De Balsa is located at 1200 meters altitude in a beautiful hiking area at the foot of the Sierra Nevada between almond and olive groves. The Sierra Nevada National Park is an excellent place for hiking, mountain biking (we have four ATB’s) or horseback riding. From our ground floor lounge you have a marvelous view on the Picón de Jeres and from our house you can walk right into the mountains. Two villages are within walking distance (approx. 1 km.). There is a supermarket, bank, vegetable shop and several bars and restaurants. You will find silence and clean air, space and security.
On the ground floor we have a spacious 40 m² apartment, consisting of a bedroom with a double bed, a living room with an open kitchen and (sofa) extra bed for one person and a bathroom with a toilet and shower. For heating there is a wood stove and a butane stove. Since La Balsa is located at an altitude of 1,250 meters, the nights are generally cool and therefore we do not have air conditioning.
On the first floor we have 5 rooms with individual entrance from the terrace. One room with a double bed, one 3 person room with a double bed and a single bed, one with a single bed, one with a bunk bed and two connected rooms with 5 single beds.
The rooms do not have heating, but we have electric heaters for rent. There is a wood stove and a butane stove in the shared kitchen. La Balsa is located at an altitude of 1250 meters, the nights are generally cool and that is why we do not have air conditioning.
The two bathrooms with showers are on the ground floor with access via an external staircase. The common kitchen-dining room is on the ground floor as well.
The terrace (100m2) has a barbecue and overlooks our olive trees and Picón de Jerez (3000 meters).
The common kitchen has a fireplace and a living room. You can cook yourself or with the other guests.
Eye: our rural house is not a luxury house. Our pool is in the village, and you have to share it with the other Alquifeños, but we do have dishwasher, washing machine, refrigerators, oven and microwave.
Some information for our guests
Transportation
From Alquife you can take the ALSA bus to Guadix and to its final destination Granada. From the Granada bus station you have to take the bus to Aldeire and get of in Alquife. You can consult the ALSA timetables at www.alsa.es.
For €50 we bring you with our own car from Alquife to Granada or from Granada to Alquife and for €15 to or from Guadix.
During your stay, we can drive you around for €0,30 per km.
Shopping
In Alquife you will find a supermarket, Coviran, close to the church. It opens at 09:30, closes between 14:00-17:30 and closes again at 20:00. The ATM-machine is around the corner.
The bakery is on the main road and opens at 09:30.
Next to the town hall there is a greengrocer.
Lanteira has a little supermarket named Angel.
There is an open air market on Wednesday in Lanteira and on Saturday in Guadix.
There is a second hand market on Sunday in Baza.
Eating and drinking
Tapas are free in our region. In Alquife you will find a bar on the village main street.
In nearby Lanteira you find Bar La Plaza at the central square (closed on Thursdays) and Bar Felix around the corner, only opens in the weekends.
Lanteira has a restaurant: Altozano ( During the year only open in the weekends in the month of august it is open during the whole week except Monday, and it is closed in July).
The Swimming pool
Is open in July and August, and it has a bar and restaurant. (3 euro entrée)
In case of an emergency
The general phone number in case of emergencies is 112. For the Guardia Civil, call 062. The Centro de Salud Alquife is located at Calle Los Pozos. For emergencies, call 902505061, 7/24.
Guided tours in the castle of la Calahorra.
The castle in La Calahorra you can visit on Wednesday morning, in summer also in the afternoons (entrée 3 euro).
Hiking in the high mountains, Postero Alto and Puerto de la Ragua
If you want to hike high in the mountains, you can drive to Puerto de la Ragua. Or you can drive to Jeres de Marquezado and go walking right after the aquaduct or ride to Postero Alto if you take the road at about 300 mtrs. (km. 13). after the aqua duct at you left to Refugio Postero alto. (open in the weekends).
Ruta de los molinos (Route of the mills)
Duration: about 1,5 h.
Difficulty: easy.
From our house, walk about 30 yards to the main dirt path, turn left and follow the path on your right-hand side along the Balsa. You pass the Molino de Raya, a yellowish dwelling, now in ruins. On the next intersection, walk straight ahead (you see a sign which reads ‘Ruta de los molinos’). After about 50 yards, you will pass another cortijo. Walk on until the road descends towards a small river (Río del Barrio), which almost never has any water. Follow the riverbed to the left and climb the bank on your right. About 70 yards up the river you will see on your right a path that leads you to the village of Lanteira. Follow the road until you reach the Calle de los Mineros. Go straight on (in the direction of the Sierra) and follow the Calle Altozano until the end of the village. There you will find a notice board: the official start of the ‘Ruta de los Molinos’. Follow a road alongside a canyon (at your right) and pass the Molino de la Teresica (on your left). At the end of the road, cross the stream and go up turn left and go uphill, and after about 150 yards turn right and head towards a playing field. Follow the road that runs parallel to field, and coming to a forked road take the one on your left. You reach the Molino de Tío Pepe en the ruins of the Molino de Tío Víctor. Take a narrow path to descend towards the plain (there ought to be a sign saying ’Ruta de Molinos’) and follow the path to the village cemetery. Walk alongside the cemetery, cross the Río del Barrio (the same you encountered on your way to Lanteira) and turn left towards our cortijo. After passing two other mills, at about 250 yards the sign ‘Ruta de los Molinos’ wants you to turn left. Keep walking straight ahead and after a few minutes you will see our cortijo on your right
Ruta de los Arrieros (Peñón de Lanteira)
Duration: back and forth approx. 2,5 hours (9 hours to the other side of the mountains).
Difficulty: average.
Take the route as described in the Ruta de los Molinos.
At the information board at the other end of the village of Lanteira, take the road on your left instead of walking alongside the canyon. You will reach a soccer field and on your right a few meters from the path you will see the first pole with an arrow of the Ruta de los Arrieros. Leave the dust road and climb the hill. Follow the poles (every 50/60 yards you will find one) until you reach after about one hour a viewpoint with a board on which you will find the names of the surrounding mountains. Here you can return or continue to climb and follow the poles (sometimes hard to find) to a path that leads to an old cortijo. This path crosses the Sierra in the direction of Yegen, the village where in the 1920’s Gerald Brenan used to live.
Tajo de Toril
Duration: back and forth about 4 hours.
Route is also on the "komoot " app. (https://www.komoot.nl/tour/1447925950?ref=aso) but there the first part is done by car)
Difficulty: average
Take the route as described in the Ruta de los Molinos.
At the information board at the other end of the village of Lanteira, take the road on your left instead of walking alongside the canyon. You will reach a soccer field and on your right, you will see the first pole (with arrow) of the Ruta de los Arrieros. Leave the dust road and climb the hill. Follow the poles (every 50/60 yards you will find one) until after about 15 minutes you reach a kind of tree house. Leave the Ruta de los Arrieros and turn left. Follow this path until you reach a wide forest road. Go uphill and after about 200 yards you see a pile of stones at your right, some tree roots and a tiny tree. Climb the narrow path and after about 50 yards you get back on the same wide road. Cross the road and climb up on the other side (there is again a pile of stones as a marking). After around 30 minutes you pass a cattle corral. Not far from there you get to a crossroad. Go straight ahead. When reaching a fork in the road, take the path on your left. Descending, after about 30 minutes you reach a small river. Cross the river and keep left (climb over a tree trunk) and follow the river. You will see a large boulder (the thirst one of three). You will continue under the pine trees until the end (approx. 5 min). There is another grand boulder (the third one) and then go uphill. The soil is becoming rockier and you keep to the right until you find a narrow path next to the cliff. Follow the path above the river (approx 500 mtr) until you find a cattle corral. You reached your goal, the Tajo de Torril.
Ruta Solidaria “El Avión” (PRA 344, Chorreras Negras)
A beautiful track that leads you to the spot where on the 8th of March 1960 a US military plane coming from Naples made an emergency landing in the snow.
Duration: 5 - 6 hours.
Difficulty: medium
Take the GR-5104 from La Calahorra-Alquife-Lanteira to Jérez del Marquesado. When entering the village, you pass an aqueduct. About 100 yards (ca. 91 m) further down the road turn left to Postero Alto (it is a hairpin curve and there is a sign that reads Postero Alto). Drive up to the refugio. Close to Postero Alto, as the road turns left, in front of you will see a white concrete shed. Park your car, and follow a trail downward. You pass a little house on your left, a corral in front of you and a small path leads you further down to a wooden bridge over a small river. It is there where the PRA 344 starts. Follow the PRA 344 signs until you reach the spot where the airplane crashed. A small memorial reminds you of the misfortune of those US-marines
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