The Villages of Los Guájares
Just north, over the first wall of mountains that frame the Costa Tropical, is nestled the beautiful valley of Los Guájares. It is nourished by the River Toba that comes from the higher mountains and winds its way through the Los Guájares valley, providing abundant water for the lush fruit cultivation of the Guajar Valley.
The Los Guájares valley, long dominated by the Arab conquerors until the 15th century, was named Los Guájares by those Arabs which translates into "oasis between the mountains" and the village of Guajar Alto "paradise on earth".
Guajar FondĂłn: Guajar FondĂłn is located on the Rio de la Toba, at 263 meters of altitude, and it has almost 500 inhabitants. The church is an interesting example of the first Mudejar parish. It was restored in the second half of the XVIII century, respecting the original Mudejar architecture.
Guajar Faragüit: Guajar Faragüit is the most important of the three Guájares towns, since it houses the head of the district and the town council. Guajar Faragüit is located over Guajar Fondón and below Guájar Alto and its name means in the original Arabic "hidden garden". Near its center, crowning a hill, there is an old fortified town in a very good state of preservation called El Castillejo. It was built between the end of the XIII century and the beginning of the XIV century, during the period of Almohade domination.
Guajar Alto: As its name indicates, Guajar Alto is the highest of the three Guájares towns and it is situated at 450 meters in altitude. It is also the smallest of the three towns, and is the furthest away from the coast. The name Guájar derives from the Arab word "Wa-run" meaning "of difficult access".


Village Information
Region: | Costa Tropical |
Post Code: | 18615 |
# of inhabitants: | ~ 2000 |
Inhabitants: | Los Guájares |
Distance to Granada: | 64 km |
Where is Los Guájares located?
Los Guájares of the Costa Tropical in the Granada province is a region of traditional small mountain villages located near the Mediterranean coast of Spain in the Andalucia (Andalus) region. Los Guájares is located in an area also called Valle de Guajar or Guajar Valley and is easily accessible by paved smaller roads that connect with a major highway.
Getting There
The nearest coast is at Salobreña. The large town of Motril is only 35 minutes from Guajar Alto, and the town of Almuñécar situated on the coast of the Costa Tropical is only a little further away.
You will pass through the small hamlet of Zaza with its spring of mountain water for thirsty travelers and further along you will glimpse a dark red Arab fortress, which glows against the sky. It sits very prominently on a saddle of land with endless views down to Salobreña and the Mediterranean in one direction and across to the Alpujarras in another. On the other side of the road here is an old Italianate house, which was once a staging post for shepherds driving sheep and goats from the coast up to higher altitude summer pastures and making the seaward journey later in the year.