Sierra de los Filabres route

Every one of Almería’s landscapes is spectacular, but this route also reveals a lesser known and more magical side. A land of contrasts, you will go from desert to snow, from greenhouse crops to the forests least touched by Man, from space technology to the most primitive and attractive nature. The Los Filabres mass rises north of the Tabernas desert, with peaks reaching 2,000 metres. This latitude allows you to ride on mountain roads where you will reach spectacular peaks such as Calar Alto and Alto de Velefique. This contrasting landscape provides a motorcycling route that uses roads filled with curves, with enjoyable stretches and tremendous panoramic views. As you ascend Filabres, the altitude eases the heat of the desert and each stretch affords views of an incredible landscape, speckled with small, labyrinthine and charming villages, lost in the immensity of the massif and anchored in time...fairytale-like. Almeria is breathtaking and absolutely captivating, a paradise for motorcycling.

Leaving behind the Gérgal plains (stop 1) and its splendid castle, you will ride along a short stretch of dual carriageway before turning onto the AL-4404 in search of Aulago. It is a wide road, with a spectacular route, but the asphalt is rather uneven. You are steadily gaining altitude, enjoying exceptional views of the Sierra Nevada and the bay of Almeria. Your motorcycle describes curves among the clouds: amazing! At the summit, at an altitude of almost 2,200 metres, is the Calar Alto astronomical observatory, an astonishing mass and enormous white domes nestled in a mountain landscape, amidst a bewitching emptiness. You descend on the eastern slope, on a broad road, with a good road surface and a gentle route, cutting through an attractive pine forest. Further on you take a detour to the small village of Olula de Castro (stop 2), where it is worth appreciating and discovering its unique urban layout, with its characteristic flat roofs, or terraos, and winding, twisting streets, spilling into a seemingly endless ravine. This architecture may seem very typical of the Alpujarra, but in fact it is characteristic of the high mountains of Granada and Almeria. Incidentally, do not leave this beautiful corner of the mountains without learning about its unique nougat... and without trying it!

For a while, the road narrows and becomes very winding, with very light traffic, but after passing Castro de Filabres it widens again. It is now winding, with many bends, but it has excellent tarmac and good visibility.

Further on, in the village of Velefique and after passing the centre of the village, you begin to ascend its famous mountain pass on the AL-3102, known among cycling aficionados as the ‘Spanish Stelvio’ (the famous mountain pass in the Giro d’Italia). The road twists and turns, with an enormous sequence of hairpins that lead you up to an altitude of 1,800 metres. The asphalt is excellent and the width is very suitable, with lane markings. It is advisable to stop off at the summit to enjoy what could be described as spectacular panoramic views. We should always ride very carefully, since you may encounter other motorcyclists and a good number of cyclists, especially on weekends. A few kilometres from the pass, if you follow the alternative route marked as a mountain road, you will reach the Tetica de Bacares (stop 3). It is an isolated peak, which in the last section, which is steep and narrow, and which offers spectacular 360º views that more than justify the detour: Sierra Nevada, Sierra Alhamilla, Calar Alto, Sierra de María and the Mediterranean Sea will be your rewards for this ascent.

Upon descending the north face you will find a spectacular road that is every bit as impressive as the one you covered on the southern slope. Markedly winding and in good conditions, you will have to take care to avoid the frequent rockfalls that litter the road. After passing Bacares, another striking mountain village, proud equally of its castle and its washhouse, you will begin a new ascent that will lead you to the Ramal pass. From this point on, it’s merely a question of descending via a broad and quick mountain road that is in perfect condition and which offers splendid views of the plains and high basin of the Almanzora Valley, a dry stone continuum that yet preserves a beautiful and attractive landscape formed into terraces, a very singular, harsh example of how Man has related to this barren land like few others. If you would like to take a walk, it is highly recommended to do the route that will lead you to the deserted village of Los Canos through the ancient trees, a place known due to their majesty as the ‘Machu Pichu’ of Almeria.

At the end of your route, you will reach the Andalusian village of Serón, preceded by a stop in the Las Menas complex, a magnificent testament to the mining legacy of these sierras. Its castle and astronomical observatory, beside the El Hierro stretch of the Almanzora greenway, are remarkable, and the unique urban layout and Nasrid origin of its streets is striking. Its meat industry is outstanding, and its sausages and hams, which have been awarded a Protected Geographical Indication, are exquisite. The area’s traditional cuisine is no less appetising, with traditional local dishes such as gurullos (pasta) with hare or rabbit, migas cortijeras (breadcrumbs with meat and vegetables), olla de trigo or olla de hinojos (fennel stew), sausage and potato stew and pumpkin stew.

The Centro Astronómico Hispano (Hispanic Astronomical Centre) in Andalucía, Calar Alto, has the largest astronomical observatory in Europe. Located in the magnificent Los Filabres mountain range, it is on a meseta, at an altitude of 2,168 m, and it has five professional telescopes with an aperture of up to 3.5 metres.