The Sierra de las Nieves and its surroundings form one of the scarce ecological redoubts in Andalusia, with a rich landscape and a variety of fauna and flora which reminds of ancient times in Spain’s history, of Muslims and Moors, or the rural refuges of legendary bandits. The Sierra de las Nieves and surroundings includes the natural park , a protected figure, declared in 1989 and proposed in 1993 to be incorporated in the terrain of International Network of Biosphere Reserves according to the MAB programmed of UNESCO.
It means that the traveller can enjoy one of the richest natural enclaves in Spain and a pleasant adventure. The biosphere reserve extends over a surface of 17.000 hectares forming the Natural Park of Sierra de las Nieves, shaping a spot with a rough relief furrowed with deep ravines, clefts and defiles natural to the alpine folding. This abrupt landscape has served as a refuge since Neolithic times, as proven by the numerous Arabic and Roman remains. The Sierra de las Nieves owes its name not only to its snowy appearance, but also because in the Muslim era, the snow was collected in wells to be later moved to all Andalusia. Although inside the park there are no population nucleus, its perimeter is defined by the municipal districts of Alozaina, Casarabonela, El Burgo, Guaro, Istán, Monda, Ojén, Parauta, Ronda, Tolox, and Yunquera, towns of Arabic or Moor origins, which conserve intact the structure of their narrow and winding streets, with important architectural samples and archaeological remains.
The towns of Sierra de las Nieves and surroundings offer the visitor attractive landscapes with routes which show the natural relics of fauna and flora, a popular gastronomy, a rich handicraft and above all the friendliness of its people