The Guadalfeo is a small river in the

province of Granada Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropical). ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

between the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

mountain range and the coastal ranges of

Sierra de la Contraviesa Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

and Lújar. This river is formed by the merging of three rivers, the

Rio Poqueira 250px, Bridge over the Río Poqueira The Poqueira is a river in La Alpujarra region in the province of Granada, in Spain. It is formed by the confluence of streams that rise near the summit of Mulhacén, the highest peak of the Sierra Nevada mou ...

Río Trevélez Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, and Cádiar. The Poqueira and the Trevélez join shortly before the confluence with the Cádiar near the town of

Órgiva Órgiva is a Spanish town municipality in comarca of Alpujarra Granadina (which is located within the larger Alpujarras region) in the province of Granada, Andalusia. It has a population of around 6,000 and lies in the Alpujarra valley between the ...

. The river flows through the region of

La Alpujarra The Alpujarra (, Arabic: ''al-bussarat'') is a natural and historical region in Andalusia, Spain, on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valley. The average elevation is above sea level. It extends over two provinces, ...

for much of its course and enters the sea near

Motril Motril () is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean coast in the Granada, Spain. It is the second largest town in the province, with a population of 60,368 as of 2016. The town is located near the Guadalfeo River and is from Granada. Hi ...

after passing through a spectacular gorge between the Lújar and Chaparal mountains. Although it is often dried up by this point, its waters are often used for agricultural purposes. The Rules dam was recently built across the river near

Vélez de Benaudalla Vélez de Benaudalla is a municipality in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2008 census (INE), the city has a population of 2,980 inhabitants. The municipality includes the hamlet of La Gorgoracha, about south of the municipal ce ...

at the head of the gorge, resulting in the creation of a large reservoir and the flooding of a section of the river valley.

See also