Campillo de Arenas, Spain: travel guide to the Sierra Magina gorge and frontier castle

Campillo de Arenas is a town in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia, set at around 874 metres in the south-west of the Sierra Mágina region, where the hills meet the Sierra Sur. Home to some 2,000 to 2,500 people, it lies in the valley of the Campillo river on the historic route between Jaén and Granada.

For travellers searching for Campillo de Arenas, the Puerta de Arenas gorge, the Moorish castle or Sierra Mágina, it offers dramatic landscapes, frontier history and excellent olive oil.

History and the Puerta de Arenas

The area was settled in prehistoric and Roman times, but its great landmark is the spectacular limestone gorge of the Puerta de Arenas, a natural gateway a few kilometres from the town, guarded by a Moorish castle that for some 250 years marked the frontier between the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada and Christian Castile. The present town was founded by royal charter in the early 16th century and repopulated in 1539, and its old wayside inns were famous enough to be remembered by travelling writers such as Mérimée, Dumas and Richard Ford.

Sights and nature

In the town stands the Renaissance parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación, while the surrounding country of olive groves, pine and esparto is ideal for walking, with the Quiebrajano reservoir and the Cañada de las Hazadillas nearby. The local olive oil carries the Sierra Mágina Designation of Origin.

Practical information

Campillo de Arenas lies about 38 kilometres south of Jaén and around 58 kilometres from Granada, directly on the A-44 motorway linking the two cities, making it an easy and scenic stop.