The White Villages located along the Ruta Por Los Pueblos Blancos shine out of the landscape like a multitude of tiny pearls, an intriguing sight that captures the essence of Spain in the atmospheric simplicity of Andalusia.

The Pueblos Blancos are of practical construction. Their thick walls protect against the heat of the sun and they always look new because each year they are treated to a new coat of whitewash.

The mighty Castelar De La Frontera was built in the 12th century and the proud old fortress situated above Algeciras can still be admired today. Seventy tightly-packed houses are located within its walls and in 1971 its inhabitants left the Castillo and built a new village on the plains. Today, wooden shutters ensure a degree of privacy and for many centuries thick stone walls protected those who lived here from invasion.

The route continues to Jimena De La Frontera where fertile pastures and large slopes with cork oaks and olive trees flank the roads.

Ronda enjoys a unique location. It sits on a rock plateau above a steep 165 metre deep canyon. Both the Romans and the Moors, who were defeated by the catholic kings in 1485, left their traces in the city. Due to its location, Ronda was virtually impregnable during the early part of the Middle Ages thus it became one of the last Moorish bastions in Spain.

The journey along the edge of the Sierra De Grazalema Nature Park features fertile pastures and lush meadows, overlooked by the peaks of the Penon Grande. The Pueblos look like white spots created by human hand, scattered across a green landscape.

To experience the historic flavour of Spain, the Ruta Por Los Pueblos Blancos is well worth traversing!