Sierra de las Nieves

Sierra de las Nieves became Spain's sixteenth national park in 2021, covering about 230 square kilometres of limestone and peridotite between Ronda and the coast. Its reason for protection is the pinsapo, the Spanish fir, a relict conifer that survived the last ice age in a handful of shaded Andalusian ranges and grows here in the largest surviving stand, some trees several centuries old. The karst is riddled with deep shafts including the GESM, one of the deepest in Spain at over a thousand metres. Torrecilla, at 1,919 metres, is the highest peak in the province and gives a view from the Mediterranean to the Sierra Nevada. Ibex are common on the higher ground.

What you actually see

• The pinsapo forest - the largest surviving stand of relict Spanish fir.
• Torrecilla - the province's highest peak at 1,919 metres.
• The karst shafts - deep cave systems including the GESM.
• The Spanish ibex - large populations on the upper slopes.

When to go

April to June for flowers and clear air, September to November for comfortable walking; summer brings fire restrictions and closures, and the higher trails can be blocked by snow in winter, which is where the range's name comes from.

Honest expectations

Access roads to the trailheads are unsurfaced and rough, and some require a permit and daily quota. Trails close for fire risk in summer. There is no water on the higher routes and shade is limited above the fir zone.

Nearby

Ronda lies north; Marbella and the Costa del Sol are on the other side of the range.