There is less and less to begin what for many is the most beautiful season of the year, as it fills the fields and cities with flowers, color and positive energy. Yes, we are referring to spring, an ideal time to put on a comfortable shoe and go out to explore the different natural corners that we have around us. And it is that, believe it or not, beyond the cities you can find the most beautiful places.
If you live in the province of Cádiz or close to it or have the opportunity to make a getaway to Andalusia, we recommend that you visit the Alcornocales Natural Park , a beautiful place that you will love at any time of the year. Will you accompany us to discover it?
Location
The Alcornocales Natural Park belongs to the province of Cádiz , although a small part is also located in Malaga. It has about 170,000 hectares full of roads where you can discover beautiful landscapes. It extends through the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Jimena de la Frontera, Benalup-Casas Viejas, Castellar de la Frontera, Alcalá de los Gazuales, Los Barrios, Arcos de la Frontera, Benaocaz, El Bosque, Algar, Ubrique, San José del Valle, Prado del Rey, Medina Sidonia, Algeciras and Tarifa.
Important protected area
Considered the most extensive mass of cork oaks in the world, this park is actually a set of not very high mountain ranges where sandstone predominates. It is an important protected area of Andalusia, among other things due to its size. And we are talking about a place that reaches the Strait of Gibraltar. In addition, it must be borne in mind that in the southern area you can find the so-called canutos , a type of forest unique in Spain that maintain remains of vegetation typical of the European tertiary flora. This is possible thanks to the climate of the region, which has high humidity due to the proximity to the sea of the mountains.
Fauna
As you can imagine, the Los Alcornocales Natural Park has a fauna and flora worthy of mention. As for the animals, the raptors stand out, being able to find from griffon vultures to real owls, passing through peregrine falcons, goshawks, hawks, eagles and Egyptian vultures, among many others. Of course you can also find granivorous and insectivorous birds. On the other hand, in the joints you can find animals such as aquatic blackbirds, the Kingfisher or sapper planes. As for mammals, there is no shortage of deer, roe deer, foxes, deer, genets, badgers, wildcats and wild boars, as well as otters, polecats and weasels.
Flora
As for the flora, we must especially highlight the cork oaks . And, as we have told you before, it is the park with the largest number of trees of this type on the planet. In addition, gall oaks, holm oaks, wild olive trees and carob trees are common, and you can find alders, ash trees, rhododendrons, hazelnuts, holly, ferns and laurels, among many other plant species.
Activities
The main activity that we recommend you do in this beautiful place is to contemplate the landscape. A good way to do it is through cycle tourism , which can be practiced along eight different routes. Of course, you can also explore the place on foot along the 18 trails located in the park. The best of all is that in many of them you can also enjoy monuments of great cultural importance, such as cave art samples. Another typical activity of the place is the collection of mushrooms in autumn, in addition to sailing in a canoe through the Barbate reservoir. Also, do not forget that it is an ideal place to observe fauna, especially birds. Then we leave you with our gallery , where you will find more images of the Alcornoques Natural Park. Do not miss it!
