We began this section speaking of Malaga as a small continent, and this is easily understood by a visit to the interior of the province.
One could be on another continent, and not within a relatively short driving distance of the Costa del Sol. The landscape changes dramatically from place to place, and with 23 protected spaces in the province of Malaga, there is plenty for nature lovers to choose from.
Maro-Cerro Gordo, in the municipality of Nerja. This area is made up of rock formations rising high out of the water, being part of the same geological formation of the nearby Tejeda and Almijara mountain range. The result is small, deep coves, excellent for underwater diving in the crystal-clear waters. The area is, perhaps, the most rugged stretch of coastline on the southern coastline, and it will remain virgin coastline due to its designation as a protected space.
From this part of the Costa del Sol one can look north and see the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama nature area, its 40,600 hectares of land making it the third biggest nature area in the province of Malaga. The mountain peaks here reach 2,000 meters above sea level, and are generally covered in snow throughout the winter. This is the Axarquía, and one of its most notable features is the contrast between the snowy mountaintops and the sub-tropical landscape closer to the sea.
The nature reserve of the Laguna (lake) de Fuente de Piedra, in the north of the province close to Antequera, is one of the most important humid areas of Europe, where thousands of flamingos nest every year before beginning their long flight to more distant lands. Seen in season, the flamingos make for a spectacular sight: a sea of rose-colored plumage greets the eyes.
Just five kilometers from Antequera lies the extraordinary El Torcal, a fantastic rock formation of some 20 square kilometers, that rose out of the sea about 100 million years ago. The action of rain and wind over the centuries has sculptured the colossal rock into shapes that can be seen in the mind’s eye as cathedrals, palaces and monumental abstract sculptures.
Between the Guadalhorce region and Antequera is the breadth-taking Desfiladero de los Gaitanes (the Gorge of the Bagpipers), one of the most unusual sights of the province of Malaga. This is a deep cleft in the mountains where the Guadalhorce River flows, with high rocky walls on either side, and a few kilometers further on are the beautiful reservoir lakes that provide water for Malaga City.
The Biosphere Reserve of the Sierra de las Nieves comprises ten municipalities and part of the municipality of Ronda, in the north west of the province, covering 93,930 hectares and making up the biggest protected space in Malaga province. This botanically rich area has many pinsapo woods, the tree unique in Europe to this place and the Grazalema Nature Park. The highest peaks in the province are also here, with the Torrecilla peak reaching 1,919 metres above seas level. The third deepest known pothole in the world, the GESM, is also here.
In writing about natural spaces, we can also include historic gardens open to the public. These include the Finca de la Concepción, outside Malaga City on the road northwards (autovía de Las Pedrizas), which dates from the 19th century and which is considered to be one of the best tropical gardens in Europe, and the El Retiro on the Coín road, which is a courtesan garden dating from the 18th century. This garden, apart from its wealth of botanical species, has a fine collection of fountains and sculptures from different periods, some of them of great artistic value.
