There are thousands of Spaniards —and not so Spanish— who set course in summer for the Malaga province. With sun and beach tourism as the flagship, towns such as Marbella, Torremolinos, Fuengirola or Benalmádena become a bridgehead for coastal tourism that is increasingly in demand.
However, there is another Málaga, the inland one, which is not always as crowded. Although there are exceptions such as the eternal Round, another of the tourist pillars of the provinceMalaga is much more than sand and sun.
For this reason, dropping by the youngest National Park in Spain is a perfect alternative for all those who are in Malaga this summer and take a green bath in the Sierra de las Nieves National Park.
Located in the heart of the Serranía de Ronda, including the region of the same name and that of the Western Costa del Sol, the Park borders on 30,000 hectares after its declaration as a National Park in 2021.
mount, hiking and chances of bird watching are part of the charms of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park, easily accessible by road both from Malaga —through the A-397, towards Ronda, and then the A-7201 to Yunquera— or from Marbella and the Costa del Sol , using the A-7 motorway and the aforementioned A-397.
Spread over different towns such as El Burgo, Istán, Monda, Parauta, Ronda, Tolox and Yunquera, the Sierra de las Nieves National Park is a mountainous and southern example of mainly evergreen forests where varieties such as fir or white fir abound, a rarity in our country, as well as gall oak or yew.
The Park is, in turn, the natural habitat of numerous animal species, especially in terms of bird life, whose skies are dominated by specimens of golden eagle, griffon vulture and peregrine falcon. Among the other charms, for those looking for active tourism, it is worth highlighting various very interesting hiking routes.
One of them is the Path of the Escaleretas Pinsapo, with a length of about six kilometers and of medium difficulty with certain steep or narrow areas, so a good physical condition and previous experience are recommended. If we comply with these premises, it will be an ideal tour to discover the park’s fir, a species that is equally rare in our country.
However, it must be clear that the Park is not provided with fountains for the most part, so enough water must be carried to withstand the route. Other interesting routes, always with medium difficulty, are the Route of the Fuensanta10 kilometers long and with impressive panoramic views.
Also the one of the Route of the Tajo de la Caína, a short path between canyons and cliffs with a length of four kilometers that lasts a couple of hours, but runs along hilly and rocky paths that require some expertise.
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