The Valle de Lecrín was known to the Arabs as الإقليم (al-iqlīm), meaning "the gateway", or "the region/district", an abbreviation of إقلإيم القصب (iqlīm al-qaṣb), "the sugar cane region, as this area served as a place of passage to and from the sugar cane plantations positioned along the Granada coast. You still can see the husks of some of the old, abondened sugar processing factories of the 19th Century along the coast today, such as the Azúcarera Guadalfeo Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Salobreña, which is now a place of cultural significance.
The Lecrín valley is a beautiful area with its white-washed villages, citrus groves and stunning views of the often snowy peaked Sierra Nevada. Its mountain sides are lush and verdant, for its fed with fresh mountain water that runs from the surrounding Sierras, feeding its orchard-covered slopes and vegetable gardens all year long. The miraculous georgaphical positioning of the Lecrín Valley means it can offer a little bit of everything; it is far away from the hustle and bustle of the coast, yet within very easy reach for a day at the beach (30-40 minute drive), and it is a short 30-minute drive to the sensuous Moorish city of Granada. It is surrounded by some breathtaking walks, stunning river channels and has within its villages, an abundant history that is waiting to be discovered. It is an area that is becoming an increasingly popular destination for walkers, bird watchers, cyclists and artists..
The comarca of the Lecrín valley itself consists of a collection of small villages that are set amongst a backdrop of sprawling olive and almond groves, citrus fields and avocado orchards. The valley is famous for its sweet oranges, which can be seen as far as the eye can see and litter roadsides at harvest time. There are often more lemons and oranges here than what people know what to do with! Other notable crops in the area include the fruit from Loquat trees, (or Nispera as it is known here), Custard Apples, (or Chirimoya ), Walnut trees, Pinetrees (we are yet to find a way of harvesting pinenuts), and grape vines, which over the houses in the older parts of the valley, providing much needed shade in the summer months. Most of the families who own a vine, make their own wine. This is traditionally done on a full moon in September.