Pampaneira is one of a trio of popular and picturesque whitewashed villages, Pampaneira – like its neighbours Bubión and Capileira – hugs the steep slopes of a lush river gorge, the Barranco de Poqueiraand at just over 1,000m Pampaneira is the lowest of the three.
This small village with a population of only about 300 has a very pretty square dominated by a 16th-century Mudéjar church, the Iglesia de Santa Cruz, with a wooden coffered ceiling and a couple of gilded altarpieces dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The church is flanked by several bars and handicraft shops and visitors tend to congregate in this area to eat, sit and relax.
In the village itself there are many craft shops selling a range of ceramics, leather work and clothes. Also on offer are the locally produced specialities of cheese and ham. There is also a chocolate factory that you can visit and buy handmade chocolates.
During the winter the Sierra Nevada and the Alpujarra mountains get covered in snow but the villages are rarely affected by snow for more than a few days a time.
From here you can walk up to Bubion and Capileira. The walk is lovely but rather steep. It can take an hour if you are walking slowly to Bubion. When you return it is much faster and also great to see another view of the Poqueira valley from the top coming down to Pampaneira