Andalucia in the South of Spain is one of the best walking areas in Europe - it simply cannot be rivalled for variety of scenery, climate, spectacular mountains, history, culture and some of the most interesting flora and fauna to be found anywhere in the world.
After a short drive east of Malaga you will be in the Axarquia region, one of Spain's wild places preserved from the clutches of property developers by the creation of Natural Parks and in the shadow of the impressive peaks of Tejeda and Almijara mountain ranges
It's a region of historic Moorish Pueblo Blanco's (white villages) and towns scattered amongst dramatic hills and mountains, and blessed with a kind climate in which grape vines, mango trees and kiwi fruits thrive alongside ancient olive and almond groves.
One of these Pueblo Blanco's, Competa, has become known as a walking destination and for good reason, it is located just on the edge of the Sierras Almijara and Tejeda Natural Parks where there are simply hundreds of kilometres of walks.
There really are walks for all abilities and preferences be they a gentle stroll between villages alongside one of the numerous irrigation canals that were first built by the Moors or high up in the sierras on the ancient Granada to Malaga mule track.
You can splash through dramatic river canyons, climb high peaks, stride along breathtaking mountain tracks, ford streams, navigate aquifers that cling to near vertical mountain sides and discover lost villages but the one thing that all walks will have in common though are spectacular views.
If you love walking in unspoilt mountain scenery you will not be disappointed by the Axarquia as it really does have everything
