Villa Ciscarejo Country house between orange groves in Gádor (Almería)

A route through the hinterland of the Levante Almeriense, from the Aguas river to the Sierra de Bédar, past one of the most interesting nature reserves in the province, the Karst en Yesos de Sorbas.
Cuenca la Chica, that's what the place Sorbas is called. Its white houses on the ravine are reminiscent of this town in La Mancha, with the famous hanging houses. The strategic location of the place, which overlooks the Aguas River from a height, was appreciated by settlers in prehistory. The cave Cueva del Tesoro, the Levantine-style cave paintings that can be seen in La Mela and the Cariatiz settlement from the El Argar culture are witnesses to its long history.

The current town, which is of Roman origins, got its name from the Moors. Sorbas means pot of sand in Arabic, a place name that may allude to a type of clay vessel, a tradition that continues to this day. In the Alfareria district there are some Arab ovens that are still in use.
The urbanism and architecture of Islamic origins mix with Christian contributions such as the church of Santa María and the numerous noble palaces, which recall the glorious past of the place from which the Marquis del Carpio once ruled over his lands. A good example of this is the Casa del Duque de Alba. Also worth mentioning is the Los Molinos del Río Aguas district, surrounded by a landscape of kitchen gardens and oil mills.

Above all, Sorbas is known for its karst formations, which are among the most important in all of Europe: the Karst en Yesos de Sorbas is an absolute must for speleologists.
If you follow the foothills of the Sierra de los Filabres in a northerly direction you come to Lubrín. Its whitewashed houses, in front of which the silhouette of the church stands out, lie at the foot of a rock in the middle of a landscape full of almond trees.
If you walk through its narrow streets, you will be surprised by the many flower-decorated balconies, the coats of arms of the noble families on the facades and the numerous squares. An oasis of peace that invites you to enjoy the hospitality of its residents in complete comfort.
The surroundings of Lubrín, dotted with villages and farms, are home to a wide range of cave paintings, from Piedra de la Cera to the Cueva de los Murciélagos, where the people of the early Paleolithic lived thousands of years ago. To spend a day in the middle of nature, we recommend the El Marchalico excursion site.

Bédar, located in the heart of the homonymous Sierra, is a simple village with a Moorish touch, whose origins go back to a country house from the Al-Andalus era. This was also the heyday of the town of Serena, whose church of Santa María de la Cabeza (16th century) still has one of the facades of the former mosque.
Proclaimed a Royal Villa in 1765, Bédar would prosper in the 19th century thanks to mining. The 17th century church, the remains of the Moorish castle, the Lavadero and the Fuente de Bedarín are recommended for visits.
A remnant of the area's mining past is the settlement of El Pinar, which has now been transformed into an urbanization, most of whose buildings have been restored. This settlement played an important role in mining in Almería after the first cable crane in the province was built in 1888, connecting El Pinar to the Garrucha blast furnace, and in 1896 a railway line was built to the loading dock in Garrucha, from where the ore was shipped .