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Sierra de Grazalema is the best preserved nature park of the Spanish Peninsula with the best record of minimal human impact on its environment. It also proudly boasts the honor of being the first natural park in Andalusia (Cadiz) to be recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1984.  The Sierra de Grazalema sits on the western side of the Betic Mountain Range (Cordillera Bética), extending 51,695 hectares of virgin land between the provinces of Cadiz and Malaga. It rises between 600 and 1600 metres over the surrounding valleys and depressions, offering impressive scenery of contrasting limestone rocks which have morphed into rugged vertical walled peaks, caves, cornices and slopes, as well as providing an abundant and diverse flora and fauna. The greatest caves of Andalusia, “Complejo Hundidero-Gato” and “Cueva de la Pileta” are found here, and are world famous for their prehistoric vestiges.

The mountains of Sierra de Grazalema are the first natural barriers encountered by the storms coming in from the Atlantic, bringing intense precipitation during the winter season, and registering the greatest index of rainfall of the entire country. The heavy presence of water leaves behind its tracks in many areas of the Sierra: in underground caves (grottos), rivers and precipices of great depth such as the impressive valley of “Garganta Verde”, which drops to a depth of 400 metres.  However, even with more than 3,000 hours of sun a year and abundant water during the winter, the water is rather scarce during the summer season, marking the area with the highest rate of registered sunstrokes per year.

Historically, the park was battered with frequent fights due to it being bordered by the Muslim kingdom of Granada and the Kingdom of Castile during the XIII and XIV centuries.  In spite of this, a small concentrated human habitat prospered with much of its cultural inheritance coming from the Muslim civilization. To ensure survival, the towns were uniquely built within parks’ mountain summits and houses were integrated between the slopes, thus completely blending into the landscape without destroying the surrounding environment.  This odd cultural trait of closely tying to nature is also commonly shared among the many mountain civilizations that surrounded the Mediterranean, with the custom remaining intact to this day in spite the passing of centuries.

Indifferent to the presence of man, the park continues to conserve an important mass of its typically Mediterranean vegetation: oaks, cork oaks, gall oaks, carob trees and wild olive trees, as well as a magnificent forest of endemic Spanish fir trees sitting at the foot of the Sierra del Pinar. This forest is considered today to be the best preserved and an authentic relic, as it is one of the few that have survived the ice age. The trees, which are grown throughout scattered regions of Europe are native of the of the park’s Ronda Mountains only. Its fauna is home to numerous animals such as the wild boar, the red deer and wild goats. Many countless species of birds also make their home here.  Among them are the royal owls; the Spanish imperial eagle, the golden eagle, the peregrine falcon; and other predatory birds, including the largest colony of Europe’s Griffon vultures.

Various information centers regarding Sierra de Grazalema exist, being necessary to request permission to gain entrance to the Reserve area surrounding the Mountain range as well as other enclaves of the nature park reserve - including the Spanish fir forest. Visits can only be made during particular times of year and to ensure quality control on the environment, a limited number of people allowed within the park at one time, and sometimes it is required to be accompanied by a trained guide.

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