Natural Monument The Organs

Singular places

0, Santa Elena

Declared Natural Monument of Andalusia. This Natural Monument is one of the most outstanding places in the Despeñaperros Gorge, where a set of huge rock columns stand that resemble the pipes of an organ in a great cathedral. The beauty of this place is enhanced by the chromatic contrast of the gray of the rocks with the intense yellow and orange of the different species of lichens that survive here.

From the nearby viewpoint you can see this monument, whose origin is surprising. 500 million years ago the entire area was covered by the sea, although with little depth, so it was filling with sands and clays brought by the rivers that flowed there from the Iberian plateau. It was 300 million years ago when the forces of the earth made these lands emerge and since then, the erosion of the river, the rains and the wind have been sculpting the relief, creating beautiful forms like these organs. On these rocks, holm oaks, cork oaks and scrub have found their substrate, forming a Mediterranean forest where genets, marten and numerous birds of prey live.

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