Andalucia has a wide and varied landscape including the beautiful beaches of the Costa Del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Costa Almeria And the Costa Tropical, and the stunning mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevadas and all the beautiful valleys in between such as the Guadalhorse Valley In Malaga

There are many national parks in Andalucia and one of the best that is on offer is the Sierra Castril Natural Park, located in the province of Granada.

This limestone mountainous region can be found next to the Sierras de Cazorla National park
It is a rugged region well known for its magnificent gorges, vertical cliffs, waterfalls and, below ground, numerous caves as well as its diverse of flora and fauna.

The main river in the park is the mighty Río Castril which provides a home to a rich and varied birdlife and many mammals, The river has many tributaries feeding into it. And all across the park you will see many springs, such as Juan Ruiz, Tubos, Lézar and Magadalena, and waterfalls.

One of the parks best features are the caves that can be found all over . . You can see outstanding stalagmites and stalagtites in the Cueva del Muerto which can be found in the Sierra Seca area of the park .
You will also find the second biggest cave in Andalucia and the largest cave in Granada. The Cueva de Don Fernando is two-and-a-half kilometres long and 241m below sea level at its deepest point

The flora and Fauna of the park is eye-catching to say the lease . The tall Austrian pines dominate the higher peaks while junipers and holm oaks cover the lower slopes. On the Barranco de Magdalena and the Barranco de Túnez you will see maples and gall oaks and across the lower slopes you will also see stunning plantations of Aleppo, Austrian and Scotch pine. The river bank has a wide range of plants and popular trees which are used to make furniture.and the aromatic plants include lavender, rosemary and thyme. There is a locally produced honey, called miel de la Sierra, which is made from bee pollen derived from these plants.

The park is home to such animals as mountain goats, muflon, wild boar, fallow deer and martens while the limestone cliff faces provide homes for Egyptian vultures, Griffon vultures and peregrine falcons. Short-toed, golden and booted eagles live amongst the pine and holm oak woodland areas while the rivers and the trees provide homes for grey herons, wagtails, kingfishers and dippers as well as trout and otters

It is thought that it may also be home to the rare Spanish lynx and also many butterflies endemic to the Iberian peninsula can be found here. Many rare species of reptiles and amphibians can be found here due to the parks numerous watercourses, , it is , the only place in Spain apart from Jaen and Albacete provinces where the Spanish algyroides, also known as Valverde’s lizard, can be found. Painted frogs, southern midwife toads, Lataste’s vipers, salamanders and grass snakes can all be found here

The village of Castril provides the base from where to explore this stunning landscape and it here where you will find the visitors centre just 200 m from the village itselfwhere you will be able to find information on the park and also 6 signposted walks around the park itself. One of this walks is a 12km easy walk which takes around four hours to complete , The Sendero Río Castril .which follows the course of the Rio Castril up to its source. This walk can be found about four km along the A326 road to Puentezuela . On this walk you will see beautiful views of the Embalse de Portillo and then of Sierra de Castril to the left. The Sierra Seca, with the cliff face of the Puntal de la Zurdica, with nesting pairs of Griffon vultures can be found on the right of the track.

The walk though the valley towards the river you will travel though Aleppo pines, junipers, Hermes oaks, gorse bushes, rosemary and wild marjoram. The walk then passes Las Tabernillas and its walnut and strawberry trees.
Heading along the river bank you will see the lush vegetation of willows, poplars and elm trees . You then reach Camping El Cortijillo where the path climbs up and away from the river bed until it reaches the Cortijos del Nacimiento, the source of the Castril river, where there are superb views down the river valley.

There are a few hostales in Castril and cottages to rent around the village and there is
a municipal campsite in Castril village.while Camping El Cortijillo is 12km north of Castril,

It is a beautiful area of Andalucia and is well worth the Visit.

Visitors Centre Number +34 958 720 059