Take one look at the epic scenery surrounding Granada and you’ll be itching to get out there ASAP. For nature and adrenaline sports lovers, it’s pretty much an unbeatable location. Trust me: I lived there for five years.

The Sierra Nevada mountains are right on the doorstep and make for the perfect adventure playground.

What to do in Granada? There is too much to cram into one blog post, but here, at least, are some of the best things to do in Granada in summer:

1) Hiking

There are miles and miles of countryside hiking routes to amble along in the Granada province, all varying in degrees of difficulty.

A popular and easy route is Los Cahorros in Monachil, a small town just outside of Granada capital. The trail is flat the entire way and runs alongside a rocky stream. There is a long drawbridge beside a waterfall which feeds into the stream below. In the summer it’s great to cool off here so bring your swimwear along! There is also a bit of ducking and dodging required at times, since the path flanks a rather jagged rock-face, but there are handles for you to hang on to as you clamber your way around.

For something a bit more vertical, you may want to explore beyond Monachil and climb Mount Trevenque. As one of the lesser known Granada attractions, you won't find many tourists here. The terrain here is very rocky but not too steep until the last quarter, when you’ll need to work hard! It’s best to go with a guide as the route is quite long and high; that way you don’t have to worry about getting lost or – in the worst case scenario – stranded on the mountain for the night! I’d recommend Wayne Hurst, a local in Monachil. He knows the mountains better than any other English-speaking guide. A trip to Monachil is one of the most popular Granada day trips.

If you’re after the ultimate challenge, head for La Alpujarra in the Sierra Nevada and have a crack at summiting Mulhacen – mainland Spain’s highest mountain at 3478m. Generally, climbers split the hike across two days. Day one is all about getting to the isolated refuge – a 20km hike along the Camino de la Sierra unless you opt for the minivan which will drop you at the top of the hill about 5km away. Day two will leave you breathless. There are two or three ways to the summit, all marked with little rock piles. I went last year and took the steepest route, but we made it in good time. The 3-4 hour return leg down to Trevelez was the hardest on the calves and knees. My advice: walk back along the road to Capileira!

2) Rock-climbing

Personally, I’ve never been rock-climbing in Granada – I’ll admit, I’m too scared – but I have seen some gnarly rock faces being scaled like they were mere garden fences.

In Monachil (yes, again), during our walk through Los Cahorros we passed a few climbers beginning an ascent. I couldn’t tell how high it was from the bottom as there was an overhang. It wasn’t until we took the high road on our way back did we realise the sheer size of the rocks they were climbing. Talk about balls. These guys’ cojones were so big they had their own safety harness.

3) Mountain Biking

Cycling is taken very seriously in Granada. Just about every day you’re bound to see a herd of skin-tight, brightly-coloured lycra-wearing dudes pedalling laboriously into the city after a day of what would surely be unimaginable pain.

But it does feel good to get to the top. I pushed and pedalled my way 12km up to Quéntar, where a huge, turquoise-blue reservoir – mirage-like when you turn the final corner – is the perfect place for a swim. It is also the site of an enormous dam and the view from the bridge is epic. On a very rare occasion – perhaps once or twice – I resisted the temptation to cool off in the lake and carried on to Güéjar de Sierra, a Granada town 1,100m high and very close to the Sierra Nevada ski resort. From here you can see the peaks of Veleta and Mulhacen (see above) but alas, there is no swimming.

For rockier and more challenging terrain, Monachil is your best bet!

4) Kayaking

If you visit Granada during summer it won't be long until you are desperate to cool off. Lucky for you, Granada’s wild landscape is dotted with great, glass-like lakes. One that will immediately spring to mind for anyone who knows the area well is Embalse de Bermejales (Lake Bermejales). For me, the fresh water here beats any of the beaches in Andalucia – the temperature is perfect and neither your skin nor eyes are irritated by salt from the sea. You can hire kayaks and water bikes from the local campsite and spend an hour or two rowing/pedaling/drifting to your heart’s content (any more than that and you will melt to death).

You can even go kayaking in the sea, along the stretch of coastline between Nerja’s Burriana beach and Maro which features dozens of secluded caves, caverns and waterfalls. Technically, the area belongs to the Costa del Sol, rather than Granada’s Costa Tropical, but we are talking a matter of a few kilometres.

5) Paragliding

Not only is paragliding an amazing experience, it’s also surprisingly easy (and cheap!) to do it in Granada. There are several operators you can find online but let me save you the trouble and straight up recommend Roman, who is not only a very cool and funny guy but has years of experience too. He takes clients paragliding over Cenes de la Vega, a 15-minute drive away from Granada, and if the wind is too strong to fly the day you go there will be no charge.

6) Paintball

Yes, you will sweat buckets in those overalls but paintball is that much fun you really won’t care. Plus, it’s cheaper and quieter in summer!

Last year a large group of us booked an afternoon at Color Paintball about 35km outside of Granada, as part of a raging stag weekend. There were three huge installations with plenty of places to hide or sneak up on unsuspecting opponents, and another indoor installation for when the heat became too intense. It was here that the rest of us were allowed to unload all of our remaining pellets on the stag as he scurried unarmed along a massive wall and back again in front of us! It was great until Kike, our guide, handed a fully loaded gun to the stag after we ran out of amo. Things took a sudden turn for the worse then.

7) Quad Biking

Another very apt activity for stag parties yet one that has so far eluded me in Granada. I know the opportunity exists, as I’ve seen quad bike convoys operating in La Alpujarra and near Quéntar when out on bike rides, but it's probably not what you would consider normal Granada tourism.

8) Rock jumping

Rock-jumping; cliff-jumping; “tombstoning” (as commonly referred to in the UK); or just plain insanity – jumping from great heights into deep rock pools or lagoons is something you will often see in Andalucia, if you know the right spot.

You can do it in Salobreña, the small beach town less than an hour’s drive from Granada capital. Here there is a giant, lone crag – about 40-50ft high – called El Peñon. In recent years el peñon has become the go-to site for rock-jumping, despite how blatantly dangerous it is. Obviously there are different heights you can jump from, and the water is deep enough even if you jump from the top (I’ve seen kids do this) but there is always a chance you could land badly and seriously injure yourself!

Alternatively, you can hurl yourself into the paradise-like, waterfall-fed lagoon of the Junta de los dos Ríos, where Rio Verde and Rio Negro meet in the Andalucian sticks, if you can get there. This is one of the most beautiful yet most difficult places to visit in Granada. We attempted to find it a while back and failed completely. However, we did come across another smaller lagoon with two waterfalls which we then luckily had all to ourselves for the day.

(this article first appeared on my personal blog Spain for Pleasure)