peak, Mulhacén (3,482 m/11,425 ft) at the western end and fertile valleys to the south.

Snow-capped most of the year, these heights are nevertheless rich in wildflowers. Some 60 varieties are unique here, including a giant honeysuckle. The ibex is the most common species of fauna, but there are also butterflies, and birds such as the golden eagle.

There is a paved road over the top of the range but the uppermost reaches have been closed to cars since the national park was established in 1999. In summer it’s a hiker’s paradise – the second highest peak Veleta (3470 m/ 11,385 ft) is a relatively easy 5-hour roundtrip.

The main ski resort, Solynieve, is Europe’s highest and most southerly, in operation from December to April or even May. The pistes and facilities are good enough to have hosted the world Alpine skiing championships in 1996.

Heading south from Granada on the N323, you’ll come to the spot known as the “Pass of the Moor’s Sigh”. Here, bereft Moorish ruler Boabdil, expelled by the Christians, is said to have looked back on his beloved city for the last time.

On the southern side of the Sierra Nevada is this dramatic zone, home to a stunning series of white villages . The architecture here is pure Moorish, almost identical to that found in the Rif Mountains of Morocco. Houses are flat-roofed, untiled, clustered together and joined by neighbourly bridges.

This bucolic valley is filled with olive, almond and citrus groves – the almond blossom is stunning in late winter.

Famous since Roman times for its curative mineral springs, the town is now a modern balneario (spa) and marks the beginning of the Alpujarras proper. Below the long main street you’ll find a ruined Moorish castle, from which the views across the gorge are breathtaking.

Made the regional capital in 1839, this town remains the area’s largest. It’s at its best on Thursday mornings, when everyone comes alive for market day, and you can find traditional local products such as hand-woven rugs.

This vast and gorgeous ravine is home to a stunning collection of tiny villages. Much loved by visitors seeking tranquillity, the remote site even boasts its own Tibetan Monastery, founded in 1982. The ravine is an excellent place for easy day walks, and each town offers traditional local crafts.