A beautiful karst landscape, authentic villages and interesting sights: the Sierra de las Nieves National Park is a spectacularly beautiful part of Spain! It is the youngest national park in Spain. In 2019 it was allowed to join the other 15 Parques Nacionales of the country. Before that, Sierra de Las Nieves was declared a Natural Park by the Parliament of Andalusia in 1989. In 1995, the park was also included on the list of UNESCO biosphere reserves.
From a high mountain top to a deep gorge
The nature park is located in the south of Spain. The approximately 20,000 hectare national park is located in the province of Málaga of the autonomous region of Andalusia. The name means the mountains of snow. With the high mountains, of which the Torrecilla with 1919 meters is the highest one, this name is not surprising. Yet the name for the nature reserve is not only derived from the snow-capped mountain peaks, but also from the snow pits. Before the fridge existed, the population built up a stock of snow in these pits. This way they also had ice in winter. In addition to mountains, Sierra de las Nieves also has a series of caves. One of these is the GESM which goes up to 1,101 meters deep. Do you want to go up high to enjoy a beautiful view? Then go to Mirador del Guardia Forestal, from which you look out over the nature reserve from 900 meters above sea-level. If you want to explore this park thoroughly, you can go hiking or cycling. There are various cycling and hiking routes in Sierra de las Nieves.
Sierra de las Nieves: an abundance of flora and fauna
In terms of nature, Sierra de las Nieves has a number of beautiful aspects. The rare Spanish fir, the Pinsapo, grows here in abundance. We recommend to also visit the ancient Pinsapo de Las Escaleretas. This is the largest Spanish fir in the park and measures 26 meters high and 5 meters wide. You will also find about 1500 different plant species here. For bird watchers there is also plenty to see in Sierra de las Nieves. No fewer than 120 different species occur in this nature reserve, including vultures and eagles. Furthermore, the fauna of Sierra de las Nieves offers mammals such as ibex and otters.
Discover the national park
The national park is located between Ronda, El Burgo and Marbella. There are several good points to start your tour of the natural park. For example, visit the northeastern part from the village of El Burgo. Or depart from Tolox to explore the southeastern part of the nature reserve. But you can also look closer to the coast. From the village of Istán, which is less than 20 kilometers from Marbella, you can make beautiful hikes in the park. For example, choose a holiday home in Sierra de Malága between the coast and the nature reserve. Ideal to combine beach and nature in one holiday!
(Photo (c) Can Stock Photo / dziewul)
