Welcome
Welcome to the Virtual Tour of the El Dornajo Visitor Centre, located in Güéjar Sierra, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The aim of the centre is to enable you to get to know the natural world of the Sierra Nevada in a different way, through an exciting journey full of mysteries and wonders. Here you’ll be able to discover the treasures of the Sierra Nevada, which is part of the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA).
At the centre you’ll find a reception area where visitors are welcomed, a gift shop where you have the opportunity to purchase products connected with the surrounding area, and a zone with information about the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA), all together in a central space. The building also has a room for meetings, exhibitions and events, which is also where a video on the treasures of the Natural Area is screened.
This allows the visitor to discover the best-kept secrets of these magnificent mountains. A good example are the Transnevada bicycle tourism routes and the great circular Sulayr trail, which beings right here at the Visitor Centre.
Throughout the tour of the exhibition, you’ll have the privilege of getting to know the most distinguished romantic travellers who visited these unexplored lands in search of adventure, and to experience first-hand their emotions, longings and fears. Then you can take a ride on the old Sierra Nevada tram to the Gran Hotel; both the tram and the hotel are symbols of the beginnings of tourism in this area. Finally, a comprehensive activities guide awaits you on the top floor, where you can find out more about the many possible ways of enjoying the Sierra Nevada, such as the marvellous villages and the people who live up here on the roof of Andalusia.
In these links you can find more information about this Protected Natural Area with downloadable material such as trails, opening hours, how to get there, map with all the facilities for public use, etc.
El Dornajo Visitor Center: lajunta.es/3p0gz
Sierra Nevada Natural Area: lajunta.es/3sq8s
Complete your visit with ecotourism experiences with local companies. You can consult the offer in the following link: ecoturismoandaluz.com
For activities aimed at the educational community, associations of people with functional diversity and local population, you can access through the link: reservatuvisita.ecoturismoandaluz.com
A Sanctuary for Plant and Animal Life
The Sierra Nevada Protected Natural Area is considered a sanctuary for plant and animal life, due to the enormous diversity of species - particularly of plants and insects - that live there. Many of them are found exclusively in these mountains, making it one of the planet’s biodiversity hotspots. Here there are landscapes that are unique in Andalusia, such as the high peaks with their snowfields and lakes.
But these mountains would not be as we see them today if it were not for the local people, who have shaped the landscape over time, for better or for worse. For all these reasons, it was declared a Biosphere Reserve, and later a Nature Reserve and National park.
Sierra Nevada: A source of wealth
In this room you can watch the video The Treasures of the Sierra Nevada, which shows the natural and human resources and heritage values of the region by way of an ethnographic journey through landscapes and traditional practices such as agriculture and mining, the medicinal uses of the thermal and mineral waters, and the creation of ice houses. It also tells the story of how the construction of the first tram line to cross these mountains in the 19th century fuelled the growth of tourism.
A whole world, waiting to be discovered
The immense wealth of flora in the Sierra Nevada attracted leading scientists who soon fell in love with its imposing landscapes.
Simón de Rojas Clemente (1777-1827). The man who measured the mountain..
Among his works, Geografía del Reino de Granada (Geography of the Kingdom of Granada) stands out. It includes detailed measurements of the peaks of the Sierra Nevada which he climbed, studying the plants he found along the way.
Nicknamed “the wise Moor” because he dressed in the Muslim style, this Valencian naturalist did important topographical and botanical work, and is noted for being the first person ever to study lichens in Spain. As a tribute to this great scientist, the plant genus Clementea was named after him.
Edmond Boissier (1810-1883): A Swiss in Andalusian Switzerland.
His work Viaje botánico al Sur de España durante el año 1837 (A Botanical Trip to Spain during the year 1837) was highly praised for its meticulousness: On his first trip to the Sierra Nevada, Bossier was overwhelmed by the beauty of everything he saw, excited by the prospect of new horizons capable of stirring all the five senses.
This Swiss botanist is the prototype of the traveller for whom scientific endeavour always takes second place to the adventure of the trip itself, the satisfaction of discovering new species, new landscapes and new people along every step of the way. It was in this spirit that he travelled halfway around the world, creating one of the best herbaria of his time.
Mauritz Willkomm (1821-1895). In the footsteps of those who came before..
This distinguished Austrian botanist followed in the footsteps of Clemente and Boissier in his quest to reveal the secrets of plants. Like them, all his work radiates that unmistakable air of Romanticism, the result of a perfect mix of the academic rigour of a scientific text and the readability of a travelogue.
A whole world, waiting to be discovered
At the height of the Romantic movement, a number of famous writers succumbed to the charms of the Sierra Nevada.
Washington Irving (1783-1859). An American at the court of ‘El Rey Chico’, the last of the Moorish kings of Granada..
As a writer of great renown, Irving spread the image of Andalusia around the world through his famous Tales of the Alhambra, conceived during his stay in this dreamlike palace that centuries before had been the home of the last Muslim king, Boabdil el Chico.
The “Washington Irving Route” was created as a tribute to the first American author and diplomat to achieve international renown, thanks to the elegant, simple and colourful style of his narratives. It runs between Seville and Granada, and retraces the writer’s travels of 1829.
Alejandro Dumas (1802-1870). A novelist hungry for adventures.
At that time, much of the Sierra Nevada was wild and untamed, as well as dangerous, as reflected by Dumas in The Brigand of the Sierra Nevada, a novel with a hero who, according to the standards of the time was the quintessential rebel.
With more than 300 novels published, including The Three Musketeers, he was one of the most prolific authors of his time.
His tales are always full of fantasy, excitement and intrigue, managed in such a way that reader is skilfully drawn into the story. In fact many of them were published in a series of instalments that were inserted into newspapers. Although he was hugely successful, he squandered his fortune, and died bankrupt.
Gerald Brenan (1894-1987). The magnetism of the Alpujarra.
The slow pace of life in Yegen, where he spent six years, captured the imagination of this hispanist who’d had his fill of Anglo-Saxon rigidity. The sharp ears of this great observer missed not even the slightest of sounds; with a stroke of the pen he was able to conjure the most beautiful of soundscapes.
A British writer and hispanist, Brenan was able to pin down the distinctive microcosm of a village in the Alpujarras at the dawn of the 20th century like no-one else. Brenan's powers of observation, and great sensitivity when it came to describing the customs of the local people, the intricacies of their relationships, and ultimately the essence of life in those difficult times, were astonishing.
Sierra Nevada. A source of progress
At the beginning of the 20th century, two innovative projects championed by a local businessman brought tourism to the mountains for the first time: the tram line and the first hotel in Sierra Nevada.
Julio Quesada, Duke of San Pedro de Galatino, was a far-sighted businessman and the driving force behind two singular initiatives in the Sierra Nevada: the tram line and the hotel. His innovative vision and business acumen made him a key figure in Granada's economic development.
The many projects he promoted with untiring enthusiasm earned him fame and prestige as one of the most entrepreneurial men of his time - so much so that he came to be known as the Duke of Sierra Nevada, an expression of the immense gratitude felt by his people.
The tram line (1925-1974)
The construction of the Sierra Nevada tram line brought modernity to these mountains. These two large scale models give you the chance to relive that innovative project:
Bringing the Sierra Nevada closer: This became a fast and affordable means of transport, opening up huge possibilities for local development by facilitating the mobility of workers, students, tourists and goods, as well as the exploitation of the quarries, mines, timber and coal that would supply the industries. The people of Granada took the tram up from the city to swim in the river, and to go on educational excursions, such as those organised by Father Ferrer.
All aboard!: The tram, which ran on electricity generated by the power station, was conceived as an ambitious project aimed at boosting tourism and commerce in the area, which made it the first large-scale business initiative based on the exploitation of the Sierra Nevada. After five years of construction work, in 1925 the dream finally became a reality, and the tram’s very first journey thrilled all the onlookers.
A monumental achievement: The technical skill and level of investment required to build the many tunnels and bridges that spanned the rugged mountainous terrain was a landmark in civil engineering at the time. The Blanquillo bridge, originally even more graceful, was the first concrete railway bridge in Spain.
More than just a ride: During a journey that took an hour and a half, the tram made its way along a winding route that ran through lush forest and over perilous cliffs, offering passengers an unforgettable experience - thrills and stunning picture postcard views, all for just 5 pesetas. The Veguetas bridge was the most spectacular of them all. It was the same width as the tram itself, which meant that all anyone who dared to lean out of the window could see beneath their feet an imposing precipice that took your breath away.
A fleeting dream: The journey ended at the Charcón halt, from where you could take a horse-drawn carriage to the hotel. Sadly, barely 50 years after it opened, the line was closed, after an emotional farewell journey. The reasons given for the closure were a lack of profitability, safety issues and the construction of the Canales reservoir, which partially covers the route today. However, at times, when the water level drops during periods of drought, the rusty old track slowly resurfaces like an ancient ghost, a shadow and a bitter reminder of the glories of the past.
The Sierra Nevada hotel (1925-1936). An icon of modern times.
At the same time as the tram line project, the duke began work on the construction of a luxurious hotel intended to mark the end of the line, the brilliant culmination of his ambitious vision for the Sierra Nevada. To get such an undertaking off the ground, the duke actually paid for the land and the expropriations out of his own pocket. Like the tram line, the Hotel opened in 1925, and it was soon clear that each complemented the other, the one providing transport, and the other accommodation.
This stone giant has seen famous people, members of the aristocracy and even heads of government such as Manuel Azaña, pass through its doors, a testimony to the splendour of times gone by.
Sierra Nevada: A source of excitement
"El Sulayr"
Solarius for the Romans, Sulayr for the Arabs - both mean the same: The Mountains of the Sun. This was the name given to the Sierra Nevada by our ancestors, impressed by the light reflected on the snow. As a tribute to them, this route,
a circular trail in the Sierra Nevada that runs across the provinces of Granada and Almeria, is called the Sulayr Trail. Suspended between the sky and the earth, the longest circular trail in Spain offers a fascinating journey around the Mountains of the Sun.
In this room you can enjoy the video Among the Clouds, a poetry of sounds and images that will transport you to the skies of the Sierra Nevada, revealing the beauty of the high mountain landscapes of Andalusia.
El Sulayr, the scenic “belt” that circles the Sierra Nevada, represents a magnificent opportunity to go hiking, and to enjoy the majesty of these timeless landscapes, the charm of the villages, and the wisdom of the people.
It’s 360 km long, with 19 stages and an average height of 1,800 metres, and crosses 2 provinces, 6 regions and 60 municipalities. And there’s just one trail that links them all: The Sulayr Trail.
In this link you can download all the information of this cycling route:
lajunta.es/3sl1a
Ascending the Transnevada
The Transnevada is the great mountain bike route in the Natural Area of the Sierra Nevada. This circular route running for more than 450 km offers a unique, unrivalled experience of cycling in a privileged natural setting, and the opportunity to enjoy the rich heritage of the great mountains of southern Europe.
It has 8 stages that range in altitude between 1,500 and 2,000 metres, and are between 45 and 80 km long. The full route takes eight days to complete. There are also 11 one-day routes that complement the Transnevada, which will enable you to enjoy, and explore in depth, the lesser known parts of the Sierra Nevada.
You can download all the information on this bicycle tourism route via the following link: lajunta.es