The town of Zahara is best visited in the afternoon when the sunlight strikes it across the man-made reservoir at the foot of the village. A perfect Pueblo Blanco, Zahara sits on the side of a hill topped by a ruined castle perched on a rocky crag. Follow the steep roads - there is one route up and another down - and you will find a pretty small town with narrow cobbled streets leading to an elongated main square. There are a couple of beautiful churches here and the view from the ruined castle looks out over the surrounding olive groves to a number of nearby towns.

Casares

A quintessential White Town, Casares clings tenuously to the side of a steep hill amidst stunning mountainous scenery. At the top of the hill is a Moorish Fort and an old church, and the rest of the town spills down the sides. Don’t make the mistake of trying to drive here, unless you have a very small car and rock-steady nerves. The streets are far too narrow and end abruptly at the top of the town, with no space to turn around. You might find yourself having to reverse all the way out! Luckily, there is parking on the main road on the outskirts of town.

There are a number of small cafés in Casares, and the views from the fort are tremendous. On the way back to your car you will pass through the tiny main square - little more than a wide street - where old men sit in the shade, discussing the day’s business (and presumably waiting to see how good tourists are at reversing their hire cars out of town).