Canillas de Albaida

Canillas de Albaida is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It has a population of approximately 800 residents. The natives are called Canilleros. The village is one of several typical Andalucian pueblos blancos which ring the edge of the national parks.

The village has seen considerable growth and renovation after the 2000 millennium, as a result of an increase in tourism and the number of expatriate residents from northern Europe. There are restaurants and shops. Three hotels have been established after 2000 and the road leading to the coast has been paved and widened.

The staple industry here is agriculture, the principal crops being avocados, raisins, wine from moscatel grapes and olives. Kitchen vegetables are also grown extensively on ancient irrigated terraces, for local sale and consumption. Farming is mostly done by hand, the only significant “machinery” being mules which are used as beasts of burden and for ploughing. The arrival of a more modern community has not obliterated the traditional lifestyle of the village and its surroundings.

Canillas is now also an increasingly well-known centre for hill walking. Routes having been developed in recent years mainly by Peter Strange and Phil Lawler, based on old out-of-use mule trails which have existed for centuries. Being on the very edge of the national park of the Sierras Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain), Tejedaand Almijara, the town is ideally placed for this activity.

The pueblo is classicly Andalucian, mountainous, Moorish and charming. It’s a complete step back in time. It is a region of ‘fincas’, farmhouses and pretty whitewashed hilltop villages of Moorish origin, interspersed on hillsides of olive, almond and vine, and home to an abundance of bird and animal wildlife.

The village is set against the stunning rocky peaks of the Atalaya and Verde Mountains of the Sierra Tejeda Natural Park, which rises to 2065m and forms the natural frontier between the provinces of Málaga and Granada. They offer spectacular views of the Mediterranean coast and adjacent mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada and the distant Atlas mountains of North Africa.

Canillas de Albaida is just 40 miles from the city of Málaga to the north east, providing an excellent opportunity to add on a couple of days in this historic port city at the beginning or end of your walking week. The small town of Competa is Canillas’ nearest neighbour and under a half hour walk away – well worth an explore and a drink in its bustling plaza.

The city of Granada is under a 2 hour drive away and can be visited on the Wednesday day off, as well as its impressive hilltop Moorish palace, the Alhambra.

Other local villages, we recommend as a place to visit

	Nerja		Torrox		Competa
	Algarrobo		Sayalonga		Canillas de Albaida

Other local places you can visit in just one day….