At the time of this review, Sierra de las Nieves ("range of the snows") is about to become a National Park (it became a Natural Park in 1989). In 1995, it became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. We drove along the western border of the park, on our way from Marbella to Ronda. The views are breathtaking, and I got to see a lot of what my research on the park described of its terrain. Here is a summary about the park, from my research of various sources: The park surrounds the Sierra de las Nieves mountain range in the Málaga province, in Andalucia. La Torrecilla (1,919 m) is the highest point in the range. It also hosts one of the deepest shafts in Europe (named "GESM"). Lots of limestone in this region gives the park white cliffs, spotted with reddish iron deposits. Sierra de las Nieves has numerous caves, the most well-known are Hoyos del Pilar, Hoyos de Lifa, and Cuevas del Moro. Apparently, the name of the Park came from its snowy peaks, which used to be more plentiful than in our current (warmer) global climate. Back when, the locals stored the snow in "snowfields" and carted it down to the local towns for water. The park harbors Spanish fir forests, and the Mediterranean spruce, that dates to the glacial period in Iberia. One is 500yo, named the Escalereta, a Natural Monument. The forests also contain oaks, cork trees, wild olive trees, ash trees, junipers, carob trees and chestnut trees. **Local black pigs survive on acorns from these trees, and their cured ham (pata negra) is a local delicacy. Fauna here are typical of southern Spain, and include mountain goats, muflons, meloncillo (a kind of mongoose), roe deer, and otters. This is a destination for bird watching tours, with Griffin vultures, golden eagles, eagle owls, royal owls, goshawks and hawks. This pristine park has never been inhabited except for a smattering of villages, hence it is very unspoiled terrain. Camping is no longer permitted in the park. Park activities include, hiking, bird watching, mountain biking (with tours such as Monda-Istán), mountain climbing, and horseback-riding. read more

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