Almunecar with Melanie

I had the opportunity a couple weekends ago to spend a few days in the province of Granada in the southern part of Spain. This area contains the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and is full of nature, which is just my thing! The first night I spent in the town of Almunecar, which is a beach town about an hour and a half west of Malaga. Many people visiting Almunecar are there to head up into the mountains instead of down to the beach, which is what I did my second day.

In the morning, I made my way up to the town of Otivar, which is about 30 minutes inland and north of Almunecar and sits between the Cazulas and Almijara mountains. I met up with a group of Spaniards for a canyoning adventure, which consisted of an approximately 4 mile hike that snaked along along the banks of the Rio Verde (Green River), and then a hike back down in the river itself in a full wetsuit with a helmet and harness! It consisted of jumping off small cliffs, sliding down rocks, and rappelling down waterfalls, and although I don't know Spanish that well (if at all), I developed a sense of camaraderie with the expedition leaders and other hikers as we made our way down the canyon together.

The weekend was so much fun and surreal in so many ways. I am glad I was able to explore the wonders of Spain that are off the beaten path of most tourists, but that are truly majestic.