The abandoned village in Malaga's Axarquía that has become a tourist phenomenon

A village in the Axarquía area of Malaga province that was abandoned after the country's Civil War has become a popular rural tourism destination thanks to the determination of a handful of families who have invested in its restoration in recent years.

El Acebuchal sits in the heart of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama natural park, which extends through Cómpeta, Frigiliana, Nerja and Canillas de Aceituno in Malaga province, as well as municipalities in Granada such as Alhama de Granada and Jayena.

The immediate surroundings of the village combine pine forests with junipers, savins, broom, thyme, rosemary and wild orchids, a variety of flora that reflects the richness of the ecosystem that surrounds the valley and makes this a privileged place.

The village currently consists of 33 houses but in former times it had a population of 100, with 20 houses, two inns and an oil mill. As time went by, the population increased. In the middle of the 20th century there were 180 inhabitants and 44 houses distributed between El Acebuchal de arriba and el abajo (upper and lower Acebuchal) as well as 20 farmhouses and three hectares of farmland.

At the height of the 20th century, the economy of El Acebuchal was based on agriculture, livestock and other traditional industries. However, the Civil War and post-war period took its toll and by 1949 all its inhabitants had left.

Then in 1998 the García Sánchez family and others whose ancestors had lived in the village decided to restore the village. Without electricity, water and the rest of the facilities and infrastructure of modern life, the houses and streets were rebuilt to achieve the result of today's El Acebuchal.

One of the driving forces behind the resurgence of this area has undoubtedly been rural tourism, with rental properties promising tranquillity in a village of white houses surrounded by nature.

Bar Restaurante El Acebuchal has played an essential role and has become the social and gastronomic nucleus of the village, as well as one of the factors that most contributes to explain its growing fame as a rural destination. This is no coincidence, as it is run by the sons of the founders of the village's recovery.

They bake their own bread every day and have a menu based on traditional recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Game and free-range meat is the protagonist, with dishes such as wild boar, partridge, chicken, rabbit and hare. Desserts and traditional cakes complete the gastronomic experience and it is even mentioned in the Repsol Guide.