Sierra de las Nieves information

Sierra de las Nieves is popular because of its beautiful landscape, villages, history and location. Situated within the province the Malaga, a visit to this place is a good choice for any day of the year, there is accommodation for all budgets and there are available a lot of activities in the area.

Long time ago some of the existing accommodation offered a rest to the brave travellers who dared to travel on the dirty roads stalked by bandits.

Flora and Fauna

Certainly the main attractions of the area are its flora and fauna. Among the flora we highlight the Pinsapo, a tree species that exists only in this environment, Morocco and Grazalema Park.

Some endangered animals like the Bonelli's Eagle or Spanish mountain goat can be seen in the area.

The peridotite is a rare volcanic rock in Sierra de las Nieves. Formation of this rock occurs in the Earth mantle so it is not common to find it on the surface.

Villages of Sierra de las Nieves

The area comprises several well worth visiting villages:

Alozaina
Casarabonela
El Burgo
Guaro
Istan
Monda
Ojen
Tolox
Yunquera

*You can visit our guides to know more about each village

Activities in Sierra de las Nieves

In addition to the wide variety of accommodation in this park visitors can enjoy many activities, if you like practicing active tourism I recommend you to continue reading:

Climbing to Torrecilla peak at 1919m altitude

Torrecilla is the second highest peak in the province of Malaga after La Maroma and is accessed from Ronda or Yunquera.

If you are getting there from Ronda you must go to Quejigales Recreational Area, this is a trekking route with amazing views. This area has a parking where leaving your vehicle just before starting the route which starts just after crossing the wooden bridge.

The first 3 kilometres are rising but later on it will soften, along the path you will find restored snow wells (used in the past for providing ice to the province). You will see also Quejigos de Montaña, a rare tree available only on this area and in danger of extinction.

Another interesting point on your path will be the caves in the park, some of them yet to be discovered and the chasms like the GESM, the third in depth of the world and the deepest in Europe, explored inside down to 1098 meters.

In Pilar de Tolox you will find a water source to fill your empty bottles and rest a while after the already walked 3 kilometres.

Once recovered you can continue to the peak, situated above Pilar de Tolox in around 100 meters, if you feel strong enough I recommend you to try as the views from there are amazing, if the day is clean you will be able to see the African coast, Sierra Nevada mountains and Gibraltar.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium depending on your skills.

For more information and GPS location visit WIKILOC.

Hiking and horseback riding or biking

Highly recommended options for nature lovers, dive deeper into nature using ancient paths and discover the beauty of this natural park. Remember to bring enough water with you as there are not many water sources along many of the paths.

The general trail Sendero GR-243 de Gran Recorrido passes by this park, a path of more than 50 kilometres linking different villages that can be completed in several days. This part of the path links Ronda with Istan and it is ideal for all publics as the difficulty is low.

Off-road routes

Those 4x4 lovers will be able to enjoy amazing routes by car.

Canoeing, caving or climbing

Undoubtedly you will find the activity that best suits your needs and enjoy this fantastic natural environment.

If you visit Sierra de las Nieves and want to practice any activity I recommend you to contact the tourist centre at: http://www.sierranieves.com/eng/

How to get to Sierra de las Nieves

The only means for getting there is by road, the access is surrounded by a beautiful landscape. If you do not have a vehicle and want to get there from Malaga you still have the choice to rent a car at the airport on your arrival, add a GPS if need help for getting to Sierra de las Nieves and a MIFI to be online on your trip (portable WIFI connection)

From Malaga: Taking the road A-357 and the road A-354 heading to Casarabonela or the road A-355 heading Coin and after Monda or Tolox.

From Marbella: Using the road A-355 until Ojen and from there heading to any of the villages from Sierra de las Nieves.

From Ronda: Using the road A-366 heading to El Burgo.

Malaga airport is about 40 minutes from Sierra de las Nieves environment.