Protected spaces and outstanding places
Dec 27th, 2007 by admin
As Well as the Sierras de Alhama, Tejeda and Almijara Natural Park, the Poniente Granadino hides in its midst many other places of great interest for the visitor. One of these is Loja, a large municipality with many villages and with a great diversity of landscapes, frorn mountains to river meadows, passing through enormous forests.
However, the mountainous landscape is the predominant one and has very special characteristics. The present impressive appearance of the Sierra de Loja due to its geological karst structure, moulded by centuries of erosion. In fact, this landscape given its geological importance, will be declared a Natural Park by the Andalucian local government, and will come to forrn part of the sustainable development plans foreseen with this type of action. The sides of the mountain range are covered with scrub oak, the habitat of some of the more characteristic species of the Mediterranean fauna, such as the royal eagle, the peregrine falcon, the rnountain cat, the fox, the mountain goat, the staircase snake and the green lizard.
Another of the most beautiful landscapes in the Poniente Granadino is to be found in Dehesas de los Montes. To the Western part of the municipality of Loja, this is one of the last preserves of the Mediterranean woodland of the region. Scrub oak, lentiscos, labiernagos and wild olives provide cover for wild boar, foxes and civet cats, all species of great ecological value.
The River Genil crosses the municipality of Loja from East to West, flowing through the City, asid creating, very close by, the enclave known as the Infiernos de Loja. In this spot various waterfalls from different streams come together and go on to join the River Genil. Especially impressive are the Frontil and the Manzanil streams. These 120 hectares form a mosaic of different ecosystems, in which four different varieties of vegetation can be found. The fauna is also varied and abundant in the zone, which has been catalogued as an Ontstanding Place within the Special Plan for the Protection of the Physical Environment of Granada Province.
Finally, in the Northern zone of the Poniente Granadino, the Sierra de Parapanda rises up, a limestone formation covered with large pine and scrub oak woods, and scrub. The cliffs and gorges are most spectacular in the socalled Peña de los Gitanos, a formation consisting of large vertical walls of a yellowish colour.
Granada is a unique province offering many different options for nature lovers. Don’t forget to book your car hire in Granada on time as you will definately need a rental car to discover the beauties this territory. If you’re travelling in winter and would like to visit Sierra Nevada make sure to check the weather first or to arrange a set of snow chains (not all car rental companies in Granada offer these accesories).