Casa Bella Teepees is right ‘in the heart’ of the Granada Geopark! 

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Integrated into the UNESCO Global Network of Geoparks, we’re  amongst the most unique landscape of semi-desert, featuring a succession of tens of thousands of gullies and “Badlands” surrounded by mountains and peaks of the Sierra Nevada (we love the term Badlands!). Situated in one of the few natural deserts in Europe you can walk, cycle, trek 4x4 or ride horseback among this rugged natural beauty.

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Unfamiliar with the term ‘Badlands’ we googled it and learnt that it’s a geological landscape sculpted by erosion into rocky outcrops, gorges, river canyons, sharp gullies, clay ridges and a thousand other capricious forms.

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If geology interests you then this should rock your socks! The Granada Geopark has more than 70 sites of interest and spectacular landscapes that must be visited, such as the Mirador del Fin del Mundo, the viewpoints of Mirador Cárcavas de Marchal and Mirador Badlands de Purullena, and Los Coloraos, an amazing spot in the Gorafe desert that owes its name to the predominant reddish colour of the geological formations of its clay soil.  The viewpoint at the top of Mount Jabalcón, the backdrop to Casa Bella Teepees and many of our photos, with its 1,488 meters of altitude, offers a spectacular 360 degree panorama of the north of Granada.  Additionally, the boardwalk of the El Sendero de la Cerrada del Rio Castril o de las Pasarelas, is one of the easiest and most beautiful walks and a real hit with our guests.

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The Geopark’s subsoil has thermal waters and had led to their therapeutic use since Roman times. The spas of Graena,  Alicún de las Torres and 5 minutes down the road in Zujar,  active for twenty centuries, offer visitors a chance to release the stresses of work and busy life in unique surroundings.

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We recommend a tranquil walk around the protected historical sites of Guadix, Castril de la Peña and Baza. Without missing Guadix’s Roman theater and cathedral, Castril’s Peña and medieval castle, and Baza’s medina and the Arab bath’s.

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The nearby villages and towns of Baza, Benamaurel, Orce, Galera, Cuevas del Campo, Castilléjar, Guadix, Benalúa and Purullena have thousands of caves that have been inhabited since the Middle Ages. These unique troglodyte habitats, often restored as unique homes, restaurants, wine cellars, museums and baths, are another unique feature of the Geopark.

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We have plenty of maps to guide you around this area, just ask!