Located in Malaga Province, Sierra de Nieves is an area of outstanding natural beauty, featuring a unique blend of mountain and coastal terrain filled to the brim with treasures of flora and fauna for visitors. Those who have campaigned for years that this important habitat should be turned into a national park to preserve its riches for future generations are hopeful that Sierra de Nieves will indeed be declared a national park by next year.
Thanks to the recent inclusion of the Dolmens of Antequera into the UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites, Sierra de Nieves has received far more international attention lately, raising the area's global profile with tour operators and travellers alike. Locals have, of course, always been proud of their beautiful mountain region, and have long campaigned to make it Malaga Province's first national park. As and when that happens, Sierra de Nieve would become only the third national park in all of Andalucia, joining the ranks of Doñana and Sierra Nevada in neighbouring Granada Province.
Located south east of famous hill town Ronda, Sierra de las Nieves is easy to get to from Marbella, Benahavis and Istán, bordering on the latter two municipalities as well as Ronda's. All of the municipalities surrounding this natural jewel in Malaga Province's crown would benefit greatly from the tourism a designation to national park status would bring, but this is not just about putting new tourist destinations on the map – to protect such an environmental treasure is paramount in locals' minds.
They have been campaigning for many years, starting even before the area received “natural park” status back in 1989. Campaigning began some seven decades ago, when locals first felt that this area of outstanding natural beauty and environmental riches needed extra protection. For them the designation to national park would be a long-held dream come true. They formally applied to Junta de Andalucia in 2011 to have the area's status changed from natural park to national park.
What natural Treasures await Visitors at Sierra de las Nieves?
The natural park contains 65% of all of Spain's pinsapo trees for a start. Sierra de las Nieves is one of the few places in the world where these fir trees can still be found. The others being Sierra de Grazalema in Cadiz Province and in Morocco. Pinsapo fir trees nearly became extinct with the large ice age and only managed to survive in particularly sheltered spots. Pinsapo de las Escaleretas is the most famous example of this in Malaga Province thanks to its amazing size, and has become the unofficial emblem of the Sierra de las Nieves natural park.
In addition, the area also boasts wonderful oak and Mediterranean woodland, where several native species unique to Andalucia survive. Then there are the 150 species of birds, herds of ibex and roe deer, not to mention the grandiose sights of Mount Torrecilla, which just happens to be the highest peak in western Andalucia, boasting 1,910 metres of unrivalled natural beauty. Hikers and climbers won't be disappointed: there is a huge variety of ecosystems, including caves and deep chasms, that can be explored via several well-designed trails.
Tackling Torrecilla takes between five to six hours for a return hike, starting off at Área Recreativa Los Quejigales, a 10-km stretch of unpaved road that lies east of the A-376 Ronda-San Pedro de Alcántara road.
Malaga Province doesn't expect Sierra de las Nieve's status to change until the end of 2017, when the Spanish government's bureaucracy will finally have managed to get through the many stages of approval needed. Andalucia's future national park will span ca. 23,000 hectares, not the originally envisaged 18,000 hectares, because a change in the Law of National Parks now demands that such areas much cover a minimum area of 20,000 hectares.
If you're looking for somewhere to stay within Sierra de las Nieves, head to just above the white-washed houses of the hamlet Tolox, which is still within the borders of the park. Cerro de Hijar hotel lies along the Carretera del Balnedario, situated some 650 metres above sea level and overlooking Sierra de las Nieves' spectacular mountain scenery. The hotel makes for a good base from where to go on hikes and various activities, including mountain biking and guided walking tours as well as four-wheel drive excursions are also offered (www.cerrodehijar.com).