Via Ferrata and Rock Climbing

If you want to get the adrenaline pumping, there are lots of exciting outdoors activities in the Sierra Nevada. Via ferrata and rock climbing are two of the most popular ones, and there are lots of great options in the area. We recommend going with a local guide – as well as being much safer, they can recommend a good itinerary, provide equipment and get you to and from the location where you’ll be climbing. Some locations are suitable for beginners, including families with children.

A via ferrata (Italian for “iron road”) is a climbing route with a combination of steel handholds, cables, chains, ladders and rungs fixed into the rock. If you wear a climbing harness you can attach yourself to the steel cable with a so-called via ferrata set. The set, which consists of an attachment loop, a lanyard (rope) and a couple of metal hooks called carabiners, will catch you if you lose your footing and fall. The rungs and ladders help you to get past the most difficult sections of the route, so you don’t need any climbing experience to try via ferrata.

There are lots of via ferrata routes around the Sierra Nevada, some of which you can do with a guide. Here are a selection:

• Moclín: The village of Moclin, which is a 40-minute drive from Granada, has a couple of popular routes: Via Ferrata Pueblos de Moclín and Via Ferrata Fuente Vieja. There’s also a picturesque ruined castle perched on the cliffs above the village.
• Quéntar: Less than half an hour from Granada, Quéntar also has two routes: La Colmena de Quéntar and Qaryat Al-Kantar (for children).
• Motril: Along the old main road to the coast , around 10 km north of Motril, you’ll find the Via Ferrata Los Vados.
• Alicún de las Torres: this is an easy route by a spa in the fascinating landscape of the Granada Geopark. There are also a couple of marked trails and a small canyon you can descend into.