Just what the hiker and cyclist are looking for
The biggest
With its almost 210,000 hectares, this Natural Park is the largest protected area in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. To get an idea of what this means, let's say it is an area similar to that of the province or historical territory of Biscay.
To this protected area we must add that of two other small adjacent Natural Parks: the Natural Park of Los Calares del Mundo and La Sima, located to the north, and the Natural Park of the Sierra de Castril, to the south, adding up to 31,000 hectares between them.
Therefore, here is a set of more than 240,000 hectares of continuous protected territory. An area that is equivalent to approximately half of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja.
This amplitude is experienced as a sensation of freedom. The freedom that one feels in the great virgin territories and the freedom that one has to choose between many options when visiting different areas, doing very varied routes and enjoying very diverse landscapes. This Par ...
With its almost 210,000 hectares, this Natural Park is the largest protected area in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. To get an idea of what this means, let's say it is an area similar to that of the province or historical territory of Biscay.
To this protected area we must add that of two other small adjacent Natural Parks: the Natural Park of Los Calares del Mundo and La Sima, located to the north, and the Natural Park of the Sierra de Castril, to the south, adding up to 31,000 hectares between them.
Therefore, here is a set of more than 240,000 hectares of continuous protected territory. An area that is equivalent to approximately half of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja.
This amplitude is experienced as a sensation of freedom. The freedom that one feels in the great virgin territories and the freedom that one has to choose between many options when visiting different areas, doing very varied routes and enjoying very diverse landscapes. This Par ...
With its almost 210,000 hectares, this Natural Park is the largest protected area in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. To get an idea of what this means, let's say it is an area similar to that of the province or historical territory of Biscay.
To this protected area we must add that of two other small adjacent Natural Parks: the Natural Park of Los Calares del Mundo and La Sima, located to the north, and the Natural Park of the Sierra de Castril, to the south, adding up to 31,000 hectares between them.
Therefore, here is a set of more than 240,000 hectares of continuous protected territory. An area that is equivalent to approximately half of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja.
This amplitude is experienced as a sensation of freedom. The freedom that one feels in the great virgin territories and the freedom that one has to choose between many options when visiting different areas, doing very varied routes and enjoying very diverse landscapes. This Park is a world.
With all the medals
These mountains no longer have medals in recognition of their landscape, ecological and cultural value. In 1986 they were declared a Natural Park by the Andalusian Government, but even before that, in 1960, a large part of the southern half of the territory was declared a National Hunting Reserve due to the abundance of species such as the mountain goat, wild boar, deer, fallow deer and mouflon. This reserve is now called the Reserva Andaluza de Cazorla y Segura and covers 70,000 hectares.
UNESCO set its eyes on our mountains in 1983, declaring them a Biosphere Reserve. This means that the Park forms part of the select club of 553 enclaves in the world distributed in 107 countries that form the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, in which the United Nations trusts as an example of areas in which innovation and nature conservation is a motor for sustainable development.
The European Union also considers the sierras of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas as one of the cont ...
These mountains no longer have medals in recognition of their landscape, ecological and cultural value. In 1986 they were declared a Natural Park by the Andalusian Government, but even before that, in 1960, a large part of the southern half of the territory was declared a National Hunting Reserve due to the abundance of species such as the mountain goat, wild boar, deer, fallow deer and mouflon. This reserve is now called the Reserva Andaluza de Cazorla y Segura and covers 70,000 hectares.
UNESCO set its eyes on our mountains in 1983, declaring them a Biosphere Reserve. This means that the Park forms part of the select club of 553 enclaves in the world distributed in 107 countries that form the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, in which the United Nations trusts as an example of areas in which innovation and nature conservation is a motor for sustainable development.
The European Union also considers the sierras of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas as one of the cont ...
These mountains no longer have medals in recognition of their landscape, ecological and cultural value. In 1986 they were declared a Natural Park by the Andalusian Government, but even before that, in 1960, a large part of the southern half of the territory was declared a National Hunting Reserve due to the abundance of species such as the mountain goat, wild boar, deer, fallow deer and mouflon. This reserve is now called the Reserva Andaluza de Cazorla y Segura and covers 70,000 hectares.
UNESCO set its eyes on our mountains in 1983, declaring them a Biosphere Reserve. This means that the Park forms part of the select club of 553 enclaves in the world distributed in 107 countries that form the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, in which the United Nations trusts as an example of areas in which innovation and nature conservation is a motor for sustainable development.
The European Union also considers the sierras of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas as one of the continent's privileged natural areas. In 1988 they were declared a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA), which commits the Spanish state to protecting them because of their unique importance for the conservation of endangered bird species. The abundance and diversity of birds in an area shows their high ecological quality. The reintroduction of the bearded vulture in the Natural Park is a good example of this, achieving that this extraordinary bird is once again present to the south of the Pyrenees.
The last milestone in the international recognition of the Park took place in 2006, when it was declared a Site of Community Importance (SCI) by the European Union, becoming part of the Natura 2000 Network, the European ecological network made up of the most important areas for the conservation of the continent's biodiversity. An example of the international importance of our Park is that it is the second European area with the greatest number of endemic plant species, i.e. plants that are not present anywhere else in the world.
So that visitors can enjoy this natural heritage with all the guarantees, the Natural Park was one of the first natural areas in Spain to be accredited with the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, included in the European Network of the Europarc Federation. This represents a commitment to the environmental quality of tourist services and allows it to be distinguished in Europe as a territory of excellence in terms of sustainable tourism.
For some years now, the forestry management of most of the mountains in the Park has also had control systems which guarantee its sustainability, whether it be with the Pan-European Forest Certification (PEFC) or even the more demanding one issued by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
This impressive set of recognitions and commitments are a guarantee that the Natural Park of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas will satisfy all the expectations of the hiker who wants to feel part of the fabric of life in all its splendour.
These mountains no longer have medals in recognition of their landscape, ecological and cultural value. In 1986 they were declared a Natural Park by the Andalusian Government, but even before that, in 1960, a large part of the southern half of the territory was declared a National Hunting Reserve due to the abundance of species such as the mountain goat, wild boar, deer, fallow deer and mouflon. This reserve is now called the Reserva Andaluza de Cazorla y Segura and covers 70,000 hectares.
UNESCO set its eyes on our mountains in 1983, declaring them a Biosphere Reserve. This means that the Park forms part of the select club of 553 enclaves in the world distributed in 107 countries that form the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, in which the United Nations trusts as an example of areas in which innovation and nature conservation is a motor for sustainable development.
The European Union also considers the sierras of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas as one of the continent's privileged natural areas. In 1988 they were declared a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA), which commits the Spanish state to protecting them because of their unique importance for the conservation of endangered bird species. The abundance and diversity of birds in an area shows their high ecological quality. The reintroduction of the bearded vulture in the Natural Park is a good example of this, achieving that this extraordinary bird is once again present to the south of the Pyrenees.
The last milestone in the international recognition of the Park took place in 2006, when it was declared a Site of Community Importance (SCI) by the European Union, becoming part of the Natura 2000 Network, the European ecological network made up of the most important areas for the conservation of the continent's biodiversity. An example of the relay.
Twenty-six municipalities to welcome the walker and the cyclist
There are 25 municipalities in Jaén that are totally or partially included in the Natural Park, and one more has no territory in the Park but is fully integrated in its area of influence. Some towns are located on the periphery of the protected area, but others are located in the interior. The various municipalities are distributed over the three regions that give the Park its name. The northern zone, corresponding to the Sierra de Segura, is the most populated within the Park, with nine municipalities and dozens of tiny villages scattered. The most populated, such as Cazorla, Villanueva del Arzobispo and Villacarrillo, are on the periphery of the Park and have less than ten thousand inhabitants. Those of lesser population, located in the interior of the Park, hardly reach the 500 inhabitants, as is the case of Segura de la Sierra, Hornos de Segura or Benatae. Other towns have an intermediate size, around 2000 inhabitants (like Siles, Orcera, La Puerta de Segura, Huesa or Santo Tomé ...
There are 25 municipalities in Jaén that are totally or partially included in the Natural Park, and one more has no territory in the Park but is fully integrated in its area of influence. Some towns are located on the periphery of the protected area, but others are located in the interior. The various municipalities are distributed over the three regions that give the Park its name. The northern zone, corresponding to the Sierra de Segura, is the most populated within the Park, with nine municipalities and dozens of tiny villages scattered. The most populated, such as Cazorla, Villanueva del Arzobispo and Villacarrillo, are on the periphery of the Park and have less than ten thousand inhabitants. Those of lesser population, located in the interior of the Park, hardly reach the 500 inhabitants, as is the case of Segura de la Sierra, Hornos de Segura or Benatae. Other towns have an intermediate size, around 2000 inhabitants (like Siles, Orcera, La Puerta de Segura, Huesa or Santo Tomé ...
There are 25 municipalities in Jaén that are totally or partially included in the Natural Park, and one more has no territory in the Park but is fully integrated in its area of influence. Some towns are located on the periphery of the protected area, but others are located in the interior. The various municipalities are distributed over the three regions that give the Park its name. The northern zone, corresponding to the Sierra de Segura, is the most populated within the Park, with nine municipalities and dozens of tiny villages scattered. The most populated, such as Cazorla, Villanueva del Arzobispo and Villacarrillo, are on the periphery of the Park and have less than ten thousand inhabitants. Those of lesser population, located in the interior of the Park, hardly reach the 500 inhabitants, as is the case of Segura de la Sierra, Hornos de Segura or Benatae. Other towns have an intermediate size, around 2000 inhabitants (like Siles, Orcera, La Puerta de Segura, Huesa or Santo Tomé) or the 5000 inhabitants (Pozo Alcón and Quesada).
The human community of the Park has known how to adapt to the harshness of its environment and today, despite the fact that rural life is not easy, it is striving to move forward by allying itself with nature to offer high quality products and services: here the hiker will find the best oil, the best lamb and a careful offer of accommodation, restaurants and activities.
No wonder this Park has been called an inhabited paradise.
The public use facilities of the Natural Park
The Park has many facilities for public use that facilitate their knowledge and enjoyment. The GR 247 Bosques del Sur Trail passes through some of them or nearby. These facilities are of the following types:
Accommodation (campsites, controlled camping areas, mountain hotels, rural houses), recreational areas, nature classrooms, visitor centers and information points, Botanical Garden and Botanical Collections, viewpoints, marked trails, others (wildlife park, kiosk-bar, etc.)
For detailed information on these facilities, you can consult the Visitor's Window for Natural Areas on the website of the Andalusian Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment.
To know more about the Natural Park, we suggest visiting the web
